- The Liverpool manager has explained his criticism of the lack of Anfield noise
- Jurgen Klopp previously said Reds fans did not create a noisy atmosphere
- Liverpool will regret not putting Arsenal away at home after failing to beat Man United – Listen to It all starts
Jurgen Klopp has provided an explanation for his post-match tirade in which he criticized the atmosphere at Anfield following Liverpool's midweek Carabao Cup tie against West Ham and called on home fans to improve the pitch noise against Arsenal this weekend.
Liverpool and Arsenal will battle for a place at the top of the Premier League when the title-challenging duo meet at Anfield on Saturday. Should they draw and Aston Villa beat Sheffield United, Unai Emery's side will be in pole position.
Klopp was furious at the lack of noise at Liverpool's home on Wednesday, saying after the match: 'I wasn't too happy with the atmosphere behind me. I thought: 'What do you want?'. We changed the team a lot and we dominated West Ham. If I had been in the crowd, I would have stood on my toes.
'Was everyone disappointed because we didn't beat Manchester United? On Saturday (against Arsenal) we have to keep Anfield on its toes from the first second. Without waiting until I get into a fight with the opponent's coach or whatever.'
The 56-year-old is adored by Liverpool supporters after leading them to success in every domestic competition and the Champions League since taking over the club in 2015.
Jurgen Klopp has provided an explanation for his post-match tirade in which he criticized the atmosphere at Anfield following Liverpool's midweek Carabao Cup upset against West Ham
The Liverpool manager previously criticized supporters for not making enough noise at Anfield
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However, groans at his own club's fanbase have been an unusual trend in his reign, but he refused to back down before facing Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
The German explained his comments at the pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the weekend, saying: 'Maybe I should… I can tell our people that I don't order an atmosphere, we had two home games in a row and 62 [shots]. Imagine if we had scored [more].
'It's my feeling immediately after the match. I turned around and missed an opportunity and people were flat.”
Klopp also raged earlier this week that Liverpool supporters who do not make noise against Arsenal should give their ticket to someone else.
Liverpool will top the Premier League on Saturday when they host Arsenal at Anfield
Arsenal will top the Premier League if they beat Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday
His comments were met with angry reactions from matchgoers and Klopp has admitted he did not mean what he had previously said.
'I said give your card to someone else, but people say it's not that easy! I didn't mean it [literally].
'I can't change that, no, I said we need Anfield, that's 100% true and I can't wait for the first whistle.'
Liverpool drew 2-2 with Arsenal at Anfield last season after coming back from two goals down and will look to go one better this season as they look to fulfill their top-flight ambitions at Christmas.