Jurgen Klopp Responds With Irritation to First Team Outcast Following Media Outburst
Jurgen Klopp has criticised Simon Mignolet following the player's public questioning about why he was not allowed to leave Liverpool on loan this summer.
Following his failings in the Champions League final last season, the Reds allowed Loris Karius to depart on a two-year loan to Turkish club Besiktas, while the Belgian is seemingly stuck at Anfield.
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During an interview with his home country's media, the 30-year-old labelled it 'bizarre' that his teammate was allowed to head out of the door - in effect forcing him to stay on Merseyside.
Quoted by Sky Sports ahead of his side's clash with Leicester City this weekend, Liverpool boss Klopp criticised Mignolet's decision to talk freely but insisted that he understands his frustrations.
"In general, discussing your individual problems in public doesn't make too much sense," the German said.
"It's always better to speak to each other; I'm a big believer in that. But it was still okay. If he was happy to be a No 2, then I wouldn't really know him. He's a top professional, a top goalkeeper, and of course he is not happy to be No 2.
"But there are worse things in the world that being No 2 - and you are pretty well paid at Liverpool. In the first moment when understanding decisions or not, it's always better to talk to me about that directly than newspapers."
Mignolet is currently playing second fiddle to big-money summer signing Alisson, who is yet to concede a goal in the Premier League this season.
However, Klopp was reluctant to give all the credit to his new man for their three consecutive clean sheets and insisted that his defence's efforts must also be hailed.
"He is a good goalkeeper, but we have defended well so far," said the Liverpool boss. "It's not like he has had 20 shots on target.
"Hopefully it stays like this, but you need a goalie who is always spot on and at his highest concentration level. And hopefully, at Leicester, there will not be 15 shots on target. We have to avoid that, and then in specific moments, he needs to be there.
"So far so good, nothing to moan about but we know that as a club there will be difficult moments for some players during the season. It's our job to push them as far away as possible."
