Former Liverpool defender Phillipp Degen has slammed Reds’ midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri over his comments ahead of his exit from Stoke City earlier this summer.
The 5’6″ [Transfermarkt] Reds’ winger was previously quoted by the Telegraph criticising the recently-relegated club for having a “lack of quality” in the team, and added that former manager Paul Lambert would have had to do a lot to convince him to stay at the bet365 Stadium.
However, Degen has condemned the Liverpool attacker for these remarks about his former club, as well as the comments he made while at Bayern Munich.
“Apparently his media training has completely failed. How can a player say that? He also said during his time in Germany that any club apart from Bayern Munich would be a step down for him. These are absolute no-go [comments],” he told Swiss magazine Zwolf [a transcribed by the Daily Post].
“Everything in life will catch up with you at some point. I always tell my players – always imagine yourself as a mirror and be humble. One should not forget, Stoke got relegated with him in the team.”
OPINION
Degen is right to slam Xherdan Shaqiri for these comments, as he is clearly making himself out to be better than he is. Yes, he signed for a big club in the shape of Liverpool, but as Degen points out, Stoke still got relegated with him in the team. He is lucky that he got his move to Liverpool, but he obviously has not stood out enough yet for Jurgen Klopp to consider him for the first team. It is never a good idea to rate yourself above your own team, and Shaqiri was wrong to be so disrespectful to Stoke. Yes, he can become a great player at Anfield when he is given the opportunity, but when Reds’ fans hear about these remarks, he may go down in their estimation. He needs to be careful of what he says from now on, as he may land himself in hot water by being so critical.
