- Jurgen Klopp leaves Liverpool after nine years at the end of the season
- But he has promised that he will return to Anfield to watch the games in the stands.
- It’s time to play heavy metal football, Jurgen! Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham is a chance to remind fans of those days – Listen to the It’s all starting! podcast
Jürgen Klopp believes that if he had not made the surprising decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, the club would have been in trouble next year.
The 56-year-old has just three games left as Reds manager after nine years in charge on Merseyside.
In January, Klopp shocked the football world by announcing that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the current campaign.
It doesn’t look like Klopp will get the fairytale ending of a Premier League title after a major drop in form for the Reds, and he doesn’t believe next season would have been any smoother had he stayed at the club.
“Football hasn’t been very good in recent weeks and as a result you start to hear people say I look very tired. I’m just old,” Klopp said in an interview with sky sports.
Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool would have problems next season if he remains in charge
The German won the Premier League in 2020 but will leave at the end of this season
Klopp said he looks tired as he closes the curtain on nine years at Anfield
‘I’m about to be 100 percent until the last day. That was always the plan. I was sure that if I didn’t make that decision now, next year could have been difficult. The idea of getting up for another preseason, making big decisions.
‘For that, you really need to be full of energy. 80 percent is not enough. That’s the truth. It’s too much. It’s a 24/7 job. Yes, there are more important things in life, but if you really care about them, then it’s 24/7.
“I did it for quite a while and I knew I couldn’t continue doing it at the level needed for a club like Liverpool.”
With Klopp on the bench, Liverpool have earned a good amount domestically. They reigned supreme in the Premier League in 2020, winning the FA Cup and triumphing twice in the Carabao Cup, including this campaign.
They also won the Champions League in 2019 and that same year they won the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
Klopp has become a messianic figure for the Liverpool faithful for what he has achieved during his time at the club.
It is clear that the connection between the fans and Klopp has formed both ways and the German manager is not willing to walk away from the Reds completely.
Klopp guaranteed his farewell with silverware after lifting the Carabao Cup in February
Klopp says he will see Liverpool in the stands again in the future
Feyenoord’s Arne Slot expected to replace Klopp as Liverpool’s new manager this summer
“It will be very difficult to not be a part of this again like I am now, because I will still be a part of this, I will be.”
“I’ll go watch the games, and if whoever the next coach is doesn’t want to have me in the stands, I won’t bother this time.”
Liverpool have just two home games left this season and sit third in the Premier League with 75 points, having already secured the Champions League.
Although Klopp’s farewell is fast approaching, it appears a replacement for next season is nearing completion as Feyenoord manager Arne Slot approaches the Anfield dugout.
Both Liverpool and Feyenoord have agreed a deal for Slot to succeed Klopp with a £9million compensation package decided.
For now, however, Liverpool fans are preparing to say goodbye to Klopp, with their penultimate game at Anfield against Tottenham the next step on Sunday.