Jurgen Klopp spoke as openly as possible about the European Super League ahead of Liverpool's trip to Leeds United.Let's face it, the Reds boss was never going to be able to come out and declare that the decision of the club's owners to join a new breakaway division was some sort of crime against football.However, as someone who has previously rubbished the idea of a European Super League, Klopp wasn't afraid to stand by his opinion when questioned by Sky Sports at Elland Road on Monday.
Klopp interview before Leeds clash
As reported by James Pearce, the Liverpool boss stood by his former criticisms and revealingly explained that neither himself nor the players had been kept abreast with the breakaway.
Klopp stated: "I didn't change (my opinion). I heard for the first time about it yesterday. We got some, not a lot of information. It's a tough one, people are not happy, I can understand that.
"We are not involved in any process, not me or the players. The boys didn’t do anything wrong other than not winning all the football games and I want people to understand that.”
Klopp not keen on Super League
Fair play, Jurgen, fair play, because it would have been easy to bat away all those questions when you consider Liverpool's owners haven't fronted up in the way managers have been forced to.
Besides, Gary Neville event went as far as claiming that Klopp had 'destroyed his owners on national television' during a particularly impassioned evening of discussion on Sky's MNF.
And it seems pretty clear that, deep down, Klopp doesn't want Liverpool to embark on this new endeavor and that his players have essentially been thrown under the bus with little to no briefing.
Besides, for the record, Klopp's previous comments on the Super League - from a 2019 interview with Kicker, per the Liverpool Echo - went as follows: "I hope this Super League will never happen.
"With the way the Champions League is now running, football has a great product, even with the Europa League.
"For me, the Champions League is the Super League, in which you do not always end up playing against the same teams.
"Of course, it is [financially] important, but why should we create a system where Liverpool faces Real Madrid for 10 straight years?"
Read More: European Super League: Everything you need to know
Comments on Leeds' t-shirts
However, Klopp was keen to stand by the fact that his players shouldn't be drawn into the debate, revealing that they turned down the chance to wear similar protest t-shirts to the Leeds squad.
Leeds' decision to sport 'Earn It' t-shirts in retaliation to the European Super League was praised by hundreds of fans on social media, but Klopp's view on the issue was a little more controversial.
The Liverpool manager reportedly remarked: "If somebody thinks they have to remind us that you need to earn a place in the Champions League, that's a joke it's a real joke and it makes me angry."
Protests ahead of Leeds vs Liverpool
And that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to protesting before the Premier League clash with fans making their feelings clear in a variety of ways outside Elland Road.
From plane banners to homemade signs, supporters made it clear that they will not accept a world where the European Super League becomes the forefront of world football.
While booing and chanting against the Liverpool bus seemed to be pointing the finger in the wrong direction, there can be no escaping the fact that the majority of fans are united on this issue.
As a result, the fact that Leeds and Liverpool were even playing a Premier League game couldn't help feeling pointless, especially if finishing in the top four places turns out to be redundant.
But as long as the footballing bigwigs persist to pedal a European Super League, you can feel certain that fans will continue to campaign for the sport to rightfully remain in their hands.
