Richard Keys has suggested that Jurgen Klopp will ‘leave’ Liverpool if the Reds are knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.
The La Liga giants head to Anfield for the first leg of the round of 16 later this month with the second leg in the Spanish capital next month.
Klopp’s men have struggled for consistency this term and, having been knocked out of both the FA and League Cup, sit tenth in the Premier League table, eleven points behind fourth-placed Newcastle.
“There is only one winner when a coach fights with the press, and it’s not the coach,” Keys said in a wild post on his website (via Daily Mail).
“I suppose Klopp will walk. Not now, but if Real Madrid knocks them out of the CL (Champions League), I think he will leave before the start of next season. Liverpool is far. A shadow of what they once were, and it’s not good to blame FSG. The fall is the responsibility of Klopp.
“He didn’t start the rebuild soon enough. That was one of Fergie’s greatest strengths: tearing apart successful teams.
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“What was Liverpool thinking staying with Milner, Henderson and Firminho? Thiago has surpassed his prime, not that I’ve ever been a fan. He was the wrong player at the wrong club at the wrong time.
“He stops Liverpool. In fact, the entire midfield is either too old or not good enough. Robertson is past his prime. Whoever is in charge next season has a big job on his hands. Do we think Klopp is ready? No.”
Many suggest that Klopp is now feeling the heat for the first time as Liverpool boss.
The German tactician refused to answer a question from The Athletic’s James Pearce following his team’s loss to Wolves last weekend, something Danny Murphy called “insignificant” while Didi Hamann urged the 55-year-old years to apologize to the journalist.
Since taking over from Brendan Rodgers at Merseyside in 2015, the former Mainz head coach has ensured that the glory days have returned to Anfield having won every major trophie possible at the club.
However, Liverpool’s inconsistency this season is a big concern, and a big summer of changes seems to be on the horizon.
With Jude Bellingham being the club’s main transfer target for the end of the season and with FSG looking for further investment in the club, it will be interesting to see what kind of deals we complete in the summer.
However, we must first focus on getting back to winning form, with Everton our next opponents on Monday night.
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