A 'deflated' Jurgen Klopp took part in an honest and emotional interview with Stockholm-based broadcaster Viaplay in the aftermath of Liverpool's 3-2 defeat to Arsenal.
At the time of writing, Liverpool are just four points above the Premier League relegation zone after goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka [2] sealed an important win for Mikel Arteta's men at the Emirates.
After several years of challenging for the title alongside reigning champions Manchester City, the Reds have picked up just two wins from eight this season – a lacklustre start all things considered.
Liverpool form in the league has raised concerns amongst their fan base, and Jurgen Klopp's admission that his team are out of the title race – with the gap between them and Arsenal extending to 14 points this weekend – was a big talking point.
Advert
And so was the German manager's interview with Viaplay journalist and former Premier League midfielder Jan Aage Fjortoft.
As you can see in the footage below, Klopp spoke about how the game played out, controversial decisions and injuries to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz. You can see that interview in full below.
The reaction from Liverpool fans to the interview was unanimous. One said: "It physically hurts to see this man suffer like this," while another wrote: "He looks so tired and broken down."
Advert
A third commented: "Show this to all our players. The fact that he's feeling so low and sad should be enough motivation for everyone at the club."
A fourth said: "I have never seen Klopp so distraught after a loss," and a fifth commented: "God, he looks so drained here. Not shocked considering he's been getting no help from the people above him in regards to helping this team stay at the top. Goes without saying he has my full backing to sort this situation out eventually."
As mentioned earlier, Klopp also conceded that Liverpool were no longer in the title race, despite having played just eight games this season.
Advert
After the match, the German manager was asked by beIN Sport reporter Carrie Brown: "You said ahead of this encounter that the title race is over…"
But before Brown could finish her question, Klopp burst into laughter.
Brown added: "Do you really believe that after this performance, it's now a 14-point gap – a big gap, though with a game in hand – are you really writing off the title this early in the season?"
Advert
Klopp replied: "Yes of course. It's not interesting. If any miracle happens in the next few months all of sudden because of all the others start to lose all of their games and we start winning. That is the first thing we have to do, then we would be in contention again.
"We can talk but this is really not our problem. We understand the situation, we have other problems. We have to find a way to win football games consistently and that hasn't worked out yet this season."
Thoughts on Liverpool's poor start to the season?
Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool, Arsenal, Premier League