Jurgen Klopp finally sheds new light on Liverpool exit decision with honest admission

Jurgen Klopp remains adamant that is is the right decision for him to walk away from Liverpool this summer following nine years in charge at Anfield

Jurgen Klopp feels Liverpool’s struggles of the past six weeks would have been replicated next season if he hadn’t taken the decision to step down as manager this summer.

From being in a position where they were battling on four fronts heading into the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United in mid-March, the Carabao Cup winners find themselves out of contention for the FA Cup and Europa League and highly likely to finish the Premier League season in third place.

Although some have sought to pin the blame for the downturn in form on Klopp’s surprise exit announcement the Reds did win 10 of the 12 games that immediately followed the bombshell news in January, drawing the other two.

Despite that though, Klopp feels that next season would have been a struggle if he were still at the helm, citing his declining energy levels.

“The football hasn’t been great the last few weeks, and as a result you start hearing people say that I look really tired. I’m just old,” Klopp told Sky Sports ahead of Sunday’s clash with Tottenham.

“I’m about being in it 100 per cent until the last day. That was always the plan. I was sure that if I didn’t make that decision now, next year it could have been tricky. The thought of picking yourself up for another pre-season, make big decisions.

“For that, you really need to be full of energy. 80 per cent is not enough. That’s the truth. It’s too much. It’s a 24/7 job. Yes, there are more important things in life, but if you really care then it’s 24/7.

“I did it for a pretty long time and I knew I couldn’t continue to do it at the standard necessary for a club like Liverpool.”

The Reds will appoint Feyenoord boss Arne Slot as Klopp’s replacement in the coming weeks, and the German says he will would like to return to Anfield to watch a match from the stands.

“It will be super tough not to be part of it anymore in the way I’m part of it now – because I will stay part of it, I will,” he said.

“I will come and watch games, and if whoever is the next manager doesn’t like having me in the stands, this time, I couldn’t be bothered.”