THE PUBLIC DISCREPANCY between Jurgen Klopp and Stephen Kenny on the provenance of Caoimhin Kelleher remains, with the Liverpool manager re-asserting his belief that his back-up goalkeeper was injured on international duty in June.
Kelleher remains sidelined having missed Liverpool’s pre-season games due to injury, with Klopp initially stating the injury was suffered on international duty during the Nations League window in June and went undiagnosed by the Irish staff.
“Caoimh felt something after the international game and everybody, the medical department there, told him it’s fine and will be good after holiday”, said Klopp last month. The injury has kept Kelleher sidelined for longer than Liverpool initially expected.
When that was put to Kenny at a media event at an earlier this month, the Irish manager said Klopp’s comments “caught us by surprise.”
“I actually wasn’t aware that he was injured [while in camp in June], to be honest with you. If he had of been injured, he would have been out of training or not training. I’d have comfortably played Mark Travers because he really excelled in the training camp and it looks like he has come up a notch again. If Caoimhin wasn’t right, I would have selected Mark with full confidence. That was a surprise to me to see that.”
Klopp raised the issue again ahead of tonight’s game with Manchester United, with Kelleher among his many injury absentees.
“When you have a lot of injuries, as a manager you have to ask first yourself what went wrong, stuff like this. Caoimh, I heard the Irish manager didn’t like it, or however you gave him the information.
“However, for us it’s like this – he got injured at Ireland and whoever was responsible for it in this moment did not pick it up.”
Our decline is now complete …. We are the new Scotland.
I think that Cyprus defeat is far too long ago now to still be an issue in the slightest. Euro 2012 was a killer though and I’d prefer we didn’t qualify for Euro 2016 as I couldn’t stomach another humiliation on that scale.
That was a desperately unlucky draw, that was a nightmare group.
What fan doesn’t want their team to qualify though?
A win against Poland and Scotland at home and it’ll all appear a lot differently. On our day, with the right players fit, we are more than capable of doing so.
This article is one hell of a knee-jerk reaction. Scrappy game, tough atmosphere against a side who a better than us on current form. It’ll probably be the exact same game at home but i fancy us to win it
The article title may be a genuinely held belief but it’s guff. Ireland is a third tier team full of journeymen players. That our first choice keeper still plays for Millwall, and our first choice striker is pension age should be enough of a red flag for even the most loyal supporters.
Once we accept that, then results like last night’s can be appreciated with perspective….
Opinions not allowed on here?
Greece sacking Ranieri is knee jerk; this article isn’t.
It’s well thought out and to the point. Too many Irish fans are shamelessly clinging onto the hope that the national side have a sincere hope of performing consistently. They don’t.
A few positive results might improve the overall standings for a newly formatted competition which is near impossible not to qualify for. Qualification for Euro 2016 is not a great achievement, yet it’s one which Irish fans should be overwhelmed with. Under par achievements are the best Ireland will ever attain.