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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to leave at end of season

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Jurgen Klopp has announced he will leave his position as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, saying he is “running out of energy.”

Klopp, 56, has brought huge success to Liverpool after arriving at Anfield in 2015 and steering the club to the Premier League title in 2020 and Champions League in 2019. But this will be his final campaign in charge, announcing Friday he will depart at the end of the season.

Klopp will take a break from management and said he will not manage a club or country for at least a year. He also said he will never manage another club in England other than Liverpool.

“I can understand that it’s a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it, or at least try to explain it,” Klopp said in a video statement released by Liverpool.

“I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take.

“It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.”

He added: “If you ask me now if I will ever manage again, I would say no. But you don’t know obviously as I’ve never had this situation. But I do know definitely I will never manage a different club in England than Liverpool. It is impossible.

“I will find something else to do. But I will not manage a club or country for at least a year.”

In an emotional statement, Klopp said he owed Liverpool supporters an explanation for why he is stepping back now. He said it was a hard decision but also felt “relief” when he made it, saying it’s the right moment for him to try a “normal life” and see if he misses management.

“It would be cool if you can accept my decision as a hard one, but the right one,” Klopp said. “I need to find a different purpose and look for it.”

“I told the club already in November,” he said. “I have to explain a little bit that maybe the job I do people see from the outside, I’m on the touchline and in training sessions and stuff like this, but the majority of all the things happen around these kind of things. That means a season starts and you plan pretty much the next season already.

“When we sat there together talking about potential signings, the next summer camp and can we go wherever, the thought came up, ‘I am not sure I am here then anymore,’ and I was surprised myself by that. I obviously start thinking about it.

“It didn’t start [then], but of course last season was kind of a super difficult season and there were moments when at other clubs probably the decision would have been, ‘Come on, thank you very much for everything but probably we should split here, or end it here.’ That didn’t happen here, obviously.

“For me it was super, super, super important that I can help to bring this team back onto the rails. It was all I was thinking about. When I realised pretty early that happened, it’s a really good team with massive potential and a super age group, super characters and all that, then I could start thinking about myself again and that was the outcome. It is not what I want to [do], it is just what I think is 100 percent right.”

Klopp joined Liverpool in October 2015 and led them back to the pinnacle of English and European football. Under Klopp, Liverpool won their first league title in 30 years in 2020, the Champions League title in 2019, the FA Cup in 2022 and the Carabao Cup in 2022. He also led them to Champions League finals in 2018 and 2022 as well as the Europa League final in 2016. They won the UEFA Super Cup in 2019 and the FIFA Club World Cup title in 2019.

After a tricky 2022-23 campaign, Klopp has helped steer Liverpool back to the top of the Premier League this season, with a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City after 21 games.

Liverpool are still in the mix for four competitions — the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League — and Klopp will target silverware in what will be his final campaign at Anfield.

Klopp signed a new deal with Liverpool in 2022 with his original contract up in 2024. The deal was set to take him through to 2026 but Klopp has decided to leave in the summer.

“We will have a moment, maybe the last matchday here or somewhere else — I mean in other countries or other competitions,” Klopp said. “There’s enough time to do these kinds of things. Let’s now really go for it. The outside world want to use this decision, laugh about it, want to disturb us.

“We are Liverpool, we went through harder things together. And you went through harder things before me. Let’s make a strength of it. That would be really cool. Let’s squeeze everything out of this season and have another thing to smile about when we look back in the future.”

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group paid tribute to Klopp, saying it will be “business as usual” until the end of the season.

“First and foremost, on behalf of John Henry and Tom Werner, I would like to state our profound appreciation for Jürgen,” Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon said. “It goes without saying that we will be hugely saddened to lose not just a manager of such calibre, but a person and leader for whom we have enormous respect, gratitude and affection. At the same time, we fully respect his wishes and the reasons why he has decided the current season will be his last at Liverpool.

“In keeping with Jurgen’s expressed wishes, we will save the comprehensive tributes for a more appropriate time but nevertheless, we would be remiss if we did not take this opportunity to reaffirm that his appointment remains one of the greatest blessings of our time as owners.

“The incredible achievements of the intervening years speak for themselves, so too does the joy that Jürgen and his team have brought to all of us supporters. His many accomplishments will never be taken for granted. To appropriate an adage synonymous with another Liverpool managerial great, Jurgen Klopp ‘made the people happy’ and we have total confidence he will continue to do so until his eventual departure.

“It is testament to Jurgen’s unstinting professionalism and ongoing commitment to the best interests of Liverpool FC that his decision was arrived at in a way which allows for business as usual to be maintained for the remainder of his tenure while simultaneously creating an opportunity for us to prepare for the future.

“Our priority now is two-fold. First, to ensure that the progress that has been made on the pitch this season is maintained in the final months of the campaign. Second, to continue the due diligence behind the scenes which will allow our football operations department to adapt to a future without Jurgen. As ever, these ambitions will be pursued in the best interests of the club and its supporters and we will update fans as and when significant developments are made.

“Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to place on record our gratitude to Jurgen for everything he has done and continues to do for Liverpool Football Club. Thank you, Jurgen. When the time comes, you will never walk alone.”

It will be a new-look Liverpool coaching team next season with assistant managers Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz also departing the club at the end of the campaign. Lijnders is keen to pursue his own career in management.

The club also said sporting director Jorg Schmadtke will leave after the January transfer window.

