James Milner reveals heated dressing room confrontation with Jurgen Klopp after ex-Liverpool defender claims the pair almost fell out following a furious altercation in 2017
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James Milner has admitted that Jurgen Klopp once had a furious exchange with him in the dressing room during his eight-year career at Liverpool.
Milner left the Reds in the summer after a trophy-laden spell, winning the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup during his time on Merseyside.
The 37-year-old, who was Liverpool's vice-captain, revealed that Klopp was largely willing to receive feedback from players during his time at the club.
Milner admitted that this does not usually apply at half-time, as he revealed that Klopp had once reacted angrily when he tried to share his thoughts in the dressing room.
“He was quite good, he was open,” Milner told the BBC High performance podcast. 'Maybe not at halftime.
James Milner revealed Jurgen Klopp once told him to 'shut up' at half-time
Milner praised Klopp's ability to absorb player feedback during his time at Anfield
“We had a moment where he was sharing his thoughts and I was sharing mine, and I remember him slamming his hands on the table and yelling, 'Will you shut up?'
“But Jurgen was brilliant, we had a great relationship, a great man off the field and we were very supportive of our charity.
'A great manager and I felt like he was open most of the time and even if you didn't feel like it during the conversation, he gave you things back.
“I had the feeling he was thinking about it afterwards. I felt like he could handle it well. I saw him change a lot during the time I was there.”
Former Liverpool centre-back Ragnar Klavan had previously claimed that Klopp and Milner once came close to a dressing room fight after a match in 2017.
Klavan had claimed in 2021 that the pair almost clashed after Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Sunderland, when two penalties from Jermain Defoe canceled out goals from Daniel Sturridge and Sadio Mane.
'Klopp and James Milner almost started a physical fight. “It was the period when it was Boxing Day in England and they almost started fighting, but in the end Milner stepped back,” Klavan said.
'We could see in his eyes that Klopp would have gone to any lengths to prove his point. It was also the most stressful time for him. He was under a lot of pressure.
Former Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan previously claimed Klopp and Milner almost had a fight in the dressing room
'It was my first and Klopp's second year. What are you going to do? You are expected to be a good coach. You are Jurgen Klopp who will turn all players into superstars. The pressure was starting to get to him.
'It shouldn't be easy, but if you don't perform against a team like Sunderland you can forget about the places you were hoping for.'
Klopp had played down the incident when asked about Klavan's comments.
'Everyone knows what I look like when I speak or shout; it looks quite aggressive without being aggressive. Maybe Ragnar wasn't used to that yet,” Klopp said in 2021.
'It was nothing. James Milner would never do that and I would never do that either. It's all fine.'
Klopp had praised Milner's mentality following his departure in the summer after 332 appearances for the club, before joining Brighton on a free transfer.
'I don't want to underestimate the quality of Milly, but the mentality he has and the way he comes into the game. Oh my God. Whoever comes in next will have set the bar very high,” Klopp said.
“How many games has he won for us this way.”