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Jamie Carragher exclusive - Why Klopp may become a victim of his own success

Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp may struggle to live up to the inflated expectations he has created at Anfield, after suggesting anything less than a sustained push for this season’s Premier League title will be viewed as a disappointment for the club’s supporters.

While a top four finish and a return to the Champions League would have been viewed as a realistic target for Liverpool at the start of the season, Klopp’s side fuelled hope of a title push after a sparkling start to the campaign.

Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp

Now the top scorers in the Premier League are under pressure to mount a challenge to runaway leaders Chelsea, with Liverpool legend Carragher suspecting that target may be a little too ambitious this season.

“At the start of the season, Liverpool would have been delighted to get into the top four, but people want a bit more now,” Sky Sports pundit Carragher told Yahoo.

“A serious challenge for the title is expected, whether it is successful or not in the end. That will be hard to achieve in a season when the competition at the top has never been hotter.

“Can Liverpool win the title? Of course they can, but Chelsea are the team to beat at the top of the table and we are already at a point where the teams chasing them cannot afford any slip-ups.

“I’m not sure that Chelsea can continue their winning form from now until the end of the season without some dips along the way, but the lead they have built up now is substantial and that will make it difficult for the teams behind them to chase them down.”

Even if Klopp fails to end the club’s enduring wait for a first Premier League title this season, Carragher suggests the German tactician is the ideal man to lead the club to success in he coming years as he told us why he is the perfect fit for Liverpool.

“Klopp’s personality is just what Liverpool people like and that is why it has worked so well for him so far,” he added. “He has been brilliant in steering the club in the right direction and has not spent too much money doing it.

“He has reinvigorated a lot of the players who were there, so it is not just about bringing his own players in. The club, the board, the people who do the transfers, everyone has been lifted by Klopp.

“Players who didn’t look great after they were signed by Liverpool suddenly look the part now and that is the sign of a good manager because this game is not just about signing ready made players who improve your team.

“Klopp has vindicated everyone at the club as well and he is the perfect manager for Liverpool in many ways. The passion, the enthusiasm he shows on the side of the pitch, the fans warm to that.

“You think of the lift his presence has given the crowd at Anfield, where the atmosphere has been amazing all season. Well, if he is having that effect on the fans, imagine what he is doing for the players working with him every day.

“He is great to be around, an inspirational figure. I would loved to have played under him because I’m sure he would get the best out of any player. There are no airs and graces with Klopp. He doesn’t change for anyone and I can’t see any other manager in world football fitting into Liverpool like he does.

“His personality is just what Liverpool people like and that is why it has worked so well for him so far.”

Sky Sports is the home of Premier League football and will screen 126 live matches this season – more than ever before.