Klopp: I feared being fired by Liverpool
Premier League
By
Waweru Titus
| Apr 22, 2020
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he feared being fired early in his tenure because of the demands that come with leading the 6-time UEFA Champions League (UCL) winners.
Klopp, who was appointed in 2015, said on Wednesday the early years were spent building the team into title contenders but had to convince Liverpool owners to give him time.
"It was clear we cannot fix it overnight. Everyone wanted that but we couldn't so I had to ask for time, I knew.
"Before that, in my career, I never got the sack so I had no experience with that, but I knew then it was a different level, and if I can't deliver here quick enough, then I will get the sack.
"We got that time and the nice thing is that after six, seven, eight games, they were positive about the situation, they realised we were on the right path. From that moment they didn't question it one second,” Klopp told Sky Sports' Football Show.
The German led the Reds to three finals in three years -- Europa League and League Cup in 2016 and Champions League in 2018 -- but ended up losing all.
The owners, Fenway Sports Group, retained their faith in Klopp and Liverpool won their sixth UCL title in 2019 after beating Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur against all odds.
"They were full of faith and trust, and they said the path we will stay on, and everything will be fine. That's what we did then.
"When we lost finals against Sevilla or (Manchester) City or Real Madrid, I think pundits say 'if he doesn't win the next one then they might change'. But internally it was never somebody thinking like this,” Klopp added.
After finishing as league runners-up last season by a single point, Liverpool needed six more points to win their first league title in the Premier League era when this season was suspended.
The Reds have waited 30 years to get their hands on the English top-flight crown.
Having moved to the brink of a first coronation in three decades, competitive football has shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic and cast doubt over whether an end to 2019-20 will be reached.
Liverpool crashed out of UCL in March after Atletico Madrid struck three times in extra time to earn a shock 3-2 victory at Anfield.
The Spanish side went through to the quarter-finals 2-4 on aggregate.
Klopp silenced speculation over his future at Anfield by penning a new deal until 2024 with the club in December.
Klopp’s assistants, Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders, also agreed to new contracts.