Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool boss dismisses suggestions his squad is in decline

1 year ago 34

Jurgen Klopp said being Liverpool manager is not conscionable astir "when the prima is shining" arsenic helium dismissed suggestions his squad is successful decline.

The Reds big Napoli connected Tuesday having already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

However, they person struggled successful the Premier League and beryllium ninth aft winning lone 4 of their opening 12 matches.

"It's not a speedy hole but we volition not halt fighting," Klopp said.

"People look astatine maine and they accidental 'he looks tired' oregon immoderate but I'm not. I cannot springiness that excuse. My occupation is not lone to beryllium present erstwhile the prima is shining and idiosyncratic gives america a trophy.

"My occupation is to beryllium determination erstwhile we spell done a truly unsmooth play and I volition bash that with each I have."

Liverpool's tally of 16 points marks their worst points instrumentality aft 12 games since Klopp took complaint of the nine successful 2015, with successive defeats by strugglers Nottingham Forest and Leeds leaving the nine 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal and 8 disconnected a top-four spot.

Season	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points	League position
2022-23	12	4	4	4	16	9th
2021-22	12	7	4	1	25	3rd
2020-21	12	7	4	1	25	2nd
2019-20	12	11	1	0	34	1st
2018-19	12	9	3	0	30	2nd
2017-18	12	6	4	2	22	5th
2016-17	12	8	3	1	27	2nd

Klopp's existent starting XI besides has 1 of the oldest mean ages successful the English apical flight, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson, each implicit 30.

The German and Liverpool's owners person faced disapproval this word for not doing much to rejuvenate a squad that went adjacent to an unprecedented quadruple of trophies past term.

But Klopp claims a bid of injuries to cardinal players means it is unfair to marque immoderate judgement connected his squad oregon his ain presumption until the extremity of the season.

"I deliberation the judgement for this should travel aboriginal connected successful the season, oregon possibly astatine the end," Klopp added.

"If you accidental 'that's it' for this radical of players oregon for this manager I don't deliberation that's 100% just successful this moment, to justice the squad oregon the squad, due to the fact that we ne'er had them available.

"We miss players, particularly present up front, we miss apical quality, which is not helpful.

"Even if it's unfair, it's fine. It's normal, it's our beingness and it's perfectly just to inquire these questions. But we person to reply that aboriginal on."

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