Mueez Ajao
– Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he will not leave the club unless he is forced to, and hinted at changes at Anfield during the summer.
– The German’s comments come amid a run of poor form for the Reds, who are ninth in the Premier League and 10 points off a top-four spot.
– “Either the manager’s position changes or a lot of other things change,” said Klopp.
Also Read: March hands Liverpool back-to-back Premier League defeats
– “So, as far as I am concerned unless someone tells me I will not go.”
– He added: “So that means maybe there is a point where we have to change other stuff. We will see that, but that is something 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.”
Jurgen Klopp confirms he’s has no plan to leave Liverpool: “If nobody tells me to go, I will not leave — so that means maybe there is a point where we have to change other stuff” 🔴 #LFC
Liverpool never considered to sack Klopp — they’re planning for present and future with him. pic.twitter.com/5BSfcL2Ndb
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 16, 2023
– Klopp reiterated it is unlikely any more signings will follow Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo in January, while midfield trio James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be out of contract in the summer along with forward Roberto Firmino.
– Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by Brighton on Saturday after what Klopp described as a “really bad” performance, and he said his team had to get “back to basics” to improve their form.
– They face Wolves in an FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday, which is live on BBC One from 19:30 GMT, and prior to the game Klopp also denied he had been too loyal to some of his players.
– “Yes, of course I have heard it. I heard that before and I am not,” said Klopp.
– “I am loyal. I think everybody should be loyal, but I am not too loyal.”
– He added: “The problem is too complex. You have a good player who did a lot of good things in the past and then in your mind [you think] maybe that’s it for him.
– “If you can then go out and bring in another player to replace [him] that makes sense.
– “If you cannot bring anybody in you cannot bring anybody out. That is the situation.”
– Liverpool’s struggles have seen them concede the first goal 21 times in their past 35 matches, and they have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since October.
– However, Klopp does not think some of his players have stopped listening to him.
– “I was not that often in a similar situation, but I know exactly how it works when things don’t go well,” he said.
– “There is a list of things you go through and one of the things is the players aren’t listening to the coach any more.
– “In Germany we say the manager doesn’t reach the team any more. So I understand it looks like this sometimes but it is just not the case. You can take that off the list.
– “Everyone feels responsible. There is nobody sitting there thinking, ‘I was OK but he wasn’t’. It wasn’t there, I don’t see it, I don’t hear it, it’s not there.
– “If it was here then the player would have a real problem. That is the moment the problems really start.”
