London July 25 (IANS) Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has accused Liverpool’s backroom staff of breaching football’s touchline code during their heated clash in the Premier League game where the Reds were crowned champions with the trophy.
Lampard was involved in a foul-mouthed touchline altercation with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and his deputy Pep Lijnders during Chelsea’s 3-5 defeat at Anfield earlier this week and following the conclusion of the game, the Chelsea manager referred to their behaviour as arrogant.
Klopp hit back at Lampard after the latter branded the recently-crowned Premier League champions as arrogant.
Asked to detail touchline etiquette, Lampard was quoted as saying by Sky Sports: “What is the code? I think when you speak between managers, and there are lots of decisions that go and you can hear it more clearly now without the crowd. And lots of managers will call for decisions and it may be right or wrong. And then you speak with each other.
“But when people on the bench jump up and want to speak across to myself and then smirk and smile and then continue to do so for quite a while; I think that is past the code.”
“We are not arrogant. Frank was in a competitive mood, I respect that a lot,” Klopp had told reporters as per ESPN.
“From my point of view, in this situation (mid-match) you can say pretty much what you want… he came here to win the game, or get a point to help with Champions League qualification and I respect that.
“What he has to learn is to finish it with the last whistle and he didn’t do that. Speaking afterwards about it, is not okay. Frank has to learn this, he has a lot of time to learn as he’s a young coach, but he has to learn this.
“We are not arrogant, we are pretty much the opposite. Final whistle, close the book and he didn’t do that and that’s what I don’t like,” he added.
Lampard had earlier warned champions Liverpool against complacency and also urged them against being arrogant in their victory.
“For me, it wasn’t a foul from Kovacic, and there were a lot of things that weren’t going our way. But I’ve not got a problem with Jurgen Klopp. The way he’s managed this team has been fantastic,” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“Fair play to Liverpool football club, they’ve won the league, but also don’t get too arrogant with it. That was my point, but it’s done. In match play, you can get emotional and that was it,” he added.
–IANS
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