Some players do not have to understand what their coach is saying; they just go about playing their game and win, and here, Darwin Núñez admitted that he does not understand a word when the Liverpool coach speaks.
For that, he says, he depends largely on teammates who translate what Klopp is saying at the Kop (the popular name for a stand at Liverpool’s stadium at Anfield).
In the past, we have had players who did not understand much when their coaches spoke. For example, there is this famous story about the Manchester United flop, Bebe and Sir Alex Fergusson.
Nunez’s statement about Klopp’s accent
‘He didn’t speak much, but I didn’t understand much. He has a difficult accent, so I understood nothing.
‘He called me “Baby”. After I told him it wasn’t like that,’ Bebe said in an interview on his failed stint at Old Trafford.
Well, if we, reporters do not always understand what SAF is saying, it is understandable that some players who are not familiar with British English (Scottish for Sir Alex), might not understand either.
But not understanding what Klopp is saying, is a bit tough.
Nunez’s struggles in Liverpool
Back to Nunez, the latter, who is struggling for form at Liverpool this season, revealed that he is also having difficulty understanding Klopp’s team talks!
The Uruguayan striker admitted to ESPN after the Champions League match against Rangers that he doesn’t understand a word Klopp says.
“To be honest with you, I don’t understand anything in his team talks”. He went on to reveal that he relies on his teammates to translate what he says: “Of course, I ask my teammates what he’s saying, but I think he has a clear idea about his style of play”.
“I don’t understand a word Klopp says.”
Perhaps Darwin’s lack of comprehension could be one of the reasons for his underwhelming start with the Reds.
In eight appearances for the Scouse club, he has only two goals. Maybe he needs a universal translator.
Read more regarding Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool here.