Jurgen Klopp has insisted that he will not be leaving Liverpool, unless the club decide the time is right for him to go.
Liverpool fell to a sixth Premier League defeat of the season at the weekend, when they were thrashed 3-0 by Brighton – a result that leaves them ninth in the table, 10 points shy of the top four and 19 behind leaders Arsenal.
Klopp did not hide his feelings after the defeat on Saturday, describing it as the worst in his reign on Merseyside that began in 2015 against a Brighton side that leapfrogged them in the table after securing three points.
But the German signed a contract extension until 2026 last year and the 55-year-old stressed only the sack would prevent him seeing that through.
“Either the manager's position changes or a lot of other things change,” he said. “So as far as I am concerned unless someone tells me I will not go.
“So that means maybe there is a point where we have to change other stuff. We will see that, but that is something for the future. Like summer or whatever. Not now.
“I have space and time to think about it – we have to play better football now.”
Captain Jordan Henderson (32), Fabinho (29) and 31-year-old Thiago Alcantara remain first-choice picks in midfield but Klopp denied he was being too loyal to the old guard.
Brighton 3 Liverpool 0: Player ratings
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BRIGHTON RATINGS: Robert Sanchez 6 - Not a great deal to deal with as he watched his side nullify Liverpool’s attack. PA -
Pervis Estupinan 8 - Excellent going forward, in particular with his link-up play with Mitoma. Overlapping runs helped create plenty of space for his side. Getty -
Levi Colwill 8 - Unlucky not to pick up an assist with an excellent pass in the first half, and looked assured as he dealt with everything. Superb from the 19-year-old centre-back. AFP -
Lewis Dunk 7 - Organised his side from the back well and was aggressive when challenging for duels. Reuters -
Pascal Gross 7 - Kept Andy Robertson quiet on his flank while producing a number of impressive passes to help progress the ball into dangerous areas. Getty -
Alexis Mac Allister 7 - Controlled the game and was able to beat Liverpool’s press with ease. Getty -
Moises Caicedo 7 - Pressed aggressively from midfield and helped win the ball back in promising areas. AP -
Kaoru Mitoma 9 - There was a feeling that something could happen every time Mitoma touched the ball, on a night where he was almost impossible to deal with. PA -
Adam Lallana 7 - Looked bright in the No 10 role and often glided past Liverpool defenders with quick movement. Rarely made a wrong decision. AFP -
Solly March 10 - Got his side up and running with the first, but his second goal of the evening was from the top drawer as he flashed a shot past Alisson. Picked up an assist for the third goal. Reuters -
Evan Ferguson 7 - Battled hard against Konate and took up some promising positions. Could have got himself on the scoresheet with better finishing. EPA -
SUBS: Danny Welbeck (Ferguson, 66) 7 - An excellent piece of skill beat Joe Gomez before firing home to seal the win for Brighton. AFP -
Joel Veltman (Lallana, 66) 6 - Helped defend when Liverpool were fighting to get back into the game. AFP -
Jeremy Sarmiento (Mac Allister, 83) N/R. Tariq Lamptey (Mitoma, 91) N/R. Adam Webster (Dunk, 91), Getty -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson 5 - Almost conceded a penalty in the first half. Simply simply too much to deal with. AP -
Andy Robertson 5 - Anonymous going forward and struggled to win the battle on his flank. Getty -
Ibrahima Konate 7 - In the search for positives, Liverpool can look to Ibrahima Konate, who was Jurgen Klopp’s best performer, dealing well with many of Brighton’s best attacks. PA -
Joel Matip 6 - Had to do better for the first goal, but he did his best behind a non-existent midfield. Helped out Alexander-Arnold against the threat of Mitoma. AP -
Trent Alexander-Arnold 6 - Endured a difficult battle with Mitoma, but did spark Liverpool’s attack, with two crosses that his team should have done more with. AP -
Fabinho 4 - Rarely in the right positions to make an impact. Didn’t seem to have an answer to Brighton’s attack. AP -
Thiago 5 - Normally the midfielder that can help get the game under control, but there was none of that at the Amex Stadium. Some good interventions helped break up the play. Getty -
Jordan Henderson 4 - Slow to react and couldn’t make an impact at either end of the pitch. Booked for fouling Caicedo in the first half. AP -
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 5 - A poor header in the second half could have been the turning point, but couldn’t get the right connection. EPA -
Cody Gakpo 4 - Has to be better with his final ball, though his service was extremely limited on the day. AP -
Mohamed Salah 4 - Crowded out and failed to make an impact. Reuters -
SUBS: Naby Keita (Oxlade-Chamberlain, 68) 6 - Pressed well but the game was already out of sight. AFP -
Harvey Elliott (Fabinho, 69) 6 - Worked hard when introduced, much to his credit with Liverpool being 3-0 down. Getty -
Ben Doak (Henderson, 69) 6 - Gave the ball away more often than he would have liked, but it was a hard match to come into for the 17-year-old winger. EPA -
Joe Gomez (Matip, 69) 5 - Slow for the third goal where Danny Welbeck was able to flick the ball past him before striking home. Getty
“The problem is too complex. You have a good player who did a lot of good things in the past and then in your mind [you think] maybe that's it for him,” the former Borussia Dortmund coach said of the need for rejuvenation.
“If you can then go out and bring in another player to replace [him] that makes sense. If you cannot bring anybody in you cannot bring anybody out. That is the situation.”
Klopp, whose team face Wolves in an FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday, also rejected the suggestion that longer-serving players had stopped listening to him.
“I was not that often in a similar situation but I know exactly how it works when things don't go well,” he said.
“There is a list of things you go through and one of the things is the players aren't listening to the coach any more.
“In Germany we say the manager doesn't reach the team any more. So I understand it looks like this sometimes but it is just not the case. You can take that off the list.”
