Jurgen Klopp to Liverpool: Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel questions new Anfield boss

Klopp appeared to promise to win a league title within the next four years during his first press conference

Mark Critchley
Saturday 10 October 2015 11:30 BST
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Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has already got stuck into the new Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

The former Borussia Dortmund coach gave an impressive performance at his first Anfield press conference and raised many eyebrows when he boldly predicted that he would win the Premier League title within the next four years.

"If I sit here in four years I am pretty confident we will have one title," he said.

However, after seeing the quote reported on Twitter, Schmeichel became one of the first to question Klopp's confidence and suggested that the new Liverpool boss may have mistakenly made a rod for his own back.

The former Danish international 'keeper, who won five Premier League titles during his time at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, replied: "First mistake? Others have made the same promise. It's not that easy Mr Klopp."

It has been 25 years since Liverpool last became champions of England, with the club employing the services of nine different managers in that same time period.

Speaking on the club long wait for a league championship, Klopp said:

"Twenty-five years ago [Liverpool's last title] is a long time. In this time all people have tried to get better, to improve, to take the next title, but history is only the base for us.

"It is all the people are interested in but you don't take history in your backpack and carry it with you for 25 years. We can wait for it but I don't want to say we can wait 20 years."

The word 'title' is used interchangably in German football to stand for winning any competition, leading some to suggest that Klopp was merely promising to deliver a trophy of some sort, rather than specifically the league title.

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