JURGEN KLOPP has revealed that James Maddison is the Premier League player that he dislikes the most ahead of his Liverpool exit.
The German, 56, rocked the Reds when he announced in January that would be leaving Anfield this summer.
He ensured that he will depart with some silverware when guiding Liverpool to Carabao Cup success in February.
And he had already achieved legendary status on Merseyside after ending their 30-year wait for the title and lifting the Champions League.
Klopp secured seven major trophies during his nine-year reign but he had a host of other near misses.
Two Champions League final defeats to Real Madrid must still hurt, but it is for something domestically that the ex-Borussia Dortmund chief still holds a grudge over Maddison for.
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Back in the 2019 Premier League title race, Vincent Kompany scored an unforgettable late piledriver against Leicester City that essentially secured them the crown.
The Cityzens beat Liverpool to the title by just a point – but Klopp says he blames then Leicester ace Maddison for giving Kompany time to shoot.
Klopp told Redmen TV: “The moment when Vincent Kompany touched the ball there, I am really happy I didn’t get a stroke in that moment as that’s how it must feel.
“I remember exactly how I was lying on the sofa watching and thinking ‘Maddison block him, close him down’.
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“Since then I don’t like Maddison. I was angry with Brendan [Rodgers] that day because he should have taken him off, he was tired.
“Leicester played really good first half, after that they should have scored.
“It’s just a personal thing, I have no problem with him, but when I see him it’s… and now I saw him again last weekend.”
Klopp came face-to-face with Maddison when Liverpool beat the England star’s Tottenham 4-2 win at Anfield.
Meanwhile, the Red have announced that popular duo Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara will be leaving the club amid Klopp’s departure.
The Cameroon defender, 32, will follow him out of the exit door along with the 33-year-old Spanish midfielder when their contracts expire in June.
Matip was one of Klopp’s first signings when he arrived as a free agent following a spell at Schalke 04.
Thiago joined weeks after the 2020 title triumph for £20m from Bayern Munich, and both he and Matip were celebrating double cup joy in the 2020/21 campaign as the Reds won the League and FA Cups – although the Spaniard missed the first of those finals through injury.
Matip suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Fulham in December that has sidelined him since.
Thiago’s own injury issues have restricted him to just 28 appearances last season and he has only featured once this term due to fitness issues – meaning both missed out on collecting another League Cup medal.
Klopp has botched his Liverpool exit… and it’s cost him his legacy, says Dave Kidd
By Dave Kidd
NOW we know Jurgen Klopp’s final major trophy haul at Liverpool — one Champions League, one Premier League, one FA Cup, two League Cups and (if you must) a World Club Cup.
But where does his reign stand among the greatest of the Premier League era?
In black-and-white terms, Klopp is way behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, the only two men to have won multiple Premier Leagues and a Champions League at the same club.
Those two sit alongside Brian Clough, Bob Paisley and Sir Matt Busby as the undoubted all-time managerial greats of the English game.
But Klopp ranks in the next tier down — with Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho (the Chelsea version), Bill Shankly and Don Revie.
These were all men with the strength of character to transform their clubs in their own image and enjoy success but who did not win as much as they might have done.
Had Klopp managed to keep his intentions under wraps and ended up with another title, perhaps even a treble or quadruple, he’d have edged himself up into that highest echelon with Ferguson, Guardiola, Clough, Paisley and Busby.
But deciding the timing and the manner of your exit is one of the toughest calls for any manager or sportsman.
Klopp got it wrong.
Read Dave Kidd’s take on Klopp’s demise in full here.
Or click here to check out all of Dave Kidd’s articles.
While the duo and Klopp will make an emotional farewell to the Kop against Wolves in his final game on Sunday, two of his staff members are looking forward to an exciting new challenge.
His assistant Pepijn Lijnders will take over as Red Bull Salzburg manager after he departs Liverpool.
He will be joined at the Austrian Bundesliga giants by fellow Anfield coach Vitor Matos, who will go as his No.2.
Feyenoord manager Arne Slot is widely-believed to have already agreed to become Liverpool’s new boss for next season.
And fans are just waiting for the formalities to be completed and an official announcement to be made with the Dutchman, 45, set to move into Klopp’s seven-bedroom house on Merseyside.
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The £4m mansion Formby boasts three lounges, a home cinema, an indoor swimming pool plus a landscaped garden and is owned by the Premier League club.
Liverpool bought it from their former manager Brendan Rodgers after he had previously purchased it from legendary ex captain Steven Gerrard.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
