Klopp deflecting attention after Liverpool loss – Tuchel

Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel suggested Jurgen Klopp was trying to deflect attention from Liverpool’s Champions League loss by criticising the referee.

Klopp was furious with PSG’s antics and numerous other decisions that he felt made his team – who picked up six yellow cards – “look like butchers” in their 2-1 loss in Paris on Wednesday.

PSG midfielder Marco Verratti escaped with a yellow card for a rash challenge on Joe Gomez, while Liverpool were awarded a first-half penalty only after referee Szymon Marciniak appeared to initially signal for a corner.

Tuchel refused to be drawn on the matter, but said Klopp, like many coaches, may have been using the referee to keep the pressure off his team.

“I did not feel like it was such a big issue. We had five minutes overtime, we suffered a lot of fouls,” he told a news conference.

“You don’t have to do fouls if you’re one goal down and you do 10 fouls in five minutes. You think it’s the other way around in a crucial match like that? I’ve never experienced it the other way around that the team goes to hurry that everyone has the chance to make an equaliser.

Incredible effort secures three valuable #UCL points in Group C!#PSGLFC #AllezParis pic.twitter.com/quCxyP6mhl

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) November 28, 2018

“I don’t even want to talk about it because for me it’s not a subject.

“When I lose big games I am angry and I sometimes talk about stuff just to bring the attention to something else and away from my team.

“I do this also but it’s not my issue. You’ll have to ask Jurgen for that and I heard he has his opinion to that and that’s fine. I’m talking about the game.”

James Milner converted Liverpool’s penalty after Juan Bernat and Neymar had put PSG in control.

A win at Red Star Belgrade next month will secure PSG’s place in the top two in Group C, while Liverpool need a victory at home to Napoli.