Jürgen Klopp said he has more sympathy for managers sacked at lower league clubs than José Mourinho and his former Manchester United rival had to “take the consequences” for what unfolded at Old Trafford.
The Liverpool manager oversaw a comfortable victory over United on Sunday in what proved to be Mourinho’s final game. He said Mourinho remained an outstanding manager who has “all my respect” for what he has achieved and would not find it difficult to land another top job. For that reason, and perhaps the lucrative pay-off from Old Trafford, Klopp insists he has greater concern for peers sacked at the lower level than a two-times Champions League winner.
Klopp said: “I have to say on our level, and it’s not that I don’t feel for him or whatever, I know it’s difficult to get as a person, but if a manager got the sack in the Championship or in League One or League Two then that’s a bad moment because you don’t know if they will get another job. If José wants to have another job, he has it in two days. That’s really easy. We are talking about someone at a really high level.
“But from the personal point of view, and I know how ambitious he is, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t take it [being sacked] that easy. He wanted to be successful at United and he was but then it didn’t work out in the way everybody wanted it to. Then you have to take the consequences. That’s how it is in our job. I always said it. It’s the same for me and if the club thinks there is someone who can do it better, then they have to change today. That’s how it is.
“Don’t look at how we played in the last game, if they think there is someone who can do it better, change it now. In our jobs then that can be very expensive for the clubs. That is actually the only thing that saves our lives sometimes but that’s the situation.”
Klopp claimed to have detected no change in Mourinho’s ambition or drive during his time at United but believes recent months must have taken their toll on everyone at Old Trafford.
He added: “He’s a very competitive guy, very ambitious, really competitive. He has all my respect, he’s been unbelievably successful. I can imagine in the last few months especially they were not a joy for anybody, especially not for him.
“It’s not nice that he had to face these questions every day, that’s a problem. But nobody can take away all the things he won. I wish personally he has that in his mind when he leaves and not a few other things that happened in last few months. He’s an outstanding manager.”
