KLOPP FEARED THE SACK IN EARLY DAYS

JURGEN Klopp has revealed he had to ask Liverpool’s owners for time to fix the club after taking over from Brendan Rodgers in 2015.

Klopp promised that he would turn “doubters into believers” at Anfield, but admits nearly five years on that he was fearing the sack after running into trouble early on.

He said on Wednesday: “It was clear we needed time and we couldn’t fix it overnight. I had to ask for time, that was how it was. I knew before that in my career, I had never got the sack, but I knew, now I was on a different level and if I cannot deliver here, quick enough, I would get the sack.

“So that was why I said at the start, if I sit here in four years, still, then something good will have happened. It was not that I asked for four years, it was just a bit of time.”

Klopp had taken over from Rodgers eight games into the 2015-16 season with Liverpool sitting eighth in the table.

There were positive early signs with wins away at Manchester City and Chelsea, but a damaging home defeat by Crystal Palace and a draw with West Brom.

But Klopp believes he got the backing of owners Fenway Sports Group early on.

“We got that and the nice thing was after seven or eight games, our owners were really positive about the situation with me and my coaches already, but after that many games, they knew we were on the right path,” he said.

“From that moment on, they didn’t question it one second anymore. After that they were full of faith for us and said that is the path we stay on and it will be fine.

“Who knows if you can win something in this difficulty, but that is what we tried.”

Klopp lost his first three finals in charge of Liverpool in the League Cup, Europa League and Champions League, but insists that never added pressure to his job.

He said: “We never really thought about losing finals and stuff like that. Like the Manchester City one, Sevilla or Real Madrid.

“So pundits say, ‘If he doesn’t win the next one then they need to make a change’. Internally, it was something nobody ever thought like this.” | Daily Mail