JURGEN KLOPP has opened up about his worries of facing the chop during the early stages of his reign as Liverpool manager.
The charismatic coach, appointed in 2015 following Brendan Rodgers’ departure, says he had to ask owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to give him time to turn things around at Anfield.
Big wins against Chelsea and Manchester City in Autumn 2015 helped to boost FSG’s trust in Klopp following his appointment as Liverpool manager
Liverpool were tenth in the table when Klopp took over from Rodgers, who was sacked in October 2015 after a draw at Everton.
And the former Borussia Dortmund boss, who won two Bundesliga titles, said he feared being given the boot before making an impact.
However thumping victories against the Reds’ biggest rivals, including a 4-1 away win against Manchester City in November 2015, helped cement FSG’s trust in Klopp’s plans.
In a Sky Sports interview Klopp said: “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.
“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.
“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.”
The introduction of a high press style of play has helped Liverpool win 113 of their 173 Premier League matches since Klopp took charge.
The Reds have lost just 21 times in the league since their current boss’s appointment.
Their success has been boosted by their boss opting to sign a £15million deal which will keep him at the club until 2024.
And they are on course to win their first Premier League title this season.
While the club has enjoyed success following Klopp’s appointment there have been some minor setbacks along the way.
They include a disheartening 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the final of the Champions League in 2018 and defeat by Sevilla in the 2016 Europa League showpiece.
However, the club have kicked on since the disappointment of that game by winning the Champions League and Club World Cup in 2019.
Klopp added: “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.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
