Klopp: ‘If you don’t understand Messi’s greatness, you don’t understand football’

Jurgen Klopp has launched a robust defence of England head coach Thomas Tuchel, insisting criticism of his World Cup semi-final tactics against Argentina is simplistic and unfair.

Tuchel has faced intense scrutiny in England and abroad after his side were knocked out in the last four by the reigning world champions, with pundits and fans accusing him of mismanaging the game plan.

But former Liverpool manager Klopp, speaking to the outlet intelregion, argued that many of the judgments being made ignore the realities of knockout football and the quality of the opposition.

‘Football is far more complex’

Klopp dismissed the idea that Tuchel’s approach in the semi-final could be reduced to a binary choice between attack and defence.

He said people often talk about tactical decisions “after the match as if coaching is easy, as if you only have to choose between attack or defence”.

He added: “Always people talk after the game as if coaching is easy, as if you just have to choose between attack or defence, it is not that simple. Football is much more complicated.”

The German coach suggested that such post-match analysis regularly overlooks the context, pressure and fluid nature of elite knockout ties.

‘Whatever you do, someone will criticise’

Klopp went on to challenge commentary that pins the defeat on a single tactical call, arguing that managers are routinely judged with double standards.

He said Tuchel would have been accused of the opposite failing had he opted for a more conservative plan.

“لو لم يحاول توخيل السيطرة على المباراة وعادت الارجنتين في النتيجة، لكان نفس الاشخاص سيقولون لماذا لم يدافع عن تقدمه؟ في مباريات خروج المغلوب، مهما فعلت ستجد من ينتقدك”.

Translated, Klopp’s point is that had Tuchel not tried to keep control of the game and Argentina had come back, “the same people would have said: why didn’t he defend his lead? In knockout matches, whatever you do, you will find people who criticise you.”

The former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool boss suggested that isolating one decision and blaming it for a complex 90-minute contest is a fundamental misunderstanding of top-level coaching.

Credit for Argentina’s mentality

Moving beyond tactical debates, Klopp stressed that England’s opponents were no ordinary side. He highlighted the mentality within Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina squad, who have become renowned for grinding out results in high-pressure moments.

He noted that Argentina “يتمتع منتخب الارجنتين بعقلية مميزة، يبدو وكان شييا عظيما يرافقهم في هذه البطولة، وهذا ما ساعدهم على تجاوز اللحظات الصعبة”.

Argentina’s “special mentality”, he suggested, made them appear to be carrying something “great” with them through the tournament – an intangible edge that helped them find a way through the most difficult spells.

‘When you have Lionel Messi, what can you do?’

Klopp ultimately framed the semi-final not as a tactical failure by Tuchel, but as an encounter decided by one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.

“عندما يكون لديك ليونيل ميسي، ماذا يمكنك ان تفعل؟ انه في التاسعة والثلاثين من عمره ولا يزال افضل لاعب في العالم، تعتقد انك سيطرت عليه وانك فعلت كل شيء على اكمل وجه، ثم ياتي بتمريرة حاسمة تغير مجرى المباراة.. احيانا تحسم المباريات بالعظمة، واذا لم تفهم ذلك فانت حقا لا تفهم كرة القدم”.

“When you have Lionel Messi, what can you do? He is 39 years old and is still the best player in the world, you think you have controlled him and that you have done everything perfectly, then he comes up with an assist that changes the course of the match.. sometimes matches are decided by greatness, and if you do not understand that then you really do not understand football.”

For Klopp, any balanced assessment of Tuchel’s World Cup campaign with England must acknowledge both Argentina’s collective steel and Messi’s enduring ability to decide the biggest matches on his own – factors that, he believes, no tactical plan can ever fully neutralise.