Steve Nicol Slams Jürgen Klopp's 'Nonsense' Comment After Liverpool's Draw
Steve Nicol, a former Liverpool defender, has expressed his disagreement with Jürgen Klopp's comment on the stoppage-time penalty decision in the Reds' 2-2 draw against Newcastle on Sunday. Klopp described the awarding of the penalty as 'really soft'.
Nicol took to ESPN FC to share his thoughts on the matter, stating: "What does that mean? It's either a foul or it's not a foul. If it's a foul, it's a penalty and it's not soft. You can't have this 'soft' nonsense. If you're gonna come out with that…I'm sorry, I don't get it."
The former defender argued that there's no grey area when it comes to such penalty decisions, and that the contact from Lewis Hall on Victor Munoz was clear as day. He added that he'd be saying the same thing if the roles were reversed, and that the debate on the matter is unnecessary.
Nicol's comments come after Matthias Jaissle, the head coach of Newcastle, argued that the awarding of the penalty was 'really soft'. However, Gary Neville, a Sky Sports co-commentator, disagreed with Jaissle, stating that the Magpies left-back fouled the Spanish winger and didn't get any of the ball.
The stoppage-time penalty decision was correct, according to replays and the officials on VAR. Stuart Attwell made the right call, and the contact from Hall on Munoz was definitely a foul. The Liverpool winger was clipped by the knee of the Newcastle left-back, who got nowhere near the ball.
The draw was a disappointing result for Newcastle, who saw two points slip away from them so late in the game. The Magpies will harbour regrets over the penalty, but their head coach will also be stewing over the myriad issues in his team that need addressing.
The Liverpool team will take the point, especially with the equaliser coming in the 99th minute. However, a vast improvement is needed in upcoming games if they're to challenge for the Champions League places this season. Many of the familiar failings from last term are still present, most notably a lack of security at the base of midfield.
The Reds will need to address these issues if they're to succeed in the Champions League this season. The upcoming games will be crucial in determining their chances of achieving this goal.
Source: Yahoo Sports