Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp slammed for criticising Anfield atmosphere against West Ham by ex-Reds defender

Despite a thorough thrashing of West Ham at home, Klopp was critical of the noise created by the Liverpool fans during the proceedings of their Carabao Cup quarter-final. Klopp asked for the fans to voice their support or 'give your ticket to somebody else'. Enrique, who has generally been supportive of the German throughout his tenure, has criticized Klopp for his comments.

"I don’t know why he’s done that,” Enrique said in an interview with Grosvenor Sport. “I support Jurgen Klopp in more or less everything he does, but I’m not sure why he’s complaining about the atmosphere. The reality is that in these midweek cup games, they’re obviously important but they’re not as big as the league games, so the fans know the big players aren’t going to play. It’s normal that the atmosphere goes down in these kinds of games, that’s what happens."

"The atmosphere at the Manchester United game wasn’t great either – when there are no goals in the game, the fans get frustrated. Against Arsenal, however, knowing that they’re their main competitors for the league [title], the fans will know how big a win would be for Liverpool. Klopp has probably done it because he knows the fans will reply to him in a good way. There’s no doubt the fans will turn up against Arsenal on Saturday – it’ll be rocking."

Despite the flat atmosphere, Liverpool cruised to a 5-0 victory over David Moyes' men with goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones (brace), Cody Gakpo, and Mohamed Salah. They stayed largely unthreatened other than the Hammers' only goal which came from their only shot on-target. Klopp will be hoping for a roaring Anfield crowd as the club looks set to compete for the Premier League title this season.

The Reds are all set to host Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday, December 23 in a blockbuster top-of-the-table clash between the two sides. Arsenal currently sit atop the table with Liverpool in second place.