Jurgen Klopp reiterates ESL stance but does not feel let down by owners

Jurgen Klopp said he does not feel let down by Liverpool’s owners over their decision to join the European Super League.

Klopp reiterated he was opposed to the breakaway competition, but said he was more determined to stay and “try to help sort it somehow”.

“I don’t think that, I don’t feel that,” Klopp said after his side’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Leeds on Monday night.

“I’m 20-something years in football and a lot of times owners have made decisions without asking me.

“I am used to dealing with them. That’s how it is. I don’t want to be involved in these kind of things, I don’t understand them, I’m a football person.

“But it’s not about letting me down. What I say is I’m here as a football coach and a manager and I will do that as long as people let me do that, that’s how it is.”

Liverpool’s American owners, the Fenway Sports Group, have yet to address the club’s fans after an overwhelming majority of them reacted with outrage to their decision to become Super League founder members.

Klopp was left to field questions after Leeds defender Diego Llorente’s late header had cancelled out Sadio Mane’s first-half opener at Elland Road.

“It’s not a situation that I will resign over or whatever,” Klopp said. “When times get tougher, that makes me more sticky that I stay here. It’s like that.

“I feel responsible for the team and the club and I feel responsible for the relationship we have with our fans.

“It’s a very tough time I’m sure, but I will try to help sort it somehow.”

When asked if he thought the Super League was a good idea, Klopp added: “I’ve said now a couple of times, in 2019 I said it already, no, I don’t think it’s a great idea.”

Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa said before and after the game that the Super League proposals would damage the game, but were inevitable.

“Of course, it causes harm to football,” the 65-year-old said. “This should not surprise any of us.

“These powerful teams think they have the most influence in generating revenue in football and to take into account this logic, when the rest of the teams are no longer necessary for them, they take privilege in their own interests and forget about the rest.

“These big teams have made themselves big throughout history, but they’ve done this in conjunction with the rest of the teams, they did it with them.

“There are structures (governing bodies) who could have put or should put limits on those excesses of the big teams. What has happened was inevitable.”

Bielsa felt Leeds fully deserved their point against Liverpool after taking the game to the champions in the second half.

“The game was beautiful,” he added. “It was more even in the first half, but we dominated the second half.

“We created goal-scoring opportunities and played in their half. We recovered many balls, which allowed us to attack.

“But it’s also true, while we were managing proceedings, they maintained their threat.”