Jurgen Klopp speaks out on fake quotes about Thomas Tuchel and England | Football | Sport

Jurgen Klopp has rubbished claims suggesting he weighed in on Thomas Tuchel or England in the aftermath of their World Cup semi‑final loss to Argentina. The former Liverpool boss branded the circulating quotes as ‘not true’, insisting the reports were entirely fabricated.

Klopp, 59, left Anfield in May 2024 and is expected to take charge of Germany. Throughout the tournament he has been working as a pundit on German TV, with his analysis often sparking debate. But he made clear that remarks attributed to him about Tuchel were invented. “Hi guys. Just a short message from my sofa, actually,” he wrote on social media.

“Today I got a lot of messages about things which I found on social media that I said something about the England game and Thomas Tuchel and tactics – and stuff like that. It’s not true. I didn’t speak to anybody for the last three, four, five days; and the first time I will speak in public again will be on Sunday at the final. So, yeah: crazy world, crazy world. But don’t believe everything you read. This time it’s definitely wrong.”

It was originally reported that Klopp had defended Tuchel, suggesting the challenges facing England were more intricate. But the German legend, who secured a league title and the Champions League amongst numerous other honours at Anfield, claimed they were fabricated.

The attributed quotes began: “People always speak after the game like coaching is easy – like you just choose ‘attack’ or ‘defend’ and that’s it. It doesn’t work like this. Football is much more complex. I’m not saying every decision is perfect, but you have to understand the logic behind it. Managing a game at that stage is never simple. And then there’s another reality. This Argentina team, the belief, the mentality – sometimes it feels like something special is with them in these moments.”

Tuchel has been under mounting pressure to be dismissed just 18 months into his tenure and merely weeks after receiving a contract extension through to Euro 2028. Nevertheless, FA officials are determined to retain the former Chelsea manager for the next major tournament. England topped Group L, before overcoming DR Congo, co-hosts Mexico and Norway to reach the semi-finals. However, the Three Lions were undone by the reigning world champions in Atlanta on Saturday.

Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute before Argentina – driven by Lionel Messi’s creativity – levelled through Enzo Fernandez. Substitute Lautaro Martinez secured a winner in stoppage time to send England packing. Tuchel has come under fire for his tactical approach during the final half-hour of the match, with some reports indicating he might consider resignation. However, Tuchel insisted he would continue in his role after the World Cup third place play-off:.

“First of all, the World Cup is not over. There is still a match to play that we are not looking forward so much to, but there is still a match to play,” he said. “Then we keep on going. I have a contract until the home Euros, and I’m looking forward to that, even now [when] it is difficult to look that far ahead.”