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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Jurgen Klopp responds to 'sacking' question with point about Liverpool owners FSG

Jurgen Klopp says he does not fear the sack after Liverpool kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 4-1 loss at Napoli.

On the day that Chelsea relieved Thomas Tuchel of his duties at Stamford Bridge, Klopp was asked if he is worried about a similar fate after a demoralising defeat in Naples that saw the hosts go 4-0 up before Luis Diaz scored a scant consolation.

It continued a disappointing run of form so far this term which has seen last season's domestic cup double winners pick up just two victories from their seven games across all competitions.

PLAYER RATINGS: Luis Diaz good but seven stars awful against Napoli

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Klopp, though, dismissed concerns for his own future and suggested the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group, are a lot more measured than Chelsea's own American proprietor Todd Boehly, who dispensed with Tuchel just days after completing a spend of over £270m in the transfer window.

Asked if he thinks he could also be sacked following Tuchel's dismissal, Klopp said: "Not really, but who knows? The difference is we have different kinds of owners. Ours are more calm and expect me to sort it and not think that someone else will. That's how they see it. The day they change their thoughts they might tell me."

The Liverpool manager also stated his belief that his team's problems this season do not stem from the high line they continue to use defensively. Instead, Klopp feels the real issues are further forward with a midfield and attack that are not putting enough pressure on the opposition when out of possession.

"[The high line] is a risk when there's no pressure on the ball but that's usually not the case," Klopp added. "We need it to be compact. The problem was we never got close to putting them under pressure.

"You don't think a lot after games, you react more but I said we need to reinvent ourselves because the basic things aren't there. It's a tough time for us, there is no doubt about that. If you're not playing exceptionally well you can still defend on a top level.

"It's not that we need to invent a new kind of football but everyone would be happy if we can play similar stuff that we used to do. It was the least compact I've seen us for a long, long time. Napoli were good but we made it easier for them."

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