Jürgen Klopp held nothing back. When he saw that England had prepared a list of penalty takers before even playing the 90 minutes against Argentina, he felt that something was not right.
For him, that gesture sends a dangerous message: accepting in advance that the match could end in a draw. “Football is psychological”, he explained, stressing that Argentina arrived with a completely different idea — to kill off the match before reaching a penalty shootout.
“With the squad England has, the mentality should always be to win the match in regular time first. That is how great teams approach these occasions”, Klopp said.
The harshest part came at the end: he said that whoever decided to put together that list was wrong, and that a squad with England’s quality should think only about winning in regular time. A direct criticism that has already sparked debate among fans and analysts.