Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has shared his thoughts on why Jurgen Klopp is leaving Liverpool. Henry thinks that Klopp is stepping down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season to look after his mental health.
The Frenchman has approved of Klopp’s decision to leave his job and focus on himself, saying: “Good for him!” Henry, who now works as a pundit for CBS Sports, explained: “Pep was at Barcelona, took a sabbatical year. Klopp is at Liverpool, he is stopping. Xavi is at Barcelona, he is also stopping. Three great clubs.”
He continued: “That’s a dream job normally and they are stopping. That tells you a story. The pressure, everybody has a voice, social media and whatnot. It is tough to be a manager and no one cares about you. You’re going to have to take care of yourself at one point.”
Henry added: “I understand that it’s very nice for fans and everybody involved, journalists, but do not think only about yourself and thinking that the Premier League will miss Klopp, that Liverpool will miss Klopp. We know that, we know that is true. But he was missing his family, he was missing his own time, he was missing his sanity. When I got the news, I was like: ‘Good for you.'”
Ange Postecoglou of Tottenham Hotspur suggested last week that there is a growing need for clubs to provide “support services” for managers, given the increased demands they face such as fulfilling media obligations and acting as club representatives.
Postecoglou stated: “Our priority is always going to be the team and producing results. I can see why a lot of clubs will say: ‘Let’s just protect our manager and sort of get him to focus on what’s important, build things around him.’
“You’ll see that more and more, for want of a better term, support services around a manager with the demands of the role. I’ve been doing it for 26 years at different levels but it is becoming even more consuming than you thought it would be than when I first started.”
