Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was involved in an awkward press conference exchange with a Dutch journalist he wrongly suspected of conducting a brutal interrogation of Jordan Henderson.
The former Liverpool captain, now at Ajax in the Netherlands, was put on the spot in a tense TV interview after a 2-2 home draw with Fortuna Sittard on March 10.
That came a few days prior to a 4-0 pasting by Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League, one of many lows in a disastrous season for the Amsterdam club, who sit 33 points shy of Eredivisie leaders PSV.
Klopp had obviously watched the excruciating interview with Henderson and, speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Europa League quarter-final with Atalanta, took a Dutch reporter to task.
‘You are not the one who interviewed Jordan Henderson, are you?’ an annoyed-looking Klopp asked the reporter.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was involved in an awkward exchange with a Dutch reporter he thought had conducted a brutal interview with Jordan Henderson a few weeks back
Henderson was Klopp’s captain at Liverpool and he clearly wanted to defend his honour
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‘No, that was my colleague,’ came the reply from the back of the room.
That didn’t seem to satisfy Klopp, who looked determined to stick up for Henderson. ‘He a friend of yours?’ the German coach asked before breaking into laughter.
‘What a horrible interview that was,’ Klopp opined. ‘Do you know anybody who liked it?’
The reporter said: ‘I spoke to him [his colleague] and he regretted a bit the interview, he was a bit too hard. He said it all on television.’
Klopp responded: ‘Wow, ok. I take that apology on behalf of Hendo.’
In the no-nonsense interview with Henderson last month, the journalist opened by asking: ‘Was this the worst game since you were here and maybe your worst performance?’
Henderson gives a wry smile before responding: ‘No, because we didn’t lose. As you just asked us before the camera came on. It’s always worse when you lose the game.’
The uncompromising broadcaster continues, ‘but was it a poor performance?’
Henderson, who joined Ajax in January, was stunned by the direct line of questioning after the team salvaged a late 2-2 draw against Fortuna Sittard on March 10
Klopp quizzed the Dutch reporter as he previewed Liverpool’s Europa League quarter-final, first leg against Atalanta on Thursday
England midfielder Henderson says: ‘It wasn’t our best performance but we knew it was going to be a tough game. We only played three days ago against a good side in Villa.
‘It’s always hard but we kept going and sometimes when you’re not playing well, it’s good that you don’t lose.’
The reporter, speaking in English, ventures there were too many sideways passes, to which Henderson lovely agrees Ajax could have created more.
Returning to his original line of questioning, the reporter repeats: ‘You said you didn’t perform well so can I call it a poor performance?’
‘You can call it what you want,’ says Henderson.
Ajax had managed to salvage a point against mid-table Fortuna thanks to Brian Brobbey’s late equaliser.
Their terrible season reached a fresh nadir on Sunday when they were thrashed 6-0 by bitter rivals Feyenoord, their heaviest-ever Eredivisie loss. Henderson missed that humiliation through injury.
Ajax suffered their heaviest-ever Eredivisie defeat as rivals Feyenoord thrashed them 6-0
The six-goal thrashing at De Kuip represented a fresh low in a season from hell for Ajax
That result left Ajax sixth in the table, with any hope of qualifying for the Champions League next season extinguished.
The defeat came days after Ajax suspended their new CEO Alex Kroes after ‘indications he engaged in insider trading.’
Kroes was appointed by the Dutch side last summer but was only able to begin his duties in Amsterdam last month due to contract complications with previous club AZ Alkmaar.
Ajax released a statement last Tuesday morning saying it had learned Kroes purchased over 17,000 shares a week before he was slated to be appointed in early August last year, adding that it ‘indicates he likely engaged in insider trading’.
Ajax – who have already been dealing with a spate of woeful results, fan protests and two sackings, said it intends to terminate his contract permanently – insisting his position is now ‘untenable’.
Ajax have already been suffering a nightmare season that has seen them sack Maurice Steijn as manager following a disastrous set of results in October that left them in the Eredivisie relegation zone with just five points – their worst run since 1954.
Ajax suspended new CEO Alex Kroes after accusing him of ‘insider trading’
There has been fan fury and protests too with a game against Feyenoord abandoned in September after flares and fireworks were thrown onto the pitch with the side 3-0 down. Just hours later, chief Pier Eringa stepped down after six months in the role.
Just days before, director of football Sven Mislintat was axed after just 129 days in the job following some poor signings last summer.
Ajax were also dumped out of the Dutch Cup by minnows USV Hercules – an amateur side with students in their team – in one of the most incredible results in the country’s footballing history.