As the inconvenience of an FA Cup fourth-round replay with Shrewsbury Town appeared to greatly bother Jurgen Klopp, journalist Daniel Harris attempted to remind the Liverpool manager why such things can have greater meaning beyond his interests alone on Monday's OTB AM.
In a manner reminiscent of the club's League Cup exit to Aston Villa, Jurgen Klopp intends to deploy Liverpool's younger players when Shrewsbury Town arrive at Anfield in eight-days time for an FA Cup fourth-round replay.
Having held what appeared to be a comfortable 2-0 lead over the League One side on Saturday evening, Liverpool were pegged back and the game finished 2-2.
Due to the club's relatively busy schedule, an irritated Jurgen Klopp doubled down on Liverpool's plans for the first-team players to take a mid-season break during the time in which they ought to be playing Shrewsbury Town.
"He was probably speaking emotionally," conceded journalist Daniel Harris of Klopp's having to watch his side squander a 2-0 lead. "He was probably annoyed because he has another game he doesn't want.
"However, Jurgen Klopp is an intelligent, articulate individual who should understand that the FA Cup existed for a long time before he turned up in English football, and will exist for a long time after he's gone.
"It's fine to complain about fixture congestion, but to then disrespect the competition by saying that this is so ludicrous that he isn't going to participate in it, never mind his players, just made him look self-obsessed and narcissistic.
"The FA Cup is an amazing competition and what I think he needs to understand is that there are lower-division teams that are not funded by venture capitalists or billionaires and are reliant on money from things like FA Cup replays."
In agreement with Jurgen Klopp regarding the potential harm fixture congestion could cause his Liverpool players, Harris nevertheless believes the German's response to this issue lacked the necessary tact.
"I wouldn't criticise Klopp for not picking any first-team players," he admitted, "but not turning up himself because he is somehow above this now made him look foolish.
"There's no sensible way of saying that and I don't think there is another side to that particular line of the argument.
"I mean, nobody is coming to see Jurgen Klopp but he is the manager of Liverpool and there is a game taking place where Liverpool are playing.
"To say that he himself is not going to manage the team, why? He's not playing!
"He does do a lot of prancing on the touchline but I feel sure that he can manage one extra game without ruining his fitness for the touchline attention-seeking that he will need to perpetrate over the course of the rest of the season.
"To say that he himself is not coming is pathetic."
You can watch back Daniel Harris' assessment of Manchester United FA Cup fourth-round win here.
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