Antonio Conte has hit back at Jurgen Klopp for the German's comments about Tottenham Hotspur's style of play on Saturday.
Title-chasing Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw by Spurs, a result that allowed Manchester City to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to three points after their 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle United on Sunday.
Klopp took aim at Spurs' tactics after the match at Anfield, saying: “I don’t like this kind of football, but that is my problem. I cannot coach it.” He has since backtracked, admitting he should not have made the comments but that "they felt good in the moment" after dropping two vital points.
But Conte has now dismissed the criticism as the German looking for "excuse or an alibi" after a frustrating draw. “Jurgen is an intelligent person, very clever,” the Italian coach said.
“He was a bit frustrated after the game, but at the same time for every coach it is important to learn to be focused on your team, not the opponent. It means you want to find an excuse or an alibi because your job didn’t work or something was wrong.
“I have respect for Jurgen and I know he respects me a lot and this is a good chance for him and me to learn that during the game you never have to speak about your opponent. It is important to be focused on your team.
“Honestly, for the coach it is not simple after the game, you have to try to keep your head cool.
“Sometimes it is not easy and many times if you remember this season I was disappointed with the result and myself and my players.
“When we lost against Burnley [1-0 at Turf Moor in February] if you remember I gave to myself the fault of the defeat. Sometimes we are a bit frustrated, especially at the end of the season when a bad result can change an important target for you.”
Apart from damaging Liverpool's title prospects, the draw also hurt Tottenham's hopes of finishing in the top four and securing a Champions League place next season.
Liverpool 1 Tottenham 1: player ratings
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LIVERPOOL PLAYER RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6. The Brazilian had very little to do. His defenders left him exposed for Tottenham’s goal. Getty -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 5. The 23-year-old had plenty of possession in dangerous areas but his crossing was too often overhit. He had switched flanks before the Spurs goal and might have got closer to Kane in the build up. PA -
Ibrahima Konate - 6. The Frenchman did well in the air and kept things straightforward on the ground. He was pulled out of position by Kane for the goal. EPA -
Virgil van Dijk - 6. The Dutchman should have followed Kane deeper while the ball was in the air before Tottenham’s goal. He hit the top of the bar with a header from a corner. Getty -
Andrew Robertson - 5. The Scot was in the right back position when Spurs scored and tracked and lost Son. His crossing was ineffective and Tsimikas replaced him in the 64th minute. AP -
Fabinho - 6. The Brazilian was in charge in midfield in the first half but was less effective when Tottenham bypassed him after the break. Withdrawn for Keita with 12 minutes to go. AP -
Thiago Alcantara - 6. The 31-year-old did enough of his trademark stylish passing to catch the eye but rarely looked like unlocking the defence. The killer ball did not happen. AFP -
Jordan Henderson - 6. The captain pressed hard and made himself available for the ball but contributed little going forward. He made way for Jota after 55 minutes. Reuters -
Sadio Mane - 6. The Senegalese chased down ballcarriers and led the press but found it hard to open up the defence. Reuters -
Mohamed Salah - 6. The Egyptian had a frustrating night as Spurs doubled up on him. Davies got in the way of his best effort on goal. EPA -
Luis Diaz - 7. The Colombian was his side’s best attacker. He worried Lloris with a first-half shot and scored the equaliser with a deflected effort. AFP -
SUBS: Kostas Tsimikas (Robertson 64') - 5. His distribution and crossing were disappointing. Reuters -
Diogo Jota (Henderson 65') - 4. The Portuguese never really got going and hardly threatened. Getty -
Naby Keita (Fabinho 78') - 5. The Guinean was unable to change the course of the game. AP -
TOTTENHAM PLAYER RATINGS: Hugo Lloris – 7. The Frenchman made two good saves in the first half but had less work than he might have expected. He could do nothing about Liverpool’s deflected goal. AFP -
Cristian Romero - 7. The Argentine was impressive in the air. His blocks and tackles killed off plenty of danger in an aggressive display. AP -
Eric Dier - 8. The 28-year-old gave a commanding performance at the centre of the defence. He led the way in keeping the opposition at bay. EPA -
Ben Davies - 8. The Welshman’s flying interception of Salah’s shot was the highlight of a fine effort. He put his body on the line to protect the goal. Getty -
Emerson Royal - 7. The Brazilian had his hands full against Diaz but held his own. He started the move that led to Tottenham’s goal. EPA -
Rodrigo Bentancur - 6. The Uruguayan was outmatched in the first half but was better after the break. He was unfortunate to deflect Diaz’s shot into the net. AP -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7. The Dane hit the post before half time but should have done better with a free header in the box in the second period, when he tried to pick out Kane rather than going for goal. AP -
Ryan Sessegnon - 7. The 21-year-old had a difficult start but got better. He found space in the Liverpool area and picked out Son for the opening goal. Sanchez replaced him with 12 minutes to go. AFP -
Dejan Kulusevski - 6. The Swede looked to break quickly and showed some nice touches but needed more end product. He faded and made way for Winks with five minutes left. Getty -
Harry Kane - 7. The 28-year-old dragged the defence all over the place in the lead up to his side’s goal. He was not at his goalscoring best but he played an important role for his side. PA -
Son Heung-min - 7. The South Korean was a constant worry for Liverpool with his movement. He was unmarked when he scored. Bergwijn came on for him in stoppage time. AFP -
SUBS: Davinson Sanchez (Sessegnon 78') - N/A. The Colombian helped secure the point for Tottenham. Reuters -
Harry Winks (Kulusevski 85') - 6. The 26-year-old provided a cross for Hojbjerg that should have led to a goal. PA -
Steven Bergwijn (Son 90'+1) - N/A. The Dutchman worked hard during his limited moments on the pitch. AP
Fourth-place Arsenal defeated Leeds United 2-1 on Sunday to open up a four-point gap on Tottenham, ahead of the teams' North London derby clash on Thursday.
If Mikel Arteta's team win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, then they will have secured a top-four finish. After the game on Thursday night, Spurs are back in action at 12pm (UK time) on Sunday against Burnley – the shortest turnaround possible.
The game was originally due to be played in January, but Arsenal asked for the game to be called off due to a shortage of players – a decision which led to changing of Premier League rules after it emerged they only had one Covid case.
And Conte also appeared the criticise his own club for not questioning the fixture's timing. “If I complain about it, I’m like other coaches in the past,” he said. “You remember when Arteta complained about this type of situation and I said coaches shouldn’t complain.
“Now could be my turn to complain because to play on Thursday night and then again the first game [on Sunday], you could play on Sunday and wait and give us the last game and a bit more rest.
“It’s difficult sometimes to accept Premier League decisions, but if the club accepted it, I have to. A top club have to pay attention to the fixtures.
“Before the game you don’t think this situation can cause you this type of trouble, but afterwards you realise it could affect the result and you are angry and it’s too late.
“You need to be angry before. The club has to pay more attention. If you want to win you have to take care about all the details because the details move the final result."
