When Jurgen Klopp sat down for his first press convention as Liverpool supervisor in 2015, he spoke about creating a brand new story and giving followers a cause to imagine once more.

“I’m the normal one,” he additionally mentioned on the time. Seven-and-a-half years and 6 main trophies later, most Liverpool supporters would say that is a modest self-description.

Nobody can argue the German hasn’t delivered, however even he didn’t suppose he’d win each piece of silverware accessible.

“No, of course I didn’t expect it,” he solely tells Sky Sports forward of Liverpool’s trip to Leeds on Monday Night Football.

“I hoped for it, and we may have really gained extra, which is absolutely unusual. But no, I did not actually give it some thought that a lot.

“When you come in new to a club, you need success and steps in the right direction to buy time and to develop things properly and that’s what we did. But no, I didn’t expect it.”

Klopp: Inconsistency cause for decline

After coming near main Liverpool to an unprecedented quadruple final season, Klopp has watched his facet expertise a dramatic regression this time period.

Sitting eighth within the Premier League, Liverpool are 12 factors away from the highest 4 with 9 video games remaining and have misplaced extra league video games in 2023 than they did all through the entire of 2022 – the 12 months they gained two trophies and have been runners-up within the Champions League and Premier League.

Their away type has been an enormous cause for that drop-off. Having gained 10 of 15 away matches at this stage final season, they’ve managed simply three victories on the street this time round. An common of 0.87 factors per away recreation is their lowest because the 1992/93 marketing campaign.

“What I would say to that is we’ve had a few really good games this season,” says Klopp from Liverpool’s Kirkby coaching floor.

“We’ve had a lot of good games in the Champions League and a few really good ones in the Premier League. They’ve mainly been at home but we’ve even had good away games, it’s just in some of them we didn’t get results.

“We had a great away recreation at Tottenham and won there. We had a extremely good away recreation at Arsenal and lost it in probably the most awkward circumstances. That’s the way it began after which we misplaced type. That’s the reality.

“At home, we could still squeeze results out without playing our best football. Of course, we also have the support of our fans, so that’s an obvious difference, but apart from that we have to play better football in general to get consistency.

“If you’ve consistency, then the distinction between away type and residential type shouldn’t be as large because it appears to be like this 12 months. We by no means had this challenge in all our profitable seasons. We had a powerful away document and that is what you want.”

Klopp: We cannot depend on Anfield to generate outcomes

A 9-0 thrashing of Bournemouth in August and a 7-0 win over Manchester United in March have confirmed Liverpool are nonetheless able to producing some spectacular outcomes and performances at Anfield.

The Reds have solely misplaced as soon as at dwelling within the Premier League this season and final weekend’s spectacular comeback against leaders Arsenal once more reminded Klopp what’s achievable in entrance of their very own supporters.

“It’s a start that we have to build on for next season, but we can’t rely on it,” he says.

“Of course, it is encouraging but it surely’s not that I believe ‘Okay, that half is sorted, we are able to concentrate on the away type’. We know now we have to work on our soccer typically and the best way we set issues up.

“The way we defend, that must be much clearer. We also have to work on the way we attack and how we control games. It’s a big job, but it’s something I’m looking forward to.

“This 12 months’s been powerful and it has been a extremely lengthy season for us, as a result of I’ve to speak about this stuff each week. Not solely each week, a number of weeks in the past it was each three days and that makes life actually not satisfying.

“The problems are not always that obvious, but it’s still clear where they’re coming from. Then you want to work on it but three days later you have a game, so it’s still not sorted. Then you talk about it and go again.

“So it is a lengthy and hard season, however we’re in it and the second half towards Arsenal particularly gave us an actual increase and confirmed it is nonetheless in us, so let’s construct on that.”

Klopp: Motivation shouldn’t be my downside

Klopp is the longest-serving supervisor within the Premier League and can lengthen his keep at Anfield to virtually 11 years if he sees out the rest of his present contract.

In a season that has seen a record-breaking 13 managerial adjustments within the Premier League – three greater than some other marketing campaign – he assured Liverpool supporters he nonetheless has a burning want to succeed regardless of his group’s struggles on the pitch.

“Yes, I am still motivated,” he says with out hesitation. “Maybe even more, because now I know everybody here and I feel even more responsible for everything.

