DON’T BLAME PLAYER POWER, BLAME WEAK OWNERS

Klopp insists stars don’t hold sway and believes boards are misguided if they act on all complaints

JURGEN KLOPP has insisted there is no such thing as player-power – just misguided owners.

In the light of reports Claudio Ranieri lost his job at tonight’s opponents Leicester because his players turned traitor, the Reds boss has dismissed the notion dressing rooms have a hold over power at clubs.

Klopp suggested the world had gone mad when he heard news of Ranieri’s sacking just months after a miraculous title triumph...but he still believes that teams had more playerpower in the past, because they had stronger spirit.

And he seemed to offer a veiled warning to the Leicester board, that they have made a mistake if it is true they listened to players. “Players are not more powerful. We were much more powerful in the past. It depends always on the board,” he declared bluntly.

“If there is a direct way to the board, if the owners sit with the players and ask, ‘How are you?’ and they say, ‘Not too good’ and it is, ‘Why? Because of the manager?’

“It is not about how powerful. The players need to be powerful but not in sacking managers.

“They never did it. It is as if someone asked they gave an answer.

“There is never a direct line to the owner or whatever. As long as the players talk together there is no problem.

“If they start talking about you? For this you need an ear on the other side.”

Klopp is a manager who holds the trust of his players, and fosters a team spirit within his squad, just as Ranieri did last season in winning the title. But even though he holds a strong public image as a jovial nice guy, he made clear that is not the case if there is any dissent within his dressing room, and if the players stop working to their maximum.

There have been strong reports Leicester’s players “downed tools” and Klopp said if that is the case, the board have to be strong to let the manager deal with the problem. Asked if managers can be the victim of a weak boardroom, he replied: “I don’t know if it’s weakness, it’s the situation. “I never had it but I know it has happened. “To maintain the relationship, it’s not like we come together every day and hug each other. “We enjoy the work. I know what they want, they know what I want, so it is very good information. “It is pretty simple and being good together is not too difficult. It is all full of respect. “As long as they work really hard I am a really nice person.