Jurgen Klopp has opened up on his tradition with ’s opponents that drew complaints from stars.

The German made a habit of . It became a running theme during Klopp’s time at Anfield up until his exit last summer.

It was suggested that it was an attempt to potentially strike fear into the mind of opposing players. But has revealed that was not the case, and it was instead an effort to do some last-minute research ahead of kick off.

Speaking in an online Q&A in his role as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer, he said: "It used to be staring at the opponents while they’re warming up. Actually I did it to understand the other team a little bit better. They thought I did it to intimidate them."

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Despite Klopp’s claim that the tradition was never meant to scare any of the opposition, that is not what he had to say in the past. He suggested last year that was his intention on one occasion in particular.

"I have done it my whole career,” Klopp revealed. “My job is more or less done before the game, when they come together in the dressing room I'll say a few things, but I know my players. I just want to see and understand.

“Sometimes you see a player limping a little bit, you see a player do this or that... I just try to understand what they are doing. It's not so interesting when they are doing pure physical stuff, but when they are doing passing and these kind of things.

“Only one time I used it to intimidate the opponent. It was against my old club - . I thought 'come on, let's do it'. If someone says I do it on purpose, it's not true. I just watch it."

Will Liverpool win the Premier League?

A number of stars have spoken out on Klopp’s tradition in the past, ex- star Glenn Murray chief among those.

Speaking in 2020, he said: “Klopp does this thing before the game, I don't know if anyone's noticed it. So he'll walk right up to the halfway line and stand right on the spot and he'll just stare into the opposition half. It's really off-putting.

"He just stands on the halfway line and just watches the opposition warm up. It really throws you the first time it happens because you're like, 'What is he doing? He's not even looking at his own team, he's just watching us'. He won't break his view, he'll just keep watching the whole time."

Klopp’s successor does not have such a tradition but it doesn’t seem to have harmed Liverpool at all. The Reds sit six points clear at the top of the table after

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