‘Judge me at the end of the season’: Bristling Jurgen Klopp insists it is UNFAIR to question Liverpool’s form – despite consecutive league defeats – as he hits back at critics of their ‘fighting spirit’
- Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool should not be judged until the end of the season
- They have been criticised for poor form which has left them ninth in the league
- But manager Klopp claims you should only make full conclusions next summer
- The German bristled when asked if the Reds had shown a lack of fighting spirit
Jurgen Klopp has claimed it is not fair to criticise his Liverpool side’s struggles until the end of the season.
The Reds’ latest defeat, a late 2-1 loss against relegation contenders Leeds at Anfield on Sunday, leaves the Reds as low as ninth in the Premier League.
And ahead of their clash with Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday night, Klopp insisted he and the club should only be judged at the campaign’s conclusion next summer – before hitting back at accusations of a lack of ‘fight’.
Manager Jurgen Klopp insists it’s unfair to judge Liverpool fully until the end of the season
The Reds are languishing in ninth in the Premier League after Saturday’s loss against Leeds
He said: ‘We all do our job in public, the judgement of this is maybe later on in the season. At the end of it.
‘At the moment it’s not 100% fair to judge the team because we haven’t had them available, missing up front top quality. We’d usually make changes.
‘Even if it’s unfair, it’s fine. It’s normal to ask these questions. Arsenal and Man City will have to answer those questions later on. We are all out there to be judged, manager, players, that’s how it is. But I don’t think about it.’
Liverpool only lost two Premier League games last year – the lowest total in the division – as they finished one point behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in a fierce race for the title.
This campaign, only 12 games in, they have already lost four, representing double last season’s tally, and have drawn four league games, half their total of eight last year.
And the German bristled when asked if his side had shown a lack of fighting spirit, asking a journalist which game he meant when told the players’ ‘fight’ was not there at points.
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