Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid was “really hard to accept” for ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp | OneFootball

In recent seasons, Real Madrid have got the better of Liverpool in the Champions League. The two clubs have faced off in finals in 2018 and 2022, with Los Blancos emerging victorious in both – 3-1 and 1-0 respectively.

Jurgen Klopp was Liverpool head coach in both of those matches, and he discussed his battles with Real Madrid in Toni Kroos’ “Einfach mal Lupen” podcast (via MD). Firstly, he spoke on the 2022 game in Paris.

“In that final, no one will be able to explain to me how we could lose. I’ve never met a team that hasn’t been as affected by periods of pressure as Real Madrid. It’s as if he had planned it: ‘first let them vent a little and then we’ll strike at the decisive moment.’

“Real Madrid are a winning machine, especially in the Champions League – it’s crazy. They didn’t always play outstandingly. We deserved to win Courtois’ final (in 2022). It was really hard to accept.”

The 2018 final is somewhat known for Sergio Ramos’ early clash with Mohamed Salah, which led to the Egyptian attacker being substituted. Klopp spoke on that incident, and also on Ramos too.

“(Ramos) is not my favourite player. The action (on Salah) was brutal. Of course, he can’t know that it’s bothering his shoulder, but we all know that he accepted it very happily. I could never understand that mentality. I never had players like that and, when I did , I made sure they left.”