26 January 2024 , 14:24
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Alan Shearer has insisted that the news that Jurgen Klopp will depart Liverpool can galvanise the club over the second half of the season.
The Reds are currently top of the Premier League table, have reached the final of the Carabao Cup, are into the knockout stages of the Europa League and are preparing to face Norwich in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
But they have been hit by the bombshell news that their manager will be leaving his role at the end of the season. That means that these next six months will be his final chance to add to the Anfield trophy cabinet.
And former title winner Shearer believes that Liverpool will be able to make it a successful end to his reign. Shearer, the Premier League's record goalscorer, has insisted his exit will lend added motivation to the squad once they have recovered from the initial shock of the news.
"It is very surprising, absolutely. No one was expecting it. It’s done in the right and professional way. Liverpool fans and their football club deserve that, without it getting out," Shearer told The Athletic.
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"It probably inspires the players to give him a great send-off between now and the end of the season. They’re still in all of their competitions — they could give him a great send-off. Big news and a big, big surprise."
As he announced his exit, Klopp revealed that Shearer's theory is one he hopes will prove accurate. He recalled the end of his time at Borussia Dortmund as being a similar experience to what the Reds are about to go though.
"I had a similar situation at Dortmund. The circumstances are completely different but it is a similar situation, you cannot deny that. It is up to us. After this announcement we will have a press conference and stuff like that," he told Liverpool's website.
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Shearer believes the news of Klopp's exit will galvanise the Reds (Match of the Day)"After that, I am 100 per cent in this season. We can go through it, I think in an ideal world we have kind of 30 games coming up or something like that. That is, in other countries, a full season. There are so many things to play for.
"The way we grew together in the last few years is absolutely exceptional. Absolutely exceptional. I always said it, and especially now it is still true, nothing has to happen because of me. Nobody has to make the games now about me – please don’t.
"I really want to perform on the highest level and we only get disturbed if we let it happen as a club. I really hope that it will not happen, with the team I am sure that they will be fine. We live in the moment, we push each other as much as we can and we go for absolutely everything."
Though he will leave a huge hole when he does step away from his job in the summer, Klopp is adamant that the Reds can continue to contend for trophies without him. But the German is refusing to comment on Liverpool's potential plans, insisting his full focus is on the current campaign.
"The rest is next season, there is no difference really for that season, to be 100 per cent honest. Everything what happened in the last few years it was always my name but obviously plenty of people are working on everything and they are still working on that and still doing that," he said.
"My role will change, a lot of other things will stay the same, so the club is in good hands and the future is bright – and even brighter when I don’t have to do it anymore with not exactly the same energy level as before."
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