The reality about Liverpool following Jürgen Klopp’s bombshell is evident and should be dispelled right away.

Jürgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, announced in January that he would be leaving at the conclusion of the season. However, the Reds’ season reality shouldn’t be seen any differently.

Most Reds supporters had some time to adjust to Jürgen Klopp’s shocking announcement that he would be departing Liverpool at the end of the season. With two games still to be played at Anfield out of the remaining six, things are beginning to feel a little more genuine.

Though there is still time to sort things out, it is unclear who will take over for him. Rúben Amorim is one possibility, but he is not the only one. The void left by the German will be enormous. Klopp is unique in a lot of ways.

However the season ends, there is a narrative that needs to be squashed since it is starting to surface in some places. If Liverpool’s season finishes with ‘just’ the Carabao Cup, it won’t be because of Klopp’s declaration in January that he intended to quit.

That’s a suggestion that has been made by Richard Keys, and some Liverpool supporters would concur. Some find it impossible to reject the explanation that the pressure to give Klopp the farewell he deserves is simply too great.

That approach, however, ignores a few crucial elements. First of all, Klopp was forced to announce his choice to the world. Had he not, the tale would have been picked up by someone.

Liverpool will need to have conversations with potential targets before the summer arrives, and they may even be discussing new contracts for a few key players. However, it wouldn’t have benefited anyone if it had to lie about Klopp’s future in order to stop the news from spreading.

Apart from the pragmatics, however, there isn’t any evidence whatsoever that Klopp’s choice has made things more difficult for Liverpool. Not just since the announcement, but throughout the entire season, the Reds have had trouble giving up the first goal. Even if that pattern has persisted over time, it does not support theories that Liverpool is under increasing strain.

Even more significant than that is the effect of injuries. Over the course of the season, Liverpool has handled an incredible amount of problems that have grown, and they have done it admirably, but eventually the ripple effects have been too much.

It’s not so much about the players who have been absent—even though Mohamed Salah is back, he’s not really back—as it is about the more minutes that other players have been made to play. For example, Wataru Endō and Joe Gomez have been overplayed, and it has reflected in recent performances.

If Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Curtis Jones hadn’t been absent for such a long time, Gomez and Endō would still have the stamina to carry Liverpool to victory. Rather, those resources were depleted in earlier months.

More often than not, all of those elements account for Liverpool’s recent decline than the strain of Klopp’s departure. Of course, there’s still time for the Premier League to take one final turn; it’s not quite over yet, but a quick turnaround in performance will be necessary to secure the most points possible from this point on.

The most important thing to keep in mind, though, is this: Liverpool will have exceeded expectations from last summer if it wins a trophy and places in the top three this season—basically the worst-case scenario going forward, with Champions League football all but guaranteed.

Although the idea that Liverpool must win the league this year more than anyone else may have been sparked by Klopp’s departure, it isn’t grounded in the reality of where this Reds team is at in their growth. The story of what success looks like has changed more than the pressure since Klopp’s resignation was officially announced.

Given what occurred in 2022–2023, the Reds would have gulped down any prediction made at the beginning of the season that Liverpool would easily qualify for the Champions League and win a trophy. That shouldn’t alter even with Klopp’s departure because Liverpool is still ahead of schedule compared to practically everyone’s expectations.