“I’ve mentioned it a few occasions, it is a little bit bit unusual when it’s a must to say ‘I’m totally in’ as a result of perhaps folks from the surface query it. But no, motivation is completely not my downside.”

‘Smart recruitment is the Liverpool way’

Klopp’s possibilities of restoring Liverpool to their earlier heights subsequent season will, partly at the very least, rely on how the hierarchy operates in the summertime switch window.

A protracted-standing curiosity in signing Borussia Dortmund teenager Jude Bellingham could also be over on account of his £100m-plus price ticket, however they’re nonetheless anticipated to be energetic available in the market and are understood to be concentrating on at the very least two new midfielders.

Asked if specializing in bringing in a number of gamers reasonably than spending an enormous sum of cash on one particular person is the best strategy, Klopp replied: “There’s really nothing to say. You have to wait until we finish our business and then you will see what we did.

“We should be prepared for reward or criticism. We’ll work from the primary day of the brand new season with the boys and we’ll actually go for it – that is way more essential.

“All the rest is speculation from the media. We have nothing to do with that.”

Liverpool have spent over £700m on new signings because the summer season of 2016, however a number of big-money departures over current years imply the membership’s whole web spend is lower than the likes of West Ham, Everton, Aston Villa and Wolves, resulting in questions on why they haven’t spent extra.

“We always try to be smart in our recruitment,” Klopp says. “I am 100 per cent sure that if you gave the power stick to a few people, then next season we’d bring in 20 new players.

“If you gave it to a couple others, then we might deliver outdated gamers again after we have been profitable earlier than and stuff like this. We are in cost, that is what we selected and let’s go from there.

“It’s an interesting period, very interesting and we always try to be smart in the transfer market, so it’s not completely new to us.”

Liverpool have additionally been criticised for not refreshing an ageing squad. Despite the arrivals of Darwin Nunez (23), Cody Gakpo (23) and Fabio Carvalho (19) forward of this season, the common age of Klopp’s beginning XI stays the fourth oldest within the Premier League (27.77).

“We know we don’t have the youngest squad, but we have a lot of young players in the squad as well,” he says. “We built a team over years, we were successful and last season we nearly won the quadruple. We didn’t, I know, but we were as close as you could get.

“Plenty of the issues we achieved are based mostly on the expertise the boys made collectively. One 12 months later, we’re not nice and all people tells us we’re too outdated. That’s our state of affairs and I’ve completely no downside with that.”

Asked how many signings Liverpool need or how much money must be spent this summer, Klopp added: “I can not offer you a quantity and I don’t wish to offer you a quantity.

“It’s about doing the right things and that’s what we always try to do. It’s not about how many or how much. Then we go out and play football and people have to judge us.”

Klopp: Leeds will likely be again – we have to be prepared

Transfer speak apart, Klopp’s instant purpose is ending Liverpool’s five-match winless run in all competitions once they journey to relegation-threatened Leeds within the Premier League on Monday evening, reside on Sky Sports.

Leeds surprised Liverpool within the reverse fixture again in October and are in search of a response to final weekend’s heavy 5-1 defeat against Crystal Palace at Elland Road.

“I’m expecting a massive fight. That’s clear,” says Klopp, who has by no means gone six video games with out a win as Liverpool boss.

“It was a strange game against Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace are a good team and Roy (Hodgson) is back, magic Roy is back which is really cool to see.

“It was actually good from them, particularly within the second half with the counter-attacking objectives. It was good soccer and good decision-making.

“When you’re in a situation like Leeds are, that can happen. You can have these kinds of one-off games. But I expect them to be completely back on track again and put up a real fight against us. We have to be ready for it.”

Watch Leeds vs Liverpool reside on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League from 7pm on Monday Night Football; kick-off 8pm.

You also can observe occasions from Elland Road on the Sky Sports web site and app with our reside weblog, that includes in-game clips and free match highlights after the ultimate whistle.

Liverpool’s remaining fixtures…

April 17: Leeds (A) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm, reside on Sky Sports

April 22: Nottingham Forest (H) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm

April 26: West Ham (A) – Premier League, kick-off 7.45pm

April 30: Tottenham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, reside on Sky Sports

May 3: Fulham (A) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm

May 6: Brentford (H) – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, reside on Sky Sports

May 13: Leicester (A) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm

May 20: Aston Villa (H) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm

May 28: Southampton (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm