Klopp, 'innocent' media presence worked 'miracles'; Man Utd offer £12.5m above asking price

Liverpool's greatest cheerleader launched a fierce defense against media friend Jurgen Klopp as Man United outbid.

Innocent before convicted There's a degree of sycophancy we've come to expect from the Daily Mirror's Northern football correspondent when discussing all things Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.

He is the man, after all, who thought Darwin Nunez was sent off against Crystal Palace for the sin of turning around too soon.

And not too long ago, David Maddock seemed to take the loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in an incredibly personal way.

So of course he describes the 16th coach as 'a smart man' and 'a student of management', whose press conference before the defeat to Manchester United 'was beautifully upbeat, his humor sparkling and his commitment with endearing public media".

He goes on to describe Klopp as 'smart', 'smart' and 'considered' in what appears to be a rare case of some sort of reverse straw man argument: does anyone suggest really the opposite? Are these traits worth careful underlining when it comes to a Premier League and Champions League winning manager?

Damn it, this particular paragraph:

“The Liverpool manager can appear almost innocent when addressing the media, either 'ranting' emotionally after a setback or joking with what appears to be an unguarded and relaxed nature. »

Ask Des Kelly or almost anyone who isn't prepping Klopp for a tap-in with a simple question of whether he 'can come across as almost innocent when talking to the media'. You might be surprised by the answer.

Small world This line is also buried in this Daily Mirror article:

“Liverpool had 70% possession at Old Trafford. Think about it. Manchester United are playing like a small club, in terms of style and possession, but with quality players to hurt during the break. '

One man 'plays like a small club' is another 'plays like a sane club to win'.

Where are you from, you sexy thing? Oh, and to suggest that Liverpool qualify for the Champions League in 2020/21 despite injury problems in defense 'was close to a miracle' is brilliant.

They were four points off fourth place with 10 games left after losing to Fulham in March. They beat Wolves (13th), Arsenal (8th), Aston Villa (11th), Southampton (15th), Manchester United (2nd), West Brom (19th), Burnley (17th) and Crystal Palace (14th), while drawing with Leeds (9th) and Newcastle (12th), to finish third.

Taking 26 out of 30 points in a race that pitted them against seven teams that finished in the bottom half and only one that moved past eighth hardly turned water into wine whether they had Virgil van Dijk available or not.< /p>

Remember that Liverpool and Klopp aren't exactly focused on a title race at the minute, but "Manchester City might just be looking over their shoulders" at Tottenham. Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror says so.

‘Three games, two wins and one draw so far. Spurs gave up their meeting with Wolves 3-2 under Antonio Conte last season after leading twice, remember?

Actually no, Mediawatch doesn't remember it at all. There are vague memories of Wolves beating Tottenham 2-0 away in February after Spurs beat them 1-0 at Molineux in August, but a 3-2 loss for Conte's side after leading two time ? No.

Turns out Spurs actually gave up their meeting with Wolves 3-2 under Jose Mourinho in March 2020 after leading twice. Do you remember?

Living it Lage But this is not an accidental error, as will be seen a few paragraphs later:

“But Wolves dominated much of the game as Tottenham struggled to create in the first half. They just couldn't score - just like last season. Conte still has some work to do to prevent teams from leading his teams in this regard. Seven of Conte's starters in that March 1 loss to Bruno Lage's side either left or were out of the game. Conte's ruthless summer surgery has raised...