Jurgen Klopp Would Walk Away from Football If His Players Stopped 'Being Fair'

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he will quit football if his players were to stop showing sportsmanship to their opponents after the Reds' 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday.

The German was unhappy at being unable to bring on Adam Lallana before Willian's late equaliser cancelled out Mohamed Salah's opener and suggested referee Michael Oliver believed he was trying to waste time.

Per the Telegraph's Chris Bascombe, he said: "We try to close games down, but we don't do it in a cynical way. The referee thought we do it. Watch a few of our games and you see that we don't."

He added:

"The day when somebody thinks like this [in my teams], with not being a proper sportsman and being fair, then I stop.

"If it's not OK any more that we try our best, then it is something wrong.

"That's not my kind of game. Yes, you have to be smart, yes you have to be clever in different situations. If you don't hear a whistle you have to stay up."

Goal shared more of Klopp's comments on Oliver:

According to Bascombe, the fourth official had given Klopp six chances to bring Lallana on, but the Reds boss was still giving instructions to the midfielder.

Bascombe provided several examples from the match in which Liverpool could perhaps have been more streetwise, and football writer Oliver Bond believes they need to learn from it:

The draw came after Liverpool gave up a 3-0 lead at Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League, only to draw 3-3, and it was the fifth time this season the Reds have failed to see out a match from a winning position.

Klopp's attitude is refreshing, but his side could manage games better when in front and don't necessarily need to resort to unsportsmanlike behaviour to do so.

ESPN FC's Michael Cox was unhappy with the cynicism he saw at Anfield on Saturday, though he also believed it came from Liverpool as Eden Hazard was targeted with some heavy challenges:

That is perhaps more straightforward for officials to deal with than some other methods of gamesmanship, though being more prepared to add further time on at the end if one team has been trying to waste it could also be an effective approach.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville told Sky Sports (h/t the Daily Mirror) he attempted to influence referees during his playing days, in which he won eight Premier League titles and the Champions League twice among a whole host of honours.

In an ideal world, those tactics would not be resorted to, but with such high stakes at the top level and the fine margins sides such as Liverpool, United and Chelsea operate with, it's to be expected that many players and teams will do whatever they can to gain any advantage in each game.

This practice makes life difficult for referees, but if the officials are able to become more adept in policing cynical approaches, the effectiveness of them can at least be reduced, even if they perhaps cannot be eliminated from the game entirely.