Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold claims that many of his Premier League rivals have complained to him about Jurgen Klopp staring them down during pre-match warm-ups. The Reds boss standing intimidatingly on the half-way line before kick-off has become a common theme since he landed at Anfield in 2015.
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Seemingly deployed as a scare tactic, the sight of the 6ft 3in former Borussia Dortmund manager Klopp standing and staring at the opposition's warm-up routine has struck fear into many players over the years.
Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal star Theo Walcott claims that he was caught out by it during his playing days. "I remember you'd be warming up, in your routine, then all of a sudden you'd get eye contact with Jurgen Klopp and it's like fire," he said.
"So intimidating. He caught me once, so I'm sure he will have caught many players over the years. I’m sure there's a reason behind that but he definitely scared me."
Reluctant to give Klopp too much praise, Manchester United legend Roy Keane quipped back to Walcott that he would have been 'scared of the mascot'. Alexander-Arnold claims that the former England winger isn't the only player to feel the heat of Klopp's stare-downs.
When asked whether the manager would report back to the dressing room what he had found, Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports: "Not at all. He just keeps a mental note.
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"Whether he's scouting players, I don't know why he does it. It's just habit, a routine. It does intimidate players, a lot come and ask me, come and talk to me saying that they hate it. Hopefully it works."
Klopp's pre-match intimidation just about did the trick on Sunday as Liverpool came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 at Anfield. Danny Welbeck opened the scoring in 87 seconds with a fine strike, but the Reds had the rest of the game to steady the ship and they did so quickly.
Klopp hails Liverpool stars after Brighton victory
Luis Diaz poked the hosts level midway through the first period, and Mohamed Salah put them in front for the first time after being slid through by the exceptional Alexis Mac Allister.
The victory put Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, and a goalless draw between Arsenal and Manchester City later in the day ensured they will stay there until the next round of fixtures, with nine games of the season remaining.
