Jurgen Klopp joked that Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius was not keen on a cuddle after being dropped from the first team on Wednesday.
The German, who suffered a couple of mistakes in Liverpool's last two matches, was replaced by Simon Mignolet in between the posts for the Reds.
Klopp insisted that the decision was easy but explained that his fellow countryman was not pleased to be on the substitutes' bench.
"At the end, it's one little mistake but every goalkeeper in the world can make it," Klopp said. "There's absolutely no reason especially when we have a goalkeeper like Simon Mignolet.
"There's no reason to push Loris through it. That's why we made this change quite early. We are fine."
Klopp added: "You can imagine that he did not immediately want a hug. But this is a normal decision. If it's not the best moment, you step aside, improve, get back to your best and we'll see what happens."
Liverpool kept the pressure on Premier League leader Chelsea which won its tenth consecutive league match against Sunderland on Wednesday.
Klopp's side travel across Merseyside to Everton on Monday to take on Ronald Koeman's side.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
