Jurgen Klopp deserves better than what's happening and Liverpool players know it

Some 488 down, just three to go. And while nobody is kidding themselves these are the most significant assignments of Jurgen Klopp's tenure, they will nevertheless resonate long after his departure from Liverpool.

Having gained a reputation of ending seasons strongly under Klopp, the Reds are now limping towards the finishing line having seen their Premier League title hopes banished over the last four weeks.

Even if they win their remaining games - visits of Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves sandwich a trip to Aston Villa - Liverpool can at most take 20 points from their final 30 games, a decent return for most clubs but one that matches their lowest of the last six seasons, and even that came after the championship was wrapped up in record time in 2019/20.

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There are, of course, unique circumstances for the current situation, not least that the manager will be leaving and some focus has shifted towards speculation over the incoming new manager, with the Reds having settled on Feyenoord boss Arne Slot.

Klopp has started to be questioned in some quarters for the timing of the announcement of his imminent departure back in January, with critics suggesting it has overshadowed Liverpool of late. And his unseemly touchline spat with Mohamed Salah at West Ham United at the weekend was seen as evidence of the squad perhaps no longer being fully invested in a manager they know is only weeks away from an exit.

But the Reds managed pretty well in the two months immediately afterwards and won the League Cup along the way. And there is zero chance Klopp's