 

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European Leagues

JAILED! French Striker Sentenced To Two-Years In Prison Over Rape

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JAILED! French Striker Sentenced To Two-Years In Prison Over Rape

Former AS Monaco, Sevilla and France forward Wissam Ben Yedder has been convicted of attempted rape and sexual assault in Nice, following a lengthy legal process.

The 34-year-old, who was a free agent this summer after leaving the principality, has been declared guilty of all charges in court, and on top of the two years in prison he will face, Ben Yedder will see his driving licence suspended for six months. He will pay a €6.5k fine in damages to the victim, and his name will be placed on the sex offender register.

Ben Yedder apologised to the 23-year-old victim during the court proceedings, blaming his actions on alcohol. Diario AS explain that the prosecution were seeking a year in prison and 2.5 years more in a suspended sentence, conscious of the fact that he has a separate ongoing rape investigation into him. Ben Yedder paid a €900k bail to avoid custody in 2023.

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Man City Crisis Deepens As Grealish, Foden Out Of England Squad

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Man City Crisis Deepens As Grealish, Foden Out Of England Squad

Manchester City’s number of international dropouts increased to five on Monday following the news that Jack Grealish and Phil Foden have pulled out of the England squad, along with Jeremy Doku’s withdrawal from Belgium duty.

It follows Manuel Akanji’s departure from the Switzerland squad, while Matheus Nunes was a surprise dropout from the Portugal team.

It’s a sign of just how widespread City’s injury issues are, with Ruben Dias and John Stones missing Saturday’s loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, along with Grealish and Doku, while Rodri and Oscar Bobb are long-term absentees.

Nathan Ake and Kevin De Bruyne have not been included in their respective international squads. The latter has only recently returned from a seven-week absence, while Ake was deemed not fit enough to come off the bench at the Amex.

In addition, Kyle Walker is yet to regain full fitness after sustaining an injury during the last international break. It means City squad really is threadbare on the back of a four-game losing streak, the worst run of Pep Guardiola’s time at the club.

However, the Catalan will be pleased to hear of Grealish’s withdrawal from the England squad. The former Aston Villa star has missed the last six City games due to injury and Guardiola was furious that he was called up by Lee Carsley.

“Seventeen days, didn’t train once. Today the first training and trained 20 minutes,” Guardiola said on Friday following the news of Grealish’s selection. “This is the reality. He was in the gym for a few minutes yes, the last two days. It’s a question for the [England] manager – I’m not involved. They can select who they want.”

Guardiola said after the Brighton game that he is hopeful several of the absentees will be back after the international break. City face Tottenham Hotspur on 23 November in their first match following the pause in club football, before games against Feyenoord and Liverpool.

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Ruben Amorim Has Three Manchester United Issues To Address – Details Emerge

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Ruben Amorim Has Three Manchester United Issues To Address - Details Emerge

Ruben Amorim is now Manchester United head coach having begun his reign on Monday.

The Reds boss has a near two week wait until his first match – at Ipswich Town on Sunday week – but there is plenty of work to do between now and then. His first few days will be spent familiarising himself with his new surroundings and staff before the players return from either international duty or a few days off.

United have markedly improved under the now departed Ruud van Nistelrooy but there is plenty of work to be done with the Reds still in the bottom half and with work to do in Europe. Amorim has three clear priorities.

Amorim will no doubt want to implement a style and put his own stamp on this misfiring United side but priority number one is results. The Reds are 14th in the Premier League following the weekend defeat to West Ham and are closer to the relegation zone than the top four.

The first task is to climb the table and maximise the potential of an immediate fixture list that includes several home matches and several fixtures against bottom half sides. United also need to find victories in the Europa League having managed just one in four outings. Going out at the first hurdle is unthinkable and Amorim must ensure United are at least involved in the play-offs come the new year.

Amorim’s Sporting hit seven in his first match in charge while he was able to lift the title within 18 months. He knows how to get results quickly.

United have struggled for goals this season and their two most recent striker acquisitions, Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund, have yet to fully convince. The latter has the potential to become a focal point of the attack while Zirkzee’s role remains uncertain given his lack of goalscoring prowess.

Amorim could use both’s tune-up to ensure United can turn chances into goals. It wasn’t too long ago that Marcus Rashford was enjoying the season of his career, yet he regressed last term—though the early signs this season have been promising. Restoring confidence up top feels like a big priority.

And United can look at Viktor Gyokeres for inspiration. Not so long ago he was in the Championship with Coventry, he’s exploded onto the world stage at Sporting with almost a goal a game and Amorim has played a role in helping the frontman take his game to the next level.

Old Trafford used to be a place of intimidation, where teams were beaten in the tunnel. Now it’s nothing more than a welcome mat.

United have lost the fortress that served them so well and if they can find a tempo, style and intensity to worry teams and lift the fans, they can begin rebuilding that Old Trafford fear factor. United’s support, particularly away, is superb and if Amorim can hit the ground running with the basic template expected of United – front-foot football, attacking intent, effort and intensity – then players and supporters can start to create a club with a clear identity.

Sporting’s final home match under Amorim showed how united the club was, with a thumping 4-1 win over Manchester City, where players, managers, and fans were all together. Amorim fostered that, with results and success helping, but it was only a little over 12 months before his arrival that the unrest was so patent at the club that fans stormed the training ground in protest.

Manchester United Evening

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