Klopp promises Elliott action after controversial moment; talks Liverpool quadruple bid
Jurgen Klopp promised to speak with Harvey Elliott after he celebrated with a flare on Sunday, and weighed in on the chances of Liverpool securing a historic quadruple this season.
Elliott, 18, enjoyed a whirlwind afternoon during the EFL Cup final on Sunday. Elliott had initially been overlooked in the matchday squad. However, Thiago Alcantara’s late withdrawal in the warm-up through injury saw Naby Keita start and Elliott drafted in to take the final spot on the bench.
What’s more, Elliott was substituted on in place of captain Jordan Henderson in the 79th minute, and later buried his spot kick in the shoot-out on route to Liverpool’s nail-biting victory over Chelsea.
However, Elliott later courted controversy when seen celebrating while holding a flare on the pitch.
The Liverpool Echo claimed that had resulted in Elliott being written to by the FA who are seeking clarification on his actions. And speaking in his Tuesday press conference, Klopp insisted he’ll speak with the youngster.
What Elliott did ‘not the worst thing in football’
Klopp said: “I didn’t speak to Harvey yet. Will I? Yes.
“Harvey is a very young man on the pitch and off it he is more of a young boy. 100% I will tell him not to do it again. But do I think it’s the worst thing in football? No.”
With the League Cup safely tucked away, the prospect of an unprecedented quadruple in English football has come into focus.
Liverpool are chasing Man City in the Premier League and hold a handy two-goal advantage over Inter Milan at the Champions League Round of 16 stage. They square off against Norwich in the FA Cup Fifth Round tonight.
Predictably, however, Klopp refused to get caught up in the hysteria.
“No team has ever won it,” added the German. “It’s not that we are even close to it.
“We have won the Carabao Cup, we are behind City in the league and now we have Norwich in the FA Cup after 120 minutes on Sunday.”
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On the subject of those outside the club talking about the quadruple, Klopp said: “I don’t see it as a compliment.
“But it’s better people think we can do good things rather than be useless. We face a lot of good teams between now and end of May.”
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Klopp on Thiago injury; Diaz start
Klopp then provided an update on Thiago after the Spaniard was left in tears following his cup final heartbreak.
“It was a very emotional moment,” admitted Klopp. “I watched the warm-up and didn’t see anything then I came back and saw him on the bed saying he felt his hamstring. It wasn’t a good moment.
Klopp then suggested Thiago’s injury is not serious when claiming the midfielder could return when they host Inter on March 8.
The manager said: “Weekend not sure, maybe Inter, after that definitely.”
Luis Diaz has continued to hit the ground running since his January arrival from FC Porto.
The Colombian was arguably Liverpool’s most dangerous player against Chelsea, and repeatedly drew high praise from Gary Neville when commentating for Sky Sports.
“He did really well,” continued Klopp. “We need this kind of quality. For a start, incredibly well. Hopefully it’ll stay like this as long as possible.”
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