‘I heard’ - Eddie Howe’s classy response to Jurgen Klopp’s Newcastle United jibe

New technical area rules have been introduced to prevent more than one member of the coaching staff from standing at the front of the technical area at any one time during a match. And with Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe and assistant Jason Tindall often stood side-by-side at the front of the technical area, it’s a change that could take some getting used to for the coaching duo.

Liverpool boss Klopp was asked about the rule changes and was quick to namecheck Newcastle in his response.

“It’s like that in the Champions League anyway - I think it’s only for one team a real problem...Newcastle!” Klopp chuckled along with the Stamford Bridge press room before sarcastically stating “sorry!”

Newcastle pipped Liverpool to Champions League qualification after finishing fourth in the Premier League last season.

And when asked about Klopp’s comments, Howe was typically measured with his response.

“I heard about them [comments] through various sources,” Howe said during his pre-match press conference. “The rules do impact us slightly more than other teams just because of how we worked historically.

“This isn’t a new thing for me and Jason, this has been a thing for as long as I’ve been in management, that’s how we worked.

“I didn’t find it too bad last week. We dovetailed in and out of the area, it worked, we talked, I didn’t notice a big difference from previous seasons.”