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Richard Keys reckons Liverpool's season has been ruined by Jurgen Klopp's announcement that he'll leave this summer.
beIN Sports presenter Keys was disappointed with English clubs' European performances this week. Manchester City and Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League while Klopp's Reds and West Ham United exited the Europa League.
Keys praised Aston Villa for remaining in Europe (Europa Conference League) but pointed the finger at Klopp's announcement for his side's collapse:
"It’s such a shame that our clubs have done so badly this past week but congrats to Aston Villa. Let’s hope they go on & win it now. Emery has done a fantastic job. Sadly it’s beginning to look as though Klopp’s ill judged announcement has killed Liverpool not lifted them."
Jurgen Klopp shocked the world in January by announcing the end of his nine-year reign at Anfield. The German tactician will bid farewell to the Merseysiders once the season concludes.
Liverpool have been flying high for the majority of the season and at one point were well on course for an unprecedented quadruple. They won the Carabao Cup in February to start their mission to end Klopp's reign on a high.
However, the wheels have started to fall off Klopp's farewell tour. Manchester United knocked his side out of the FA Cup after a 4-3 loss (a.e.t) in the quarterfinals (March 17).
Their title challenge has also taken several massive blows this month. The Merseysiders were held to a 2-2 draw by United (April 7) and suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace (April 14).
Klopp has overseen his last European game in charge at Anfield after his men were sent packing from the UEFA Europa League last night. They won 1-0 away at Atalanta but a devastating 3-0 home loss in the first leg meant they crashed out in the quarterfinals.
Jurgen Klopp is confident Liverpool can win all their remaining games
Liverpool can still end Jurgen Klopp's reign with a historic Premier League triumph. They sit third in the title race, two points behind leaders Manchester City after their loss to Palace.
Klopp remained upbeat about the Merseysiders' seeing out the rest of the campaign on a winning streak. He said ahead of his side's encounter with Fulham tomorrow (April 20) [via Sky Sports]:
"The boys know that I won’t tell them things that I don’t believe in, I’m 100% sure we can really win all the football games we have from now on."
Liverpool may need to remain perfect to catch City who are often relentless at the business end of the season. They have six games left to try and deliver Klopp's second Premier League title.
