Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not aware of managers who have struggled with mental health over the precarious nature of the job, although the German has revealed that he has long since decided to ignore both pressure and critics that come with the job.
Klopp was speaking to reporters after Arsenal announced that they had sacked Spanish head coach Unai Emery after a terrible run of just one win in nine games across all competitions.
Emery’s departure meant that two of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ clubs have opted to make a change with club management despite seeing their teams contest European finals last season, with Tottenham having already fired Mauricio Pochettino earlier last month.
However, Jurgen Klopp, whose side sit at the top of the Premier League table after 13 games, says it is important for a manager to disregard outside noise over speculation of their future for the sake of their own peace of mind.
When asked by reporters about the prospect of coaches developing mental health concerns, the 52-year-old explained that a coach must ignore the media aspect and focus solely on results, “It’s an intense job, absolutely. I don’t think I’ve heard – not ever, but it’s really rare that I’ve heard – about a manager who struggled, physically, in a medical sense, because of that. I don’t really remember. Maybe sometimes it doesn’t work out for reasons you can’t have an influence on. It happens from time to time. I haven’t experienced this. The main problem I think is it’s in public, constantly. Everything we do is judged, criticized, whatever, and I decided long ago to ignore that as well. I have no clue what exactly is written about us.”
Klopp then stated that he felt a bit sorry for Emery but wished the 48-year-old the best in his future endeavors, “I wish him all the best, of course. He is an outstanding manager and showed that in so many different countries. He will be fine in the future but I’m sure he had big ambitions at Arsenal. Now, Arsenal needs to find a solution. Freddie [Ljungberg] is taking the [interim] job now, so that’s how it is. There are younger coaches out there, maybe less experienced, but maybe he can take the chance.”
Liverpool beat Emery’s Arsenal 3-1 at Anfield earlier in the season when Mohamed Salah scored a brace after Joel Matip opened the scoring just before the half time whistle for the Merseyside giants.
