Klopp in with a shout or out
JURGEN KLOPP says that he would quit as Liverpool manager if he did not believe his side can challenge the Premier League’s biggest spenders for the title.
He goes head to head with Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United this lunchtime at Anfield.
And while Liverpool’s transfer spend has been a fraction of United’s or Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, Klopp feels his side are still capable of matching them.
“The moment when I think we cannot be successful and there is only consolation, I go,” said Klopp. “Why should I be here as some kind of caretaker until the world creates a manager who can be more successful? That makes no sense.
“I am really convinced. Other managers have different ways to do it, other clubs have different ways to do it. But we have our way.
“I don’t think I am the perfect manager, I only think I am the perfect fit for this club.”
Under Klopp, Liverpool have spent about £148million on transfers, yet those figures are dwarfed by United (£306m under Mourinho) and City (£345m under Guardiola). But the Liverpool manager believes it is not all about money.
“Can we dominate them for the next 20 years without spending the same amount of money? Probably not,” he said. “But can we still be there? Yes of course. And we want to force this.
“We want to be consistent, constant at our high level and improve it. Even when we lose a player in the future, we want to bring in other players. That’s the benefit of a long-term project.
“If you have a really good situation in your private life, you enjoy it. If your neighbour has a better situation, does that mean you can’t enjoy your own?
“He has got one more car, he gets to go on one extra holiday. It’s about us becoming happy, not about others.”
Liverpool, who will be without the injured Sadio Mane for up to six weeks, have won just one of their last seven matches in all competitions.
And while victory would put Liverpool back on the heels of the leaders, defeat would leave them 10 points adrift of United before the clocks go back.