Klopp Responds to Fan Accusations of Sturridge Snub

Sunday's loss to Swansea was rough for Liverpool's away support. An unusually early kick off for a Sunday caused transportation issues for anyone hoping to arrive in and return from Wales on the same day, with the first train from Lime Street to Swansea arriving approximately an hour after the match was set to finish. Pouring rain and an abysmal match added insult to injury, and the overall experience was one that might engender appreciative feelings for the away support's unfortunate plight.

It's in this rather miserable context that post-match complaints began to pop up online when some of that away support felt aggrieved by a perceived slight from star striker Daniel Sturridge. After being the subject of rampant speculation over his failure to get off the bench vs Villareal on Thursday, Sturridge immediately went down the players' tunnel after playing a full ninety minutes but coming up short on goals. His lack of salute to the away fans did not go unnoticed by many.

"If somebody forgot to say something to the fans then it's my fault," manager Jürgen Klopp said after Sturridge's actions were brought to his attention. "It is nobody else's fault. If you think we ignore the fans it's not what we wanted. I went too immediately. Hopefully our fans know how close we are to them. After a game like this if you want to leave, if you want to go... you [might] want to rest and recover and do a lot of things."

It's an entirely reasonable position that every once in a while your annoyance over the game might trump clapping the travelling support. Liverpool players and fans have always had a good relationship, it should stand to reason that this relationship won't suddenly come apart at the seams if one or both parties slip on their usual traditions every once in a while.