Jurgen Klopp publicly calls out Virgil van Dijk after Netherlands accuse Germany of ‘unsporting behaviour’
Jürgen Klopp publicly disagreed with Virgil van Dijk’s comments about a controversial decision after Germany’s 1-1 draw against the Netherlands.
Klopp took charge of his first Germany match on Thursday (September 24) as the four-time world champions travelled to Amsterdam to face rivals the Netherlands.
Felix Nmecha’s close-range finish put Klopp’s side ahead after 32 minutes before Cody Gakpo, who Klopp signed for Liverpool during his time at Anfield, levelled things in second-half stoppage time.
Germany’s goal caused major controversy, with Netherlands captain Van Dijk describing the decision to let it stand as a “disgrace”.
Advert
This was due to Netherlands forward Brian Brobbey picking up an injury in the build-up, although Germany continued to play before launching the attack that ultimately led to Nmecha’s opener.
READ NEXT: Jurgen Klopp verdict reached after first match as Germany head coach against the Netherlands
Van Dijk and several other players became embroiled in a tussle before the Netherlands captain made his feelings explicitly clear after the match.
Meanwhile, speaking on NOS, former Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart also branded Germany’s behaviour as “unsportsman like”.
Jurgen Klopp fires back at Virgil van Dijk
But Klopp has since hit back, saying: “It certainly wasn't a disgrace. The goal was completely legitimate. I don't have a guilty conscience. And I would have one if it weren't legitimate. I would have taken it anyway, but I would have had a guilty conscience. I don't have one.”
“I would have told my players that they had to keep playing,” he added.
“They didn't. And we took full advantage of it with a really excellent move. Great cross, great run. Felix was where he needed to be – and he smashed the ball in.
“It certainly wasn't a disgrace, but when emotions are running high, you can say anything in the heat of the moment.”
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich provided a similar stance, saying Van Dijk had not given a “considered response” to the incident.
“I played a pass to Philipp [Treu], he crossed the ball, and we scored a goal,” Kimmich said.
“The referee stops the game, especially when a player has a head injury. It is the referee's responsibility to determine whether the player is seriously injured.
“I didn't hear a whistle, so the game continued completely correctly.”
READ NEXT: Israel's Saied Abu Farchi sent off in Nations League clash against Austria for goal celebration
Germany return to action against Greece on September 27 before taking on Serbia on October 1. The four-time world champions round off their opening Nations League fixtures with a trip to face Greece on October 4.
Topics: Jurgen Klopp, Virgil Van Dijk, UEFA Nations League
Luke Davies