Alexis Mac Allister’s harsh red card against Bournemouth was overturned, and Jurgen Klopp has revealed that the news made him feel better.
As a result of the ruling, the World Cup champion will be eligible for selection when Liverpool plays Newcastle at St. James’ Park on Sunday.
Our German strategist was thrilled to learn the Argentine will not serve a punishment because our new No. 10 had excelled throughout preseason and on his first two Premier League outings for the club.
Excellent news. Huge [relief],” said Klopp to Liverpoolfc.com.”After the game, I wasn’t certain. Although I was very certain after receiving the photographs that it wasn’t a red card, that doesn’t always guarantee that our appeal will be successful.
“I believe we were able to make our argument really clear, and the images were also rather clear. It doesn’t happen very often that pretty much everyone is in agreement that something isn’t a red card and shouldn’t be a red card. It also serves as a message at the beginning of the season. Yes, hard tackles and similar behavior should always be penalized; I wholeheartedly agree. However, it wasn’t a rough tackle.
“Like I stated, it was already difficult for us to play in such conditions that day – roughly 40 minutes with 10 men. Obviously, we weren’t ready for it, but we did manage to score the third goal, which was really beneficial. We then had to persevere through it. When I learned that it had been reversed, I felt a great deal of relief.
If Liverpool wants to learn anything from Sunday’s encounter in the north east, they will have to perform at the top of their game.
Ibou Konate is a “doubt” for the game after suffering a muscular injury, Klopp acknowledged in his press conference earlier this morning. However, Mac Allister’s availability is fantastic news for us.
Either Joel Matip or Joe Gomez are therefore expected to come into the side to replace our No. 5 and there’s no doubt that our players will have their work cut out against a Newcastle side who’ll want a reaction after losing to Manchester City last weekend.
The Toon Army will also be cautious of the talent in our squad, though, with frightening trio Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Mo Salah all finding the back of the net against Bournemouth last time out.
Having a talented and experienced big-game player like our No. 10 in the middle of the park will no doubt help our chances of picking up three points at St. James’ – we’ll just have to wait and see!
