Jürgen Klopp has said he will try “absolutely everything” when his team visit Aston Villa on Monday to avoid the yellow card that would banish him to the stands for his final home game as Liverpool manager.
Klopp has been booked twice this season, against Burnley on 10 February and Luton on 5 November, and a third at Villa Park would bring an automatic touchline ban for his final match at Anfield against Wolves on Sunday week. While avoiding touchline confrontations has never been the Liverpool manager’s forte, he believes going three months since his last booking is a sign of mellowing. And Klopp says he will be conscious at Villa Park of needing to avoid a sanction that would dampen his Anfield farewell.
The Liverpool manager said: “I’ve known that already for a long time. When did I get the second yellow? By the way we could turn it around and say I only got two yellow cards while some of my colleagues got suspended, right? Hmm. I got calmer over the years, obviously.
“I don’t need to [be on the touchline against Wolves] but it would be cool that I could do that. It will not be from my side. I will try absolutely everything not to get involved in any kind of discussions.”
Klopp has told Darwin Núñez he must play through a troubled spell in front of goal and insisted there is no uncertainty over the Liverpool striker’s future on Merseyside. Núñez deleted most Liverpool-related images from his Instagram account after being criticised for a poor display as a substitute against Tottenham on Sunday.
The Uruguay international has faced growing criticism over his wasteful finishing as Liverpool’s title bid faltered, fuelling reports of a summer exit. But the Liverpool manager insisted: “There is no speculation, it’s just a situation we are in. Darwin was definitely not happy missing that chance. He was unlucky in so many situations where he is doing everything right but the ball still doesn’t go in. That’s really tough for a young man. He has big expectations on himself.
“There is no alternative than going through it. We try to help him with all we can but you have to go through it, everyone has to go through this. That’s part of a footballer’s career. How many goals did he score? Eighteen. They are not bad numbers.”
Meanwhile, former Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward has rejoined the club’s ownership group 12 months after leaving Anfield.
Ward has been appointed technical director at Fenway Sports Group with Benfica’s former technical director Pedro Marques appointed director of football development at FSG. The newly created positions are part of the restructure being put in place by Michael Edwards, Ward’s predecessor as Liverpool sporting director, who also recently returned to FSG as their chief executive of football.
Ward quit Anfield after only 12 months as sporting director and had been approached by Ineos Football Group, founded by Manchester United part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, about taking on the role of global technical director. Edward’s stepped in and persuaded him to return to FSG.
Ward will have wide-ranging duties in his new role, including player development across FSG’s football operations, Liverpool’s academy and the organisation’s planned football innovations department. He will report directly to Edwards, as will newly appointed Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes.
