Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists his team’s troubles this season are not down to a seven-year itch.
This weekend marks the anniversary of the German’s appointment as successor to Brendan Rodgers in 2015.
Klopp’s previous two jobs at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund saw him fail to make it to season eight at either club, with his last campaign at Dortmund particularly painful with the club in the relegation zone at Christmas before eventually bouncing back to finish seventh.
After a shaky start this season, drawing four and losing one of their first seven matches, comparisons were starting to be drawn with his record in Germany in some quarters.
However, Klopp was adamant there was no correlation between any of his jobs and he did not have a problem with fatigue.
“The situation in the clubs was really different. A seven-year spell is not planned or because I lost energy, or things like this,” he said.
“I was a manager at Mainz and after three years we got promoted to the Bundesliga then three years later we got relegated to the 2.Bundesliga.
“We tried one more year and the club needed a change, players left us for the Bundesliga so they needed a fresh start.
“I was full of energy, I went directly to Dortmund and it was all fine. Seven years and it was just a situation that players constantly got bought by other clubs.
“It was a really hard job to do, constantly making two steps back.
“It was really intense and really exhausting, which is the reason why I said we had to stop it here, but I didn’t have an energy problem, not at all.
“I have absolutely no problem with energy and the situation is completely different here.
“I can understand that I left after seven years (previously) and now we are in a difficult situation and people take that (view) but, if you think twice about it, you realise the situation is completely different.
“Yes, it’s a difficult time; did I think before the season we would be ninth after matchday seven? No, because I don’t think about these things. But this is the basis now, let’s go from here.”
Where Liverpool do go from here remains to be seen. They trail Sunday’s opponents Arsenal by 11 points already, while defending champions Manchester City’s form is ominous on the back of Erling Haaland’s remarkable goalscoring feats.
Klopp accepts that already a title bid may be beyond them but that will not prevent them trying to regain valuable lost ground.
“We have the chance still to create…
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