Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has come out swinging against critics in his latest press conference ahead of their Champions League tie with Napoli. Liverpool needs to win by at least 4 goals to finish top of their Champions League group. While not impossible, let’s just say not many expect this to happen.
The Reds have been in terrible form in the Premier League recently, and they have not won a away game yet so far in the Premier League. Their last two games were against relatively weaker clubs Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, and Liverpool lost both of those ties.
This has led to questions about Klopp’s side and whether this team is at the end of a circle. The German however refused to accept that was the case, “The judgement of this will be later on in the season or maybe at the end of the season, where you say “that’s it” for the group of players or for this manager, if you want.
“Questions will be asked then. In this moment, it’s not 100 per cent fair to judge the team because that means the squad and we didn’t have [some of] them available.
“Up front, we miss top quality. With the amount of games we have, you usually would make changes and we can’t do that. It’s a similar situation in midfield, players who are out and came back. We’ve had this pretty much everywhere.
“We expect more out of ourselves. The players expect more and I expect more out of them. But we have to make sure we get steps.”
When asked about the Leeds game, Jurgen Klopp made sure to make everyone know that he is not tired despite what people might think,
“That’s the challenge in the moment. Avoiding the mistakes and keeping the good stuff in, and you get there step by step. It was never a quick fix, now it looks like it’s not a quick fix. But we will not stop fighting.
“I didn’t read anything but everything will probably be judged me now. People look at me and they will say I look tired or whatever. I’m not. I cannot give that excuse.
“My job is not only being here in the moment when the sun is shining and someone gives us a trophy. My job as well is to be there in a really rough period and I will do that with all I have or even more, 100 per cent.”
With Liverpool’s next game against Napoli fast approaching, Klopp knows he can ill afford another defeat. With Mohamed Salah in bad form and no one really stepping up, you have to wonder if we have found a bottom yet for the Merseyside club.
While no one (maybe a fringe minority) is asking for the Liverpool manager’s resignation, the German is at real risk at seeing the season slip away. And we are still in October.
