Klopp says Lampard sacking ‘really harsh’
LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp says he feels for Frank Lampard after his sacking by Chelsea and has described the London club's decision to get rid of one of their playing heroes as ``really harsh''.
The Liverpool boss, though, believes Chelsea will thrive under new manager Thomas Tuchel, the man who replaced Klopp as boss at both Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp's fellow German Tuchel was named as the new manager on Tuesday, following Roman Abramovich's decision to show Lampard the door on Monday morning.
Asked about his compatriot's arrival in the Premier League on Wednesday, Klopp's first response was to talk about the man he follows.
``Frank Lampard lost his job and I have to say that is a really tough one,'' he said.
``I think that Chelsea did an incredible job in the transfer market this summer and brought in good players but things like this take time.
``It is really harsh to make that decision that early, but obviously Mr Abramovich gives you some chances, some money and some players, but he is not the most patient person in the world.
``I feel for Frank. He is a young, talented manager and I wish him the best. It is a hard one if it happens in your club.
``For Thomas, it is great. Unfortunately, he is a really good manager and I have known him long and respect him a lot.
``This Chelsea squad is a present and I am pretty sure Thomas sees it like that and they will be good.''
Klopp said he had no ``public advice'' to offer Tuchel, joking that he also does not have an uptodate phone number for a coach whose last job was in Ligue 1 with Paris St Germain.
But he warned that the 47yearold will need to deliver quickly to stay long at Stamford Bridge.
``I was lucky with my clubs,'' he said. ``At Mainz everyone wanted me to succeed. At Dortmund exactly the same and at Liverpool exactly the same.
``The owners and presidents and sporting directors thought I was doing the right stuff and knew it takes time.
``At Chelsea, you are successful or you are out, that is obviously the mantra.
``For Frank, everything will be fine. The football people, if they saw some of the stuff Chelsea played last year, they saw there is a clear plan.
‘‘He is a young manager and did a lot of really good stuff. He will be back soon if he wants that.’’ — BPA