Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has called on the club’s supporters to take some responsibility in the wake of a spate of pitch invasions that have marred their last three fixtures.
The German manager made reference to three individuals that entered the field of play at the Reds’ Community Shield fixture with Manchester City, their opening Premier League clash with Norwich City at Anfield and Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup final against Chelsea.
The latter resulted in a potential injury to stand-in goalkeeper Adrian, who is a doubt for their clash with Southampton on Saturday after a fan joined the squad’s celebrations following their penalty shootout victory.
When asked about the issue during his pre-match press conference on Friday, Klopp referred to the Anfield pitch invader, saying: “You see a man with his d*** swinging around. Who wants to see that?!”
“What can I say? There is no doubt about how much we love our fans, but if they could all stop doing that because that’s the worst example I have heard about," he added.
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“It happened against City in the Community Shield when someone was running on the pitch and against Norwich someone ran on the pitch.
“It’s not funny. I like that we don't have fences in stadiums but that means a lot of responsibility for supporters as well.
“If one supporter cannot hesitate or stop himself, then supporters around him should do it. It’s not funny. It’s crazy. How can something like this happen?”
Liverpool saw another pitch invader grab the headlines during their Champions League final victory over Tottenham in June, when Kinsey Wolanski ran onto the playing surface in swimwear.
“It’s like the girl in the Champions League final, she made money,” Klopp added in reference to Wolanski’s branded swimsuit. “What can we do?”
And on the events that lead to Adrian’s injury, he explained: "When we were all together, a supporter jumped over something, was chased by some security guys, slipped, and kicked his ankle. Crazy.
“I don't understand why in the world of social media when we are all together, a supporter jumped over something and kicked (Adrian’s) ankle. It is swollen but we have to see.”
The injury could see Liverpool field their third or even fourth-choice goalkeeper at the St Mary’s Stadium, with both Andy Lonergan and Caoimhin Kelleher on stand-by.
Regular number one Alisson is currently sidelined with a calf injury suffered during his side’s 4-1 win over Norwich seven days ago.