Journalist James Pearce says his relationship with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has recovered following a high-profile spat.
Pearce saw his questions refuse to be answered by Klopp at a spiky press conference last month.
But asked by readers of The Athletic whether he was now on better terms with the Reds boss, Pearce confirmed that they’d sorted things out.
“Yes, all sorted. It was actually an article published elsewhere the day before that game that had annoyed him,” he said. “Around that time, he felt that certain members of his staff were being unfairly singled out for criticism and emotions were running high after a bad defeat.
“I saw him privately at Kirkby a few weeks ago for a chat and we shook hands. He’s answered my questions in press conferences since and everything is fine.”
What happened between Pearce and Klopp
Klopp’s comments towards Pearce made headlines after Liverpool’s appalling 3-0 loss to Wolves in February.
As per The Daily Mail, the German flat-out refused to answer anything asked by the experienced journalist during the post-match press conference.
“It’s very difficult to talk to you if I’m 100 percent honest. I would prefer not to do that,” Klopp said when asked by Pearce about failures in Liverpool’s mentality.
“You know why, for all the things you wrote. So If somebody else would like to ask that question then I’ll answer it,” he continued.
The response from Klopp prompted surprise and a little bit of concern for what exactly is going on at Liverpool this season. For a manager to snub a journalist who’s been on the circuit for a great number of years is not a common occurrence.
Thankfully, things appear to have now been sorted. Few can blame Klopp for being prickly in the wake of his team’s struggles this season and the Wolves defeat was the nadir. But it’s not the kind of thing we hope to see him making a habit of. Good to hear things are patched up.
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