April 4 – Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp has bemoaned the rate at which Premier League managers are losing their jobs and says he’s only still at his club because of past successes.
Chelsea sacked Graham Potter on Sunday with the club sitting 11th in the league, hours after relegation-threatened Leicester City off-loaded Brendan Rodgers. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur parted company with Antonio Conte late last month.
Klopp is the longest-serving current manager in the English top flight, having been at Liverpool since October 2015, but is going through one of his toughest periods.
Despite guiding them to Premier League and Champions League titles, he is suddenly under pressure with the Anfield club eighth in the table – eight points off the top four.
“What can I say about that (the sackings)? I’m the last man standing,” Klopp told reporters ahead of tonight’s game against Chelsea.
“I respect them (Potter and Rodgers) a lot. Really good people and fantastic managers, both of them. But things can go wrong.
“It is how it is. Some clubs are under achieving, definitely us too… There are expectations out there, rightly so, and if you don’t reach them, then you have to accept the decisions.”
“I know as well I’m still here because of what happened in the last few years, I don’t like the fact that I have to rely on that.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1725753730labto1725753730ofdlr1725753730owedi1725753730sni@w1725753730ahsra1725753730w.wer1725753730dna1725753730