Jurgen Klopp lets rip at silent Liverpool fans after Gary Neville voices similar complaints
Jurgen Klopp was not impressed with the Anfield atmosphere
GETTY
Liverpool romped to a 5-1 victory over West Ham on Wednesday night to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals, but Jurgen Klopp was far from happy about the lack of atmosphere inside Anfield throughout the game.
Liverpool's new Anfield Road extension was finally opened last week, increasing the stadium's capacity to 57,000 with the hope it would only elevate the iconic atmosphere inside Anfield.
But a drab affair against arch-rivals Manchester United was followed up by another silent night against the Hammers, with Klopp seen in a furious attempt to try and pump up the fans in the main stand.
Liverpool's comfortable win did little to calm Klopp down, who took aim at the crowd for their lack of noise.
🗣️ "If you are not in the right shape, give your ticket to somebody else"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 21, 2023
Jurgen Klopp has criticised the atmosphere at Anfield during Liverpool's 5-1 win over West Ham in the League Cup ⬇️pic.twitter.com/pt4BTZPMLN
"In the first half, when the boys played exceptionally, I was not overly happy with the atmosphere behind me," he said.
"I asked people: 'What do they want?' We changed a lot of things and we dominated West Ham like crazy and missed chances.
“If I would have been in the stands, I would be on my toes – 1,000 per cent.
"I don’t know if the Man United game was that bad that we have to say, ‘oh, sorry we didn’t smash them’.
Klopp's comments on the United match follow on from Neville slamming the quiet atmosphere at Anfield last weekend.
"The atmosphere was the worst I've seen at Anfield ever," Neville said.
“I’ve always been complimentary of Liverpool fans.
"It’s the biggest crowd they’ve had here in 60 or 70 years (60 years is accurate), but it’s the quietest crowd I’ve seen in this game.
Jurgen Klopp tried to pump up the home crowd
GETTY
“I don’t know what was up with them today. I think there was maybe a little bit of overconfidence before the game – people wearing Christmas jumpers with 7-0 on and stuff like that."
Klopp has now demanded a more raucous atmosphere this weekend when Liverpool host Arsenal in a huge top-of-the-table clash.
And the German coach pleaded with anybody not prepared to make some noise on Saturday to give up their ticket to somebody else.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Liverpool eased to victory against West Ham
GETTY
Klopp added: “We need Anfield on Saturday. Without Anfield I would say, they didn’t play this week, they prepare for this game and they will be prepared.
“We need Anfield on their toes from the first second, without me having an argument with the opposition coach or whatever. We need you from the first second.
“If you really want, if it’s too much football in December, I don’t know, sorry, we have to play as well, but if you are not in the right shape, give your ticket to somebody else.”