Jurgen Klopp Tells Hamza Choudhury to 'Calm Down' After Tackle on Mohamed Salah

Jurgen Klopp believes Hamza Choudhury needs to "calm down" after the Leicester City midfielder made a challenge the Liverpool manager described as "dangerous as hell" on Mohamed Salah.

The tackle forced Salah to be withdrawn in stoppage time of the Reds' 2-1 win over the Foxes in the Premier League on Saturday. Meanwhile, substitute Choudhury only received a yellow card for going to ground.

Afterwards, Klopp described why he was less than impressed with the incident, per David Lynch of the London Evening Standard:

"It's just a challenge which I really don't understand. How he can do it, because the ball is far away. The player is full sprint to bring him down without the ball around, for me there is only one colour card. I see in your eyes that I am probably the only one who sees it like this.

"It is dangerous as hell. I don't want to cause the boy (Choudhury) any problems but he has to calm down. He has to calm down. This is not the first situation like this. Super player but these kind of challenges… no."

Salah limped off at Anfield, but one of Liverpool's main goal threats isn't expected to be sidelined for long, according to Dominic King of the Daily Mail:

Klopp's warning to Choudhury is timely because this is far from the first time the 22-year-old has encountered controversy because of his physical playing style. He was involved in a tackle on Jonathan Bamba while on duty for England during this summer's UEFA Euro U21 Championships that left the Lille forward injured:

Another challenge from Choudhury put Matt Ritchie on the shelf when the Foxes beat Newcastle United on penalties in the second round of the Carabao Cup back in August.

The tackle was described as potentially "career-ending" and a "horror challenge" by Magpies boss Steve Bruce. However, Leicester chief Brendan Rodgers defended Choudhury and his approach to the game:

Rodgers again spoke up for Choudhury following this latest incident, calling him an "honest boy," per BBC Sport and pointing out he didn't think "there was anything malicious" about the clash with Salah.

While all managers can be expected to defend their players publicly, Rodgers ought to be wary of striking a worrying tone of acceptance when addressing Choudhury's game. Reckless tackles have already become a feature of the development of a player who only broke into the Leicester first team during the second half of last season.

It's also true Choudhury's destructive instincts have been an asset to Leicester. He's been partnered with fellow midfield anchorman Wilfred Ndidi to help make Rodgers' team tougher to break down in big matches.

Rodgers will be mindful about not dulling the aggressive edge of Choudhury's style and taking away one of his strengths. Even so, there is a balance to be struck between a player showcasing the tenacity needed to win the battles in midfield, while also exercising the appropriate treatment to both ensure the safety of opponents and prevent the Foxes from going down to 10 men on a regular basis.

Striking said balance is the next necessary step in Choudhury's progress toward becoming a regular in the top flight. In the meantime, there is sure to be plenty of focus on his tackling as Leicester's bid to finish in the top six continues.