03 February 2023 , 11:35
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Liverpool 's head of fitness and conditioning Andreas Kornmayer, who is one of Jurgen Klopp's most trusted allies, is reportedly believed by some to have too much influence at the club and is 'hard to work with'.
Kornmayer has been at the club since 2016, when he joined from Bayern Munich, but claims that he wields too much power represents a fresh issue for Klopp in a campaign that has been littered with setbacks.
Liverpool have struggled significantly in the Premier League, where they sit 21 points behind leaders Arsenal, and have also been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions already this term.
The Reds are still in the Champions League but will have to negotiate a tricky Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid if they are to keep their dream of winning silverware this year alive.
Liverpool's issues on the pitch, mainly in midfield, have been apparent; however, the Reds have also been blighted by off-field issues. There have previously been reports that the influence of Klopp's assistant, Pep Ljinders, has grown considerably, and now Sky Sports have painted a similar image for Kornmayer.
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Ibrahima Konate jokes with Kornmayer in pre-season (Getty Images)The report outlines that there is a 'large sentiment' of personnel at the club's AXA training complex in Kirkby who feel as though the German is also difficult to work with.
One employee, who was not named in the report, claims that various changes behind the scenes in terms of personnel has had a degenerative effect on the club.
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Klopp insisted last month that he knew what he needed to do to arrest the club's slide and batted away suggestions that he had . Speaking in a pre-match press conference, he said: "Of course I have heard that I am too loyal. I heard that before and I am not. I am loyal - I think everybody should be loyal - but I am not too loyal.
Andreas Kornmayer is one of Jurgen Klopp's most trusted allies at Liverpool (John Powell/Liverpool FC)"It is an intelligent question. At Borussia Dortmund, it was clear when I left [in May 2015, joined Liverpool six months later] - I said something has to change. It is a different situation [here]. Either the manager's position changes or a lot of other things change.
"So, as far as I am concerned, what I hear - unless someone tells me - I will not go. So that means maybe there is a point where we have to change other stuff. We will see but that is for the future, like summer or whatever. Not now. I have space and time to think about it.
"We have to play better football now. We cannot play and say: 'Ok, these are the problems but next season we don't have them anymore'. That is a really long time. I cannot promise we will fly tomorrow but what I want to promise is that we really fight and everyone can see it."