Jurgen Klopp speaks on Liverpool's failed season and new manager

"Former Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp shared his thoughts on the team's unsuccessful 2025-26 season under Arne Slot. The German specialist admitted that expectations at the club were not met and issued a serious warning to the newly appointed head coach Andoni Iraola. He noted that achieving long-term success at Anfield requires not only tactical skill but also a great deal of luck. This was reported by Goal.com news reports.

In an interview with ESPN, Klopp analyzed the reasons for the decline in Slot's second season. For reference, Arne Slot recorded 66 wins, 18 draws, and 29 losses in 113 total matches at Liverpool. Although he won the Premier League title in his debut season, finishing the following season without a trophy led to his resignation.

"I don't know exactly what happened; I'm not close enough to the team to evaluate the situation. I was very happy they became champions a year ago, but I don't know what went wrong the following year. Undoubtedly, no one was satisfied with last season. Nevertheless, they qualified for the Champions League, and that is also a great success," Klopp noted.

Psychological blows and unexpected losses

Klopp specifically mentioned that off-field difficulties also affected the team's results. In particular, he said that the death of forward Diogo Jota last summer was an unimaginable psychological blow to the club. Returning the team to its previous state after such tragic events is an extremely difficult task.

"Events happened at Liverpool last season that no one expected. It is very hard to deal with such things. I don't know exactly what went on there, but last season is behind them and now they must look to the future," says the former coach.

As a reminder, Arne Slot had to work in the massive shadow of Jurgen Klopp, who managed the team from 2015 to 2024 and won 8 major trophies, including the Champions League and the Premier League. Now, the club management has appointed Andoni Iraola to return the team to the top.

New manager and the luck factor

Andoni Iraola arrived in Merseyside after a successful career at Bournemouth. At his former club, he recorded 48 wins, 38 draws, and 41 losses in 127 matches. While Klopp does not doubt the new manager's potential, he reminded him of the unique complexities of working at Anfield.

"Now the team has a new manager — Andoni Iraola. He is a great specialist, just like Arne Slot, but everything must align. For a manager to work together for a long time and show results, luck must also be on their side," Klopp concluded.

Currently, Liverpool fans are waiting for the team to rebuild and return to the trophy hunt under the new manager. Iraola's main task will be not only to make tactical changes but also to stabilize the team's psychological state.