Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he still thinks about the “blatant” refereeing errors that he feels cost Liverpool the Premier League title last season.
In an extremely tight title fight, Klopp and Liverpool narrowly missed out on becoming champions as Manchester City edged the Reds out by just a single point.
With it being decided by the finest of margins, every refereeing decision had an enormous impact, and Klopp has often spoken of his belief that such decisions often went against his side.
Four months on, the German has revealed that he still thinks about the decisions to this day.
“I don’t have any problems with anyone from City. They deserved it just as much as we deserved it,” he told Sport 1. “What comes up in a moment like that: a few things happened over the season when a few things went against us, so I was thinking on the day: Let’s hope it won’t be decisive in the end.
“And then you forget about it again and don’t think about it. There were really blatant refereeing decisions. You keep thinking, what went in our favour?
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“Completely without club glasses. We were lucky once not to get a penalty against us. But we were already leading 2-0. Otherwise – nothing. And against us? Clear handball penalties, penalties not given, clear red cards not given against us, so for the opponent.
“That comes up at this moment. It’s human to think for a moment. But I don’t carry that around for long.”
The defeat in the title fight was made all the more painful by the fact that Liverpool also lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid. However, Klopp admitted that he’d feel the same way about the matter even if his side had triumphed on both fronts.
“No matter how Manchester City get the result, I accepted it – it’s deserved. And the other way round quite the same,” he added.
“And I can say: today I would be sitting here and wouldn’t feel one bit different if I had become champion and won the Champions League for a second time.”