Jurgen Klopp has claimed his job as Liverpool boss would be under serious pressure had it not been for his past achievements at Anfield.
Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Man City ramped up the scrutiny on the Reds, who will end this season trophyless and whose hopes of a top-four finish are now beginning to fade. It was the ninth time this campaign that they had conceded three or more goals in a single game.
On the same weekend that Chelsea sacked Graham Potter and Leicester parted company with former Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, there is heightened talk of the manager's job security in a Premier League season, which has largely been defined by multiple managerial exits.
Klopp's Liverpool are undoubtedly among this season's biggest underperformers due to their exploits in recent years. They have regularly posted 90-plus points tallies in the league and last season came within two matches of winning an unprecedented quadruple.
The German boss has established himself as one of the best in the world since his arrival at Anfield in 2015, reaching multiple Champions League finals – winning the showpiece in 2019 – alongside the 2020 Premier League title, the club's first in three decades.
Earlier this season, former Reds captain Jamie Carragher outlined how Klopp's position at the club would be safe regardless of the outcome of this campaign. As he put it: "Where do you get another Jurgen Klopp for Liverpool?"
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Carragher insisted that the Reds were distinctive in that they were generally loyal to managers and would shy away from making controversial decisions. As he put it, their faith with Klopp would last beyond this season and they would allow him time to rebuild.
Klopp has now agreed with those comments. "I'm aware of the fact I'm sitting here because of the past, not because of what we did this season," Klopp told reporters on Monday, following the exits of Potter and Rodgers at Premier League rivals.
"If this was my first season, that would be slightly different. We have smart owners who know about the situation, but that doesn't mean anything else."
Klopp continued when asked if he feared for his job: "There's no need for being afraid. I'm not here as a talisman or for murals on the house walls. I'm here to deliver, I know that 100 per cent, there is nothing else in my mind.
"But I know I am here because of what happened in the last few years. I hate the fact I have to rely on that, if it's right or not, we will have to see in the future.
"I'm fully in it, no doubt about. But we have to sort it, we cannot continue playing like we do from time to time, that's not allowed, really. I'm really disappointed about us that we do these kind of things, but it happened. Now we have to find a way out and that's what we're constantly working on."
Klopp is now preparing his side to face Chelsea, who will be managed for this game by Bruno Saltor, as they aim for a late surge in form to secure a top-four finish. The Reds boss is aware he will still be in place in the summer, should he want it, but improvements next season at Anfield are required.
