Michail Antonio has claimed that Jurgen Klopp shouldn’t be sacked at Liverpool regardless of where they finish in the Premier League this season.
Klopp has come under pressure after a terrible season at Anfield so far. With the Reds sitting tenth and showing no signs of improvement, questions are starting to be asked of his leadership.
Of course, few of those are genuinely coming from Liverpool fans, though. And speaking on the Footballers Football Podcast, Antonio insisted that Klopp’s position should only be under threat if Liverpool are relegated.
“He could finish 16th and still have the job, in my eyes,” said the West Ham forward. “For what he’s achieved for Liverpool over the last six years nobody should even be thinking about sacking the man.
“He should be able to stay in the Premier League at any point and have a job next year to rebuild and go again.
“That’s my opinion because Liverpool were not even close to it, the closest they got was under Brendan Rodgers, and before that they didn’t have any consistency like they have had under Klopp. Nobody should be asking for his head in my opinion.”
Klopp going nowhere
After some slightly wayward comments about Darwin Nunez during the podcast, Antonio is back to talking sense here.
Shy of getting relegated, Klopp shouldn’t be worried about getting the boot at Liverpool. Even if the Reds did fall off a cliff even further and go down to the Championship, why would you want anyone else in?
There is a point where that obviously becomes untenable. But even if Liverpool continue to be as bad as they are now, cooler heads should prevail.
If Jurgen has the energy to carry on through a disastrous season, he has to be given the chance to do just that. It’s been pointed out that he’s looking ‘upset’ on the touchline at the moment. But look at the results, what manager wouldn’t be?
To some, sentiment has no place in football. Once the winning stops, everyone’s position is fair game. There is some merit to that, as Chelsea have shown over the years, but Klopp would surely be an exception even to them.
The 55-year-old’s status as one of the world’s top coaches is not in doubt. If he left Liverpool tomorrow, every top club on the planet would be on alert. That should tell you everything. Jurgen’s going nowhere. He does need to start putting things right, though. Another season like this and it may become harder to back him.
