Jason McAteer was well able for anything Richard Keys had to throw at him regarding their discussion on Jurgen Klopp following Liverpool’s thrilling 4-3 win over Tottenham on Sunday.
The Reds manager was in the spotlight over the yellow card he received from Paul Tierney in the wake of his angry reaction towards fourth official John Brooks in celebrating Diogo Jota’s stoppage time winner.
That incident was the cue for plenty of debate in beIN SPORTS‘ post-match coverage, with contrasting viewpoints communicated.
Keys accused Klopp of having ‘form’ for remonstrating with officials, to which McAteer replied that players and managers at an ‘elite’ level can get ‘wrapped up’ in emotion during a match.
The former Liverpool midfielder added: “You get wrapped up in the moment, the game, the winning, the passion, the desire…we’re all made up of different stuff, and we all get triggered by different things, but in the main we’re all winners.
“He knows he stepped over the line, but he can’t help his emotions.”
Keys responded to that by saying: ‘he has to’, adding ‘you have to be responsible’ in the line of duty – this from the same man who resigned from Sky Sports a few years ago over inappropriate comments made about female officials (The Guardian).
When McAteer suggested that Klopp could be driven out of the Premier League over continued criticism of his behaviour, drawing a comparison with Jose Mourinho, the presenter retorted: “If he’s that sensitive, then he might as well go now.
“Once again, he’s lost control. That is a flaw in his character and he cannot continue to do that. That kind of behavior sparks incidents.”
McAteer later pointed out that Klopp ‘has put his hand up and apologised’ over his conduct, with Keys retorting that the Liverpool manager must ‘learn’ from such indiscretions.
We want to see respect being shown to referees, and the Reds boss can occasionally overstep the mark with his touchline behaviour, but he’s not the only Premier League manager who sometimes lets his emotion get the better of him.
Also, when officials make unfathomable decisions unbefitting of their professional status, and considering how much is at stake at the highest level of football, it’s understandable that players and managers will react angrily.
From the manner in which Keys was speaking after the game, he seems to have a set against Klopp; and McAteer was right to shut him down by presenting the reality of players and managers being caught up in the moment, also noting that they often apologise afterwards once they’ve cooled down and taken stock.
You can view the exchange between Keys, McAteer and Andy Gray below, via @beINSPORTS_EN on Twitter:
𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗞𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗽 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲? @richardajkeys Andy Gray and @MCATEER4 focus on Jurgen Klopp aggressively celebrating in front of the fourth official for Liverpool's winner today. #beINPL #LIVTOT 🔴 pic.twitter.com/XayVdVQHzh
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) April 30, 2023
Richard keyes is a pompous buffoon, it’s not like he never overstepped the mark
Keys never kicked a ball in his life. Why is even seen as someone who knows the first thing about football. He should be doing This Morning or some other pointless rubbish
What an absolute prat Richard keys seriously. Pot/kettle
This from the same people who wouldn’t say a thing to ferguson every match, keys and gray are creating talking points to try and make them seem relevant which they never have been