Jurgen Klopp, the manager who delivered six major trophies during his tenure at Liverpool, has spoken publicly about the turbulent final season of his successor Arne Slot, admitting he lacks the inside knowledge to fully explain the club’s dramatic drop in performance.
Slot’s second and final campaign at Anfield produced no silverware — a stark contrast to his debut season, in which he guided Liverpool to the Premier League title. The Dutch manager was ultimately dismissed, having accumulated a record of 66 wins, 18 draws, and 29 losses across 113 games in all competitions. His exit was compounded by the high-profile departure of forward Mohamed Salah, who left the club by mutual consent.
Speaking in an interview with ESPN, Klopp was candid about the limits of his knowledge regarding the club’s internal difficulties. “I’m not close enough to judge that,” he said when asked about the reasons for Liverpool’s slump. “I was super happy that they won a league a year before, and I have no idea what was wrong the year after.”
Despite the widespread frustration at Anfield, Klopp was careful to acknowledge what the club did achieve. “I think nobody was very happy with the season. That was obvious, but they still qualified for the Champions League, and that’s a great success,” he added.
Beyond tactical and structural failings, Klopp pointed to the profound emotional weight the squad carried throughout the campaign. He referenced the tragic death of Diogo Jota last summer as a factor that would have tested any squad’s resilience. “There was a situation before last season at Liverpool, which nobody expected to happen, and to deal with these kinds of things is really difficult,” Klopp said. “I don’t know what exactly went on, but the last season is now passed as well, and now they can look into the future.”
Jota’s death, which occurred ahead of the 2025-26 season, represented one of the most devastating off-field events in Liverpool’s recent history, and Klopp’s remarks underline how significantly such circumstances can affect a squad’s collective performance and psychological stability.
With Slot’s chapter now closed, Liverpool have appointed Andoni Iraola as head coach. The Spaniard joins from Bournemouth, where he built a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most tactically astute managers, consistently organising compact, high-energy sides on limited resources.
Klopp did not shy away from offering a word of caution to Iraola as he prepares to navigate the expectations that come with managing one of Europe’s most scrutinised clubs. The German stressed that sustained success at the highest level relies on factors beyond coaching ability alone — luck, he noted, plays an equally significant role.
Liverpool’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League at least ensures Iraola will have European football to work with as he begins reshaping the squad. The club will be expected to challenge on multiple fronts next season, with fans and ownership alike eager to see a return to the title-winning form that defined Slot’s debut campaign and Klopp’s celebrated nine-year reign before it.
