28 January 2023 , 22:30
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Jurgen Klopp insists he’s still a top manager despite a disastrous season.
But the German boss candidly admits if it was another manager in charge at Anfield, they’d be facing the sack. Thankfully, Klopp has huge credit in the bank and the full backing of the club’s Boston-based owners after four trophy-laden seasons.
So he’s in no danger despite Liverpool languishing 21 points behind leaders Arsenal and ten points off a top four place. But as he heads back to Brighton ’s Amex Stadium today in the FA Cup, Klopp accepts defending champions Liverpool must return to the high standards they’ve set.
And he’s promised fans Liverpool will “go for it with all they have” in the remaining months of the season. “I didn’t become a bad manager overnight. I was never as good as people probably said or not as bad as some people might think” said Klopp.
“But imagine if you were here today talking to another coach of Liverpool because last season we’d won all four trophies and I said ‘see you later, holiday!’ “Imagine if you see a different face and he has to explain these things and he tells you how it is. Nobody would listen!
Klopp's dream Liverpool line up as last-gasp January transfers rejected
“They’d say last season was great and this year is not great - so go! “You have to have wide shoulders and really just take it. It’s tough, I’m sorry. But we will go for it with all we have to get out of it and then play in a way that the people can’t wait to go to the stadium again.
Liverpool are ninth in the Premier League table - but Jurgen Klopp has enough capital in the bank (Liverpool FC)“Hopefully we can get through this together and get much closer again. From there we all know anything can happen.”
Klopp’s confessed this season was always a big challenge even without the injuries which have sabotaged their campaign. “I knew it would be difficult, absolutely. Last season was super intense and much longer than we expected because who would have expected us to be in so many finals.
“It was clear it would be difficult but with lesser injuries I think we can agree we could easily have had at least five points more. Okay, that still wouldn’t make a brilliant season but we would be fighting for the Champions League. That's a normal season.
“But injuries to decisive players have made it an especially average or bad season so far and you cannot just replace them. On top of that if you don’t have time to train and you have three days until the next game it’s not like you can invent football in those one and a half sessions.”
Klopp takes his Liverpool legacy seriously but he’s not interested in what’s past. “Who cares how close we were to being champions? I couldn't care less. And I don't think for a second how it felt to win the Champions League.
“Do we want to win it again? Of course. Does it look like we will smash Real Madrid? Maybe not. But it's a competition where we are pretty good and when the games comes we'll be 100 per cent ready.
“So far, we've not given the fans much this season but we are still in two cup competitions and we'll not give up in the league. Why should we?
"Others teams are doing really well and we respect them a lot, but we want to beat them and I will see how we can do that at Brighton."