Jurgen Klopp shockingly enforced Premier League refereeing change with surprise phone call which became 'game-changer' for analysts

Moss officiated in the Premier League for 11 years and retired from the profession at the end of the 2021-22 season, after which he was appointed as the Select Group 1 Manager at the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), a post that he held until March 2024.

During his stint with PGMOL, Moss oversaw several changes including an increase in the number of support staff members to raise the standard of refereeing. The 54-year-old has now revealed how a phone call from ex-Liverpool boss Klopp prompted a drive to recruit more video analysts to help referees position themselves during a game depending on the shape of a particular team.

Speaking to The Athletic, the former referee told of receiving a phone call in August 2022 after Liverpool drew 2-2 with Fulham. Moss said: "I picked it up, and there was that undeniable voice that (Klopp) has. He said he wanted to talk about the game on Saturday because he felt (Roberto) Firmino had barely touched the ball. He said, ‘Your referee kept getting in the way every time he was about to receive the ball. Every time he passed it, Andy Madley appeared like a ghost and slid into the pass’. “Andy was in the position that I expected him to be but that was no good for this style of play.

"That was a game changer for me overnight. So we sent it to the referee. We sent it to all the people that were observing the referees. And that’s why, in that moment, we decided we needed analysts. Because the way we referee had to change. And we needed to have that kind of information."

Premier League action is back this weekend with the Merseyside derby being the first match of the game week on Saturday. Tottenham Hotspur are also scheduled to take on Chelsea in another big-ticket fixture on Sunday at home. Klopp, meanwhile, is due to start as Red Bull's head of global soccer in 2025.