Jurgen Klopp has outlined one of the major reasons why he signed a new deal to stay with Liverpool was to guide them through a new phase.
The Reds reached the pinnacle of domestic and European football under the reign of the German, and those memories will be everlasting for anyone associated with the club.
It takes a great deal of hard work, skill, elite management and some good fortune to climb to the top of the mountain, and staying there for a sustained period separates the good from the truly great teams.
When it comes to being a manager, arguably one of the biggest challenges is picking up a side after the inevitable fall and making sure they reach a high standard once again.
After a superb campaign in 2021/22, not many foresaw the dip in form of Liverpool this season, but Klopp has seen many things throughout his managerial career and knows that it is just part of the Footballing cycle.
Speaking to Mike and Calvin on the BT Sport podcast (per The Mirror), Klopp says he is up for the challenge.
“I’m not saying it’s the biggest challenge, but it’s a challenge, and it was one of the main reasons why I signed a new contract because I knew it’s necessary.
“It will not go overnight and imagine the situation now with another coach in the chair. I would be somewhere on holiday, and everybody would shout my name ‘with him it would not have happened!’ I’m obviously not a miracle worker.
“That’s why it’s good how it is, because all the problems you have in a transition time period, we have an awful lot of injuries, and that makes life really complicated.
“I have no problem with that because I see obviously… I know the majority of the outside world is just interested in the short term but we have to be long-term focused as well, and that’s what we are.”
Klopp did not hesitate to point out that some clubs find it much easier to undergo a rebuild when they have the financial resources citing Chelsea as a current example.
“There are obviously plenty of different ways you can do it, but it’s all based on the situation you are in, especially with the things happening around, Chelsea with the new ownership obviously, nobody knows exactly how they do it, how they can spend this much money.
“Other teams, nobody likes me talking about that... but transition needs time if you don’t have endless money, otherwise you can change overnight pretty much, bringing in 10 players.”
And the manager reiterated his statement from last week that he is not ashamed of being loyal saying that it is good quality to have.
“I’m not too loyal but questioning loyalty in general is a sign of our time, the time we are living in as well, which I really don’t like too much.
“I never saw anything bad in loyalty, to be honest, to your friends, to your family, to your company, in an ideal world you are loyal, and it’s not a one-way word. That’s an ideal world when both sides feel the same and big things can grow."
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