Jürgen Klopp: Liverpool Coach Believes Next Season Would Have Been “difficult” Had He Remained in Charge

Jurgen Klopp is confident he made the right decision to end his nine-year spell at Liverpool before succumbing to exhaustion as he believes the club would have suffered next season.

The 56-year-old goes into his penultimate game at Anfield as Liverpool coach when Tottenham visit on Super Sunday.

There are only three games left in his term and yet reality doesn’t seem to have hit him yet.

“I didn’t really think about it,” Klopp tells us exclusively Sky Sports. “I never really saw it as a goodbye because I can’t think about my own situation every day.

“We had a day this week where our foundation was at the training ground and there were families and children, moments that I have always liked.”

“I met a boy I first saw five years ago when he had cancer and now he’s standing there with a head full of red curls. It’s wonderful to see. It was a moment when I realized [leaving] will be hard.

Klopp has understood what it means to be manager of Liverpool Football Club and manager at Liverpool.

The German implicitly understands Liverpool and spoke in his departure announcement about how much it meant to him to maintain the city’s freedom.

When he departs later this month he will be happy with the foundations he has laid and having built a second great Liverpool team.

While there hasn’t been the fairytale ending of a second Premier League title – or further European glory – his legacy is already assured.

The strain of these scheduling commitments and the constant demand to carry the burden of all these hopes and dreams led to his forced exit.

Asked whether his decision to leave the club was made jointly with his wife Ulla Sandrock, Klopp said: “The original decision was not a joint decision. It was my decision in this particular case.”

“There is only one person who can make that decision and that was me. I had to explain to her that for me it’s about being in the best possible shape until the finish.”

“The football hasn’t been great in the last few weeks and that’s why you hear people saying I look really tired. I’m just old! But I will be there 100 percent until the last day.” That was always the plan.

“I was sure that if I hadn’t made this decision now, it could have been difficult next year. The thought of preparing for another pre-season means making big decisions.”

“You really have to be full of energy to do that. 80 percent is not enough. That’s the truth. It is too much. It’s a 24/7 job. Yes, there are more important things in life, but if it’s really important to you, then it’s 24/7.

“I did it for quite a long time and knew I couldn’t continue to do it at the level required for a club like Liverpool.”

Klopp points out that in most cases a manager’s departure occurs during a period of decline, but his successor moves to a well-run club with a clear recruitment structure and philosophy.

“Of course it’s not perfect because if it was we would have five or six points more and would still be fighting for the league,” he said. “But if you rewind to the start of the season, I called it Liverpool 2.0… Liverpool 2.0 doesn’t stop after I leave.”

“It’s just the start of another project with a really good team.”

Klopp: It’s good that players have to prove themselves again

It remains unclear whether Mohamed Salah is part of this squad. In his press conference after last weekend’s 2-2 draw with West Ham, the Reds boss said everything was sorted, except for Salah walking through the mixed zone and saying: “If I speak there will be fire.”

But almost a week after that episode, Klopp said it was nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Salah is one of a few players whose contract expires in the summer of 2025.

Has the Egyptian spoken about what his future will look like without the current coach?

“No, and they shouldn’t,” said Klopp on behalf of his entire team. “No one has spoken to me about it. We didn’t leave school when our favorite teacher retired. I haven’t had the same teachers my whole life.”

“I had different influences from different people and you take whatever you can get from the different people you meet on your journey. We really love each other and have a good relationship, with little bumps here and there, which is completely normal.”

“It’s good that the players don’t know what to expect now. It’s good that they have to prove themselves again with new influences. There is always good in life.”

“We always strive for security, the same vacation, the same hotel and the same place on the beach. But actually it makes sense to go to another beach.”

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