Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has denied that he needs a break and insisted his team will turn around their poor run of form.
Liverpool conceded three late goals on Saturday to lose 3-1 to Leicester City and could drop out of the top four if Chelsea avoid defeat against Newcastle United on Monday evening.
“I don’t need a break, I am full of energy,” Klopp said at a press conference on Monday, ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League match against RB Leipzig in Hungary.
Liverpool have lost their last three Premier League matches, against Leicester, Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively.
They have picked up just seven Premier League points in 2021 with their place in the top four under serious threat.
This has also been an incredibly difficult period for Klopp, who was unable to return to Germany for his mother’s funeral last week because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. Germany has banned most travel from countries containing new variants of the virus, including the UK.
On Monday morning some Liverpool supporters made their support for Klopp clear by hanging a banner outside Anfield which read ‘Jurgen Klopp YNWA’, in reference to the club’s ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ anthem.
Ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League match against RB Leipzig in Budapest on Tuesday, Klopp was asked about the banner left outside Anfield by supporters and rumours on social media that he could quit the club.
“I heard about both,” he said. “The banner was nice but not necessary. I don’t feel that I need special support in this moment or whatever.
“On the second thing, did I get the sack or did I leave by myself? Neither, nor. I don’t need a break. Look, the last thing I want to do is talk about private things in a press conference. But everyone knows yes that, privately, we’ve had a tough time.
“That wasn’t just for three weeks, it was a much longer time already. We always deal with it as a family 100 per cent. I’ve worked in football as a coach for 20 years so I can split things, I can switch one thing off. I don’t carry things around. If I’m private, I’m private, if it’s football then I’m here. Nobody has to worry about me or whatever.
“I might not look like it because the weather is not cool and my beard gets more and more grey, yes I don’t asleep a lot, that’s all true, but I’m full of energy, honestly.”
Liverpool take on Leipzig on Tuesday night in the Champions League Round of 16.
Ahead of the clash, Simon Hughes has profiled Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann, a talented young manager who may one day emulate Klopp.