After Jurgen Klopp addressed Manchester United in his post-match comments on Monday night, journalist Daniel Harris suspects that the Liverpool manager may be feeling the heat.
Liverpool's third successive game without a win, Jurgen Klopp used a portion of his post-match press conference on Monday night to speak about Manchester United.
Apropos of his side's penalty record, the German lamented that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team have appeared to be more fortunate in winning spot kicks.
"I was quite surprised that Klopp decided to go at United right now because they're not that much of a threat to Liverpool," reasoned Daniel Harris, the football journalist speaking on Wednesday's OTB AM about the title run-in and Klopp's attempt at mind games.
"But I think Klopp is under pressure [because] the problems that are bothering him now at the back are not going to change this season.
"So, he probably thought he would retain the league title and he probably will because they still probably have the best team, but all of a sudden he's under pressure because this team have failed to win against West Brom, Newcastle United and Southampton.
"For the first time in a while, he's under a little bit of pressure."
After Klopp's comments prompted a brief response from Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Harris considered the German's attempt at mind games in comparison to the approach adopted by Solskjaer's old United boss, Alex Ferguson.
"I don't think that Fergie would have got involved with a rival at this point in the way that Klopp did," noted Harris, slightly bemused that Klopp engaged United so early on in the season. "I think Fergie would have waited until things got a bit more exciting before he got stuck in.
"Also, when Fergie did speak out about these things he did it with anger, fury and a bit more humour. Klopp seemed to be doing it with suspicion and self-pity which I found slightly odd."
A Premier League winner with Liverpool last season and twice a Champions League finalist with the club, Klopp has enjoyed tremendous success since joining in 2015.
Nevertheless, these latest comments reignited an intrigue in Klopp's mentality for Harris.
"I've always wondered how he would have fared with a prime Fergie, or even prime Mourinho," he suggested, "not only in a footballing sense, but mentally. They would be poking him because they could see someone who could be poked.
"Fergie never really did it with Mourinho because when they were together Mourinho had the better team and he was bulletproof. I was surprised that Klopp decided to call it on at this point. It looks more like he's the one feeling the pressure.
"Now, Jurgen Klopp knows more about management than me and much more about motivating footballers than I do, but the way I look at it is that he should be focusing on what his players are doing.
"Drawing attention to this looked a sign of weakness when Klopp should be intimating strength."
You can watch Daniel Harris preview tonight's Carabao Cup semi-final clash between Manchester United and Manchester City on Wednesday's OTB AM here
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