Following their frustrating draw with Chelsea, Klopp had to attempt to diffuse a situation with one of his biggest stars that was caught on camera.
JURGEN KLOPP faces the biggest test of his Liverpool reign this week and it has nothing to do with Wednesday’s trip to Stoke.
Sadio Mane’s clear frustration at not getting more than the last three minutes did not go down well. And it will not be forgotten.
Now Klopp needs to decide what to do with the act of petulance and insubordination live on TV.
It immediately drew comparisons to the man in the opposition dugout on Saturday — Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.
Costa got lippy last summer and did not play for the club again. Luiz questioned Conte’s methods in a meeting and is now restricted to playing against Azerbaijani nobodies in Champions League group games.
It takes a strong man to take on the modern-day superstar with all his mood swings, hangers on and direct lines to powers-that-be at the huge global corporation of a Premier League club.
Klopp tried to play down the incident with Mane. He claims there was a tactical crossing of wires and the issue is now dealt with.
Every ex-pro turned pundit queued up to tell the millions of armchair TV fans that top players want to play in the top games — and they don’t come bigger than champions Chelsea at the moment.
Will Klopp let the matter quietly drop? Will he do something different in private to what he told reporters after the game? Will Mane get a dressing down?
Klopp tried everything in the book to brush off dropping two points when Chelsea, having flown 5,000 miles in midweek, were there for the taking.
Claiming that had he been able to bring on sub Adam Lallana before Willian’s 85th-minute equaliser then Liverpool would be toasting victory.
Brazilian Willian’s cross looped over keeper Simon Mignolet into the far corner of the net to cancel out Mo Salah’s 65th-minute opener against his old club.
Lallana had not played a single minute of this season prior to Saturday’s cameo. Who really thinks the talented but clearly rusty midfielder was the man to save the game?
If he was then Klopp is even more exposed for relying on a player who has cobwebs on his boots to see off the English champions.