Jurgen Klopp is adamant all criticism should be directed at him for Liverpool's struggles this term as he aimed to take the spotlight away from the uncertainty behind the scenes.
The Reds are currently engulfed by problems at the midway point of their Premier League season, having taken just 29 points from 20 games to date and only seven from the last 18, post-World Cup. It has left a top-four finish looking unlikely, meaning Klopp could next term find himself uninvolved in the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign.
Klopp says it is he who should shoulder the blame for such a season of underperformance as he aimed to defend some of his backroom staff and take the attention away from a club who are on the lookout for both a new sporting director at a time when the owners, Fenway Sports Group, continue to assess the merits of either a full or partial sale.
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Klopp refused to answer a question from a journalist in the wake of last Saturday's miserable 3-0 loss at Wolves and says any critiques should focus only on him going forward.
"One hundred per cent [I feel positive] that's a completely normal reaction, and you know that as well," Klopp said. "We could go now through the seven-and-a-half years, a lot of people left and a lot came in, and it always worked out and we never spoke about it because 'oh, he's coming in, oh that helps.'
"Now we play bad football and now you tell me this and it makes no sense. And if they (staff members) were not helpful or inspirational or whatever you want to call it, they would not be here. I'm 100% clear on that. Nobody is here because they are my friend or whatever, it was never the case and never will be the case.
"They are here because they are best in class in what they are doing. That's all. Again, if you praise them in the good times then criticise them in the bad times. If you don’t praise them in the good times, then don’t it in the lesser good times. Don't do that - have the balls and go for me!
"Then the confrontation can happen, of course but I get an awful lot of money to face these situations and my life is fine. But they all have a career after and stuff like this and if we start talking about like this - he did this and he did that - and by the way if I would listen to people who give me the wrong advice, again that is my fault. And not their fault, just to make sure.
"I will not change in that department. So just as a little warning. And I didn’t even read [the critical piece], that's the funny part, it was spoken about so much that in the end I got aware of that and that means then it's a subject and it's a subject that everybody is talking about then I have to react. That's how it is."
Following the 3-0 loss at Wolves last Saturday Klopp hauled his players over the coals at the AXA Training Centre on Sunday as the team held an analysis meeting that once again focused on another shocking away performance. It was the third successive Premier League away game where Liverpool had conceded three goals but following the talks, the manager gave his players two days off which helped improve the mood for the remainder of the week.
Asked what he said in the analysis meeting, Klopp: "Come on, what do you think what I told them? 'It was great yesterday, we couldn't do anything different?!' That is now really not for you at all. We will not start that. I hope it was the right things.
"It's not the first time in my life I've had a situation so that might be helpful - again - and I think in situations like this you have to be 100% clear, not hiding behind anything, really critical, clear but respectful as well because I know that it is always like this, that people who are not really involved have to write and have the possibility to go for them, all of a sudden they can be angry with us, 'how can he do that?!' and stuff like this.
"But we don’t see them or meet them, we don't have to work together with them so it is completely different when you work together but it's clear and we don't go for excuses. That's normal, we never did we never will do and so that was the Sunday.
"Oh, you cannot forget [the Wolves result] it's just two days later and it looks different, that's how it is. What did I do with my time off? Nothing special, I was a lot on the phone, I had a lot of things to do, but I had the time for a long walk on the beach, which I did not do for a long time.. It was good. It settles you.
"You think about the result all the time and it starts with being really emotional after the game because I hate losing and that will never change. And I know what you all think about what I did in the press conference but actually it was the lowest level of the aggression I had inside me.
"Of course I was not happy with a lot of things that happened but it wasn't a reason for what happened I just don't like it if you go for the wrong people.
"Go for me, that is fine, if you don't like my answers you know best, but go for me that's fine but don't go for other people. They were much more influential in the good times than they are now and it is just not fair.
"So you go in there, you sit there, and I didn't think before and then I saw and went 'oh' and then it comes up and then you react like that. But really I thought in the most respectful possible way - you may see that in a completely different way - but for me it was quite a stretch.
"And that's like the start of how you deal with the situation. You drive home - two hours or so - and nobody spoke a word. It was like a really bad day in the office and then you go home, next day in fine, then two days off and then back in and the emotional level drops and the moment the emotions drop, you can start thinking clear again."
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