Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool manager is convinced next season would have been ‘complicated’ if he remained in charge | Football News
Jurgen Klopp has been a long-standing critic of the fixture schedule and the workload imposed on players, and admits that the demands of managing Liverpool have taken their toll; Watch Liverpool v Tottenham on Sunday, live on Sky Sports from 4pm; start at 4:30 pm
Jurgen Klopp is certain he made the right decision to end his nine-year spell at Liverpool before succumbing to fatigue, believing the club would have struggled next season.
The 56-year-old starts his penultimate game at Anfield as Liverpool manager when Tottenham are the visitors on Super Sunday.
There are just three more games left in his reign and yet this reality doesn’t seem to have affected him yet.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Klopp said exclusively Sky Sports. “I never saw it as goodbye, because I can’t think about my own situation every day.
“We had a day this week where our foundation was on the training field and there were families and children, moments that I have always enjoyed.
“I met a boy who I first saw five years ago when he had cancer and now he’s there with a head full of red curls. [leaving] It will be hard.”
Gary Neville discusses whether he thinks Klopp’s mid-season departure announcement affected Liverpool’s performance this season
Klopp understood what it means to be manager of Liverpool Football Club and to be manager of Liverpool.
The German understands Liverpool implicitly and in his departure announcement spoke about how much it meant to him to be given the city’s freedom.
When he leaves at the end of this month, he will feel satisfied with the foundations he has laid, building a second great Liverpool team.
While there was no fairytale ending of a second Premier League title – or further European glory – his legacy is already assured.
The routine of these fixed commitments, the incessant demand of carrying the weight of all these hopes and dreams, meant that he gave up out of necessity.
As Klopp approaches the end of his Liverpool reign, we take a look at the best goals his side have scored in the Premier League
When asked whether his decision to leave was made alongside his wife Ulla Sandrock, Klopp said: “The initial decision was not a joint decision. It was my decision in this specific case.
“There is only one person who can make that call and that is me. I had to explain to her that for me it’s about being in the best shape possible until I finish.
Jurgen Klopp says sideline clash with Mohamed Salah during game against West Ham has been ‘completely resolved’
“Football hasn’t been very good the last few weeks and as a result you start to hear people say I look very tired. I’m just old! But I intend to be 100 percent in it until the last day. That was always the plan.
“I was sure that if I didn’t make this decision now, next year could have been complicated. The idea of preparing for another pre-season means making big decisions.
“For this, you really need to be full of energy. 80 percent is not enough. That’s the truth. It’s too much. It’s a 24/7 job. Yes, there are more important things in life, but If you really care then it’s 24/7.
“I did that for a long time and I knew I couldn’t continue to do it at the level needed for a club like Liverpool.”
Klopp points out that, in most cases, a manager’s departure occurs during a period of decline, but his successor will join a well-run club with a clear structure and recruitment philosophy.
“Of course it’s not perfect, because if we had five or six points more we would still be fighting for the championship,” he said. “But if you go back to the start of the season, I called it Liverpool 2.0… Liverpool 2.0 doesn’t stop after I leave.
“It’s just the beginning of another project with a very good cast.”
Klopp: It’s good that players have to prove themselves again
Artist Mark Roe explains the significance of a new mural unveiled near Anfield in honor of outgoing Liverpool manager Klopp
It is not yet clear whether Mohamed Salah is part of that team. In his press conference following the 2-2 draw against West Ham last weekend, the Reds manager said everything was sorted, only for Salah to walk through the mixed zone saying: “There will be fire if I speak.”
But almost a week after that episode, Klopp said there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Salah is one of the few players who will be out of contract in the summer of 2025.
So, did the Egyptian discuss what his future will be like without his current coach?
“No, and neither should they,” reflected Klopp on behalf of his team as a whole. “Nobody talked to me about it. We didn’t leave school when our favorite teacher retired. I haven’t had the same teachers my whole life.
“I’ve had different influences from different people and you take everything you can from the different people you meet along your journey. We really love each other and have a good relationship with little bumps here and there, which is completely normal.
“It’s good for players now not knowing what to expect. It’s good that they have to prove themselves again with new influences.
“We always look for security, the same vacation, the same hotel and the same place on the beach. But actually, it makes sense to go to another beach too.”
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