Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp has announced his decision to stand down as manager at end of 2023-24 season.
Klopp’s decision to stand down comes just days after he led Liverpool to this season’s Carabao Cup Final, whilst the club currently sit top of the Premier League with a five-point lead over Manchester City.
Explaining his decision to Liverpoolfc.com, Klopp commented: “I can understand that it’s a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it – or at least try to explain it.
“I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take.
“It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.
“After the years we had together and after all the time we spent together and after all the things we went through together, the respect grew for you, the love grew for you and the least I owe you is the truth – and that is the truth.”
Klopp revealed that he had informed the club of his decision to allow enough planning time to appoint his successor and prepare for next season, with his decision having come after “a super-difficult” campaign last season which he believes would of seen other clubs sack him.
The 56 year-old therefore feels happy to leave with the club back on track for success as he explained: “For me it was super, super, super-important that I can help to bring this team back onto the rails. It was all I was thinking about.
“When I realised pretty early that happened, it’s a really good team with massive potential and a super age group, super characters and all that, then I could start thinking about myself again and that was the outcome. It is not what I want to [do], it is just what I think is 100 per cent right.”
Klopp however iterated that Liverpool’s home tie against Norwich in the Fourth Round of this season’s FA Cup this Sunday (28 January) isn’t the start of a farewell tour.
He instead wants the club to focus on their mission to achieve a quadruple this season, but is prepared to “… have a moment,” at Anfield or either Aviva Stadium or Wembley Stadium should the Reds reach at least one if not both of Europa League or FA Cup Finals respectively
Klopp concluded that he wants the team to use his farewell as motivation in the second half of the season, as he said: “We are Liverpool, we went through harder things together. And you went through harder things before me.
“Let’s make a strength of it. That would be really cool. Let’s squeeze everything out of this season and have another thing to smile about when we look back in the future.”
Klopp’s decision brings his eight-and-a-half year reign at Anfield to a close, in which he has led the club to the following titles:
- 2018-19 UEFA Champions League
- 2019 UEFA Super Cup
- 2019-20 Premier League
- 2019 FIFA Club World Cup
- 2021-22 FA Cup
- 2021-22 EFL Cup
- 2022 FA Community Shield
Klopp’s Assistant managers, Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz will also depart the club as will Elite Development coach, Vitor Matos at end of season.
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