Jose Mourinho takes jibe at Klopp & Co. for getting away with touchline outbursts

Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho has aimed a sly dig at Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp ahead of their crunch Premier League clash on Thursday. Mourinho and Klopp exchanged words at the end of Liverpool’s dramatic 2-1 win over Spurs six weeks ago before suggesting that the German's animated antics on the touchline go unpunished by match officials. The 'Special One' went on to explain that he would never get away with behaving in the manner his German counterpart does on the touchline.

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Mourinho fires shots at Klopp ahead of Spurs vs Liverpool

While speaking to reporters ahead of hosting Anfield at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, Spurs boss Mourinho was asked about his touchline behaviour which landed him in hot water in the past. "In my case, I felt an evolution. I felt an evolution over emotional control. I felt an evolution in that the calmer I am, the better I can read the game. And I'm even happy that my assistants, they look to the touchline sometimes for communication and I stay in a privileged position."

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Cue the hand grenade. “What I can say is when I didn’t behave well I paid the price. I paid the price in two ways: one was to see matches on TV in the dressing room and another price was big‑money fines. I feel that, for some of the other guys, it doesn’t happen the same. But, if the referee and the fourth official are there to do that job, I just hope they do that job and act the way they have to act.” the Portuguese manager explained. 

Although Mourinho hadn't mentioned Klopp's name, it was clear that he was referring to the Reds manager and his touchline outbursts. In fact, Klopp was involved in a heated clash with Burnley boss Sean Dyche in the tunnel at Anfield during half-time. Mourinho concluded by stating that he still respects the German manager. 

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Defending champions Liverpool have had a torrid run of five league games without a win and are currently in fifth place in the Premier League standings, seven points behind leaders Man City. Meanwhile, Spurs are in sixth place, just one point behind the Reds, with a game in hand. 

Klopp has a strong record against Mourinho in their 12 matches against each other, winning six of them - including December's last-gasp victory over Spurs at Anfield. Mourinho has two victories over Klopp, with the other four games being draws.

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Image Credits - AP