Daily Star

KLOPP: I'LL WALK IF WE FLOP

...but I’m right man for job says Jurgen

- By CHRIS McKENNA

JURGEN KLOPP will walk away the moment he feels he cannot be a success at Liverpool.

Klopp accepts he is not the perfect manager, but claims he is the perfect fit for the Reds, ahead of their blockbuste­r clash with Manchester United today.

The German has been in charge at Anfield for two years this month and insists he is happy with their progress, even though they are currently seven points behind top two Manchester City and United.

But Klopp he insists: “The moment when I think we cannot be successful and there is only consolatio­n, I go.

“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.

“Other managers have different ways to do it, other clubs have different ways to do it.

“We have our way. I don’t think I am the perfect manager, I only think I am the perfect fit for this club.

“And I feel already much more responsibl­e than maybe I should. I don’t even think about going from my side and saying, ‘That’s it’. I really think we are on the right way.

“Is it a difficult job? Yes. Are we where we could be? Not sure.

“Did we do really well last year? Yes. Have we done better this year? Yes. But ® we didn’t get the results so far. Does that mean I should stop? No. If they sacked me now I don’t think a lot of managers would do the job better than I do. I’m not perfect but it’s quite difficult to find better options.

“I still think that as long as 98 per cent of Liverpudli­ans think that we can carry on the right way then we will succeed. That’s how it is.

Challenge

“We’re in the middle of everything. There’s still a long way to go. I am calm and cool with all the things we still have to do.”

Klopp is sure he can still tussle it out at the top with the two biggest spenders in England.

Last season he steered Liverpool back into the Champions League after a two-year absence from Europe’s top competitio­n. But now he faces the biggest challenge of all in taking on Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola while also trying to overtake Tottenham and champions Chelsea.

Klopp has spent £149m in his twoyear reign, about half what Mourinho has spent in little more than a year at Old Trafford.

“If you have a really good situation in your private life, enjoy it,” said Klopp.

“If your neighbour has a better situation, does that mean you can’t enjoy your own situation? It’s about us becoming happy, not about others.

“Can we dominate them for the next 20 years without spending the same amount of money? Probably not.

“But can we still be there? Yes, of course. And we want to force this. It’s really okay – but of course we know we have to deliver.” Read Paul Merson’s view in the

Seriously Football pullout

 ??  ?? RALLYING CALL: Boss Klopp briefs his players ahead of today’s Kop crunch
RALLYING CALL: Boss Klopp briefs his players ahead of today’s Kop crunch

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom