- Jurgen Klopp has a pre-match tradition to stand and stare at the opposition
- The reasons behind his actions have now been revealed by ex-pro Ben Foster
- Arsenal fans will go berserk if Mikel Arteta makes wholesale changes this weekend – It’s All Kicking Off
The reasons behind Jurgen Klopp‘s ‘intimidating’ pre-match ritual of staring at the opposition has been revealed by former goalkeeper Ben Foster.
It’s no secret that the Liverpool boss will stand and observe rival players in the moments before his side’s matches.
Foster, who recently called an end to his player career following a stint at Wrexham, asked Everton defender James Tarkowski whether Klopp’s tactics works to intimidate players.
Speaking on The Fozcast, the Toffees defender responded: ‘Always, because I always warm up right near the halfway line.
‘I like to be that end of the warm ups so I’m always quite high and can see (Klopp) gleaming at me from the side.
The reasons behind Jurgen Klopp ‘s ‘intimidating’ pre-match ritual of staring at the opposition has been revealed
Ben Foster (middle) discussed the tactics with Everton’s James Tarkowski (L) on his podcast
‘I’m thinking ‘I better make sure this pass is right’, or he’s going to walk into the dressing room and say ‘that Tarkowski’s having one in the warm-up, go and play on him’.
Foster claimed that he felt similarly to Tarkowski, having come up against Klopp’s sides numerous times before retiring last year.
The former England international then went on to reveal that he’s spoken to the Liverpool boss about his tactics, which he claimed are not designed to intimidate.
Quoting Klopp’s response, Foster claimed Klopp said: ‘No, I didn’t know that. I don’t do it for that. I do it so I can (identify) a technical or a tactical something I can pick up on.
‘Because sometimes you will get some teams that will set up their actual shape and position in the warm-up.
‘And if I see a left-back or a right-back will come inside or might stay… I might just clock it a little bit and I might mention it to the players before I go.’
He added: ‘I definitely don’t do it to try and intimidate players.’
Foster claimed Klopp admitted that he doesn’t do it to ‘try and intimidate’ opposition players
The former Watford goalkeeper insisted the Liverpool boss does it to adjust his match tactics
While Klopp’s pre-match rituals tend to get people talking, after his side’s victory over Newcastle, it was his post-match antics that made headlines.
The German dropped his wedding ring as he headed over to the Kop to celebrate the victory following a chaotic game.
Liverpool fans in the iconic Anfield stand were made to wait as Klopp searched the turf for his wedding band but luckily for the Reds boss he had assistance in the form of a Sky Sports cameraman.
Klopp was guided to his ring, which he dually bent down to collect, before kissing it in front of the camera in relief as he resumed his post-match celebrations.
