Mueez Ajao
– Jurgen Klopp has reacted to criticism of Liverpool’s recent form, saying he has not become a bad manager overnight.
– Liverpool, who visit Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, are ninth in the Premier League and 10 points off the top four.
– Last season they were two games away from a quadruple.
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– “I didn’t become a bad manager overnight. I was never as good as people probably said and not as bad as some people might think,” he said.
– Klopp signed a contract extension in April until 2026, after arriving at Liverpool in October 2015.
– He has won every major trophy available to Liverpool, including the Champions League in 2019 and Premier League in 2021.
– “Last year was super-intense, much longer than we could have expected because who expects to get into four finals?” Klopp said before Liverpool’s FA Cup meeting with Brighton on Sunday.
– “That it [this season] would be difficult was clear, but with lesser injuries we could easily have four or five points more. We still don’t play a brilliant season but we would be around fighting for the Champions League and that’s a normal season.
– “Imagine [last season] we win all four [trophies] and I say, ‘see you all later’. Imagine you see a different face here and he tells you all these things. No-one would listen.
– “It’s tough, I’m sorry, but we will go for it with all we have to get out of it and then to do it in a way that people can’t wait to go to the stadium again.
– “How you behave and how you deal with the situation in these moments decides about the future as well.”
