Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
KLOPP WON’T GET CHOP... EVEN IF HE MISSES TOP FOUR
JURGEN KLOPP knows he will not be sacked – even if Liverpool’s season ends in heartbreak today.
The Reds go into their clash against Middlesbrough at Anfield needing a win for a top-four slot, with Arsenal just a point behind.
The Kop manager has been told by Anfield’s American bosses his job will not be on the line if disaster strikes. Klopp, who signed a new six-year deal with the Merseysiders in July despite being in the job just eight months, insists he is under no pressure from the boardroom.
He said: “I have 100 per cent support. They showed that in the moment they offered me a new contract.
“There was absolutely no need for it, but they thought it was perfect for the development and that’s what we are all thinking. “Their thoughts are completely independent from this game, although we will all feel much better if we win.”
And the German says his players have done enough this season to warrant a return to Europe’s elite.
Klopp said: “My players deserve the Champions League 100 per cent.
“This is a special season. It hasn’t happened too often that you need 76 points to be sure of the Champions League.
“My players have always been ready to bounce back from many different situations. They were always focused. So, yes, I think they really deserve it.
“It’s been a long season, a hard season, but we are not tired and we are really full of energy and that’s what I really hope we can use against Middlesbrough.”
Liverpool have a great record
against top-seven teams this term – 26 points in 12 unbeaten games against Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton.
But they dropped points against Hull and Sunderland – the teams relegated alongside Middlesbrough.
Liverpool, who lost in the finals of the League Cup and Europa League last season, must now prove they have guts to finish off the biggest challenge of Klopp’s 18-month reign.
The German has endured plenty of last-day dramas of his own during his time in charge of Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.
He said: “Have a look at my career. My seasons were always decided on the last match.
“I would like to change that, but obviously it has become a part of my life. So I am used to working until the last minute, being concentrated until the last minute. Most decisions are made in the last moment.
“The more you try, the bigger your desire is, and the more likely you will have these kind of finals. For me, it is kind of a normal situation.
“It’s all about us and this team showed me so often that they are really ready for situations like this. We have to show it again. It will be fine.”