Musiala LFC, Lijnders for manager

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I think Liverpool will have a lot of regrets at the manner in which they exited the FA Cup at Old Trafford. They didn’t play at their best, nowhere near, but it was still a game they could and should have put to bed, particularly in the second half of the 90. Their lack of precision and sharpness in the final third cost them dear, and while Manchester United deserve credit for their persistence, the Reds can only blame themselves for how the afternoon turned out.

The good news from Liverpool’s perspective is that they have other competitions to go after – this wasn’t do-or-die for their season – but still any defeat against United will hurt, and this one certainly will, given it was an avoidable one.

Jurgen Klopp’s post-match spat with Viaplay’s Niels Christian Frederiksen obviously garnered a bit of attention, and it is by no means the first time the Reds boss has taken exception to a reporter’s line of questioning.

I was surprised that it was ‘that’ question which set him off, as it felt a little tame in all honesty, but as Frederiksen himself pointed out, quite rightly, it is almost part of being a top manager that you don’t take losing particularly well, and I’m sure all will be forgotten next time the pair meet.

I’ve seen Klopp give a bit to other reporters in the past and it’s never become a feud or a long-running grudge, so I don’t expect it to be so this time.

There has again been some talk of Pep Lijnders being an option to replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, but I would take that talk with a hefty pinch of salt, given the source, but of course it is not just Klopp who is leaving Liverpool this summer, it’s the bulk of his coaching staff too, and there’s no doubt that Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, in particular, have been a big part of the Reds’ success in recent years. That said, the idea that Liverpool’s players would be offering strong opinions as to who the next manager should be is rather fanciful to me.

I don’t think there’s any chance Lijnders will get the top job at this stage, and nor should he either. If we are questioning the experience of Xabi Alonso, Ruben Amorim or Roberto De Zerbi, then we have to do the same with Lijnders, whose senior…