Jurgen Klopp admits to “freezing” when Liverpool drew Spurs in EFL Cup

Did you swallow a little bit hard when Tottenham drew Liverpool away in the Fourth Round of the EFL Cup yesterday? Don’t worry, so did Reds manager Jurgen Klopp. Klopp told Liverpool’s official website that he “froze” when the pairing was announced after taking a small amount of glee at the earlier picks involving Premier league teams.

"It’s exciting. It’s the first draw I watched live because I saw the game before.

"I was waiting for the draw and then saw West Ham - Chelsea, a little smile to be honest; then Manchester United - City, oh nice, another smile; then a freeze in my face because we got Tottenham! But it’s good. I think it’s a big boost for the competition.

"When I came here I had to explain why we field strong line-ups and now in the competition it looks like a semi-final each game.”

That’s karma for you, Jurgen. Never revel in the misfortunes of your rivals, because it can come back and get you too. Klopp’s reaction suggests to me that Spurs are a team he’d have liked to avoid. The feeling’s mutual, buddy.

Playing Liverpool at Anfield is certainly a tasty match-up, but it’s a shame that there are so many of these in the Fourth Round. This match has, as Klopp pointed out, a bit of a semi-final feel about it, but considering it will come on Tuesday, October 25, before a Spurs league match vs. Leicester City and one week before Spurs host Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, it seems like an obvious candidate for moderate rotation.

Klopp’s comments seem to suggest he’ll be taking the competition seriously, so we’ll have to see what happens there.