Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp responds to Mark Clattenburg's claim that he is playing 'mind games' ahead of clash with Manchester United

Jurgen Klopp stood his ground during the pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool's top-of-the-table clash with long-standing rivals Manchester United on Sunday.

The German was adamant that he had never asked his players to find situations to win penalties, the way some in the media have claimed.

"Never," said Klopp when asked if he had told his players to win more penalties. "I can 100% honestly say I never, never mentioned something like this to any player I have worked with. I have worked with a lot of players in my time and ask all of them, it never happened."

The Liverpool manager sparked a controversy following his comments after the Reds' 1-0 defeat away to Southampton. Klopp claimed that Manchester United had won more penalties in the last 2 years than his side had during his entire tenure at the club.

Since then, a lot has been made about the number of penalties Manchester United have been awarded and their upswing in form.

Former referee Mark Clattenburg claimed that the Liverpool boss was playing 'mind games' ahead of Sunday's clash with the Red Devils. This is an accusation that Jurgen Klopp has adamantly rejected.

"Am I surprised that somebody is talking about what I said about the Southampton game? No, I'm not. Am I surprised that Mark Clattenburg speaks about it? No. I'm not sure if he's been asked a lot of things long after his career (has finished), so it's nice for him," said the Liverpool manager.

Mark Clattenburg: “I believe Klopp was trying to get inside the head of the referee. Why did he mention United's penalties specifically? I don't know if he was accusing United's players of diving or if he was suggesting they got favourable decisions. Only he knows.” #awlfc [mail] pic.twitter.com/e0KSgCAf3G

— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) January 15, 2021

I'm not Sir Alex Ferguson: Liverpool manager rejects 'mind games' claim by Clattenburg

Jurgen Klopp confronts referees following Liverpool's clash with West Bromwich Albion.

Mark Clattenburg had also claimed that no referees were under the influence of any party at Manchester United since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. However, Klopp claims he does not believe in exerting his influence to win penalties or to play mind games with the opposition.

"I'm not Sir Alex, and for different reasons," said the German boss. "When he (Clattenburg) said we tried something with mind games, I was speaking directly after the Southampton game. Between this moment and then, we had another game and I didn't think for a second about the United game."

"But before the game against Southampton, I saw the stats about the penalties and that's what I mentioned. When people like Mark Clattenburg are speaking like this, it always says much more about them than it could ever say about me. Unfortunately, I have no skills for playing mind games," the Liverpool manager concluded.

UP THE REDS ✊🔴#LIVMUN pic.twitter.com/2gCvo4H0hh

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 15, 2021

Liverpool host Manchester United on Sunday with the possibility of going 6 points behind their rivals and slipping to fourth place in the Premier League table if they lose. They will also be defending their 64-game unbeaten league run at Anfield, a streak that has lasted over three years.