Jurgen Klopp has recalled a significant disagreement between Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson during Liverpool’s title-winning 2019-20 season.
The incident occurred during a game against Aston Villa, where Liverpool was 1-0 down at half-time. Robertson and Mane had a heated exchange, with Robertson admitting he told Mane to “f— off”.
Mane, however, believed Robertson had said “f— you”, which he considered more offensive.
The Misunderstanding
Robertson clarified that the argument stemmed from a miscommunication and a language barrier.
“It was a miscommunication, it was a language barrier thing. Sadio thought I said one thing. I definitely didn’t say that.
“Sadio is obviously the emotional character he is. Usually I was the one trying to back him up, but at this point I was kind of on the back foot.
“I’m thinking, ‘What did I do here?’, because usually I’m the one trying to, on the pitch, calm him down and help him.”
Klopp’s Intervention
Klopp intervened to diffuse the situation, telling them to stop.
“Then I come in [and say], ‘Stop it!’” Klopp said. “So in that moment it was more or less, ‘Can you really play together the second half on one wing or do we have to change?’”
Robertson added: “I think the gaffer had had enough. He just went, ‘Will you both shut up now!’ And then we both just sat there like good little boys, I think.”
The story is recalled in a new documentary by The Anfield Wrap , titled One Of Us: Becoming Andy Robertson.
Robertson’s Early Struggles
Klopp also explained why it took Robertson time to gain his trust after joining Liverpool in 2017.
Robertson’s transfer from Hull is now considered one of the Premier League’s best bargain buys, but he wasn’t a guaranteed starter initially.
“Signing Robbo taught me so much because the thing is you see a player, you don’t know the man, the boy that time maybe, you don’t know him,” Klopp said.
“So you see a player, you watch the videos, and when you saw Robbo at Hull playing and you saw his potential offensively and you saw his weaknesses, he was involved in so many goals Hull conceded on his far post.
“It’s crazy. It’s like he’s not there.”
He continued: “I told him, so I like everything about what you’re doing offensively and I don’t think I like anything, all the things you do defensively.
“So if we agree on working on that and you pay completely in and stuff like that, then we will have a lot of fun together.”
Klopp recalled the incident in the documentary.