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Liverpool will finish the season in fifth
place, qualifying for the Europa League but missing out on
Europe's premier competition for the first time since Klopp's
first full season at the Anfield club.
Mohamed Salah said he was "totally devastated" that Liverpool
had failed to secure Champions League qualification, but Klopp
said there were no concerns about the frustrated forward's
future at the club.
"No worries (about Salah's future)... Obviously Mo loves being
here and Mo was part of it. He said apologies for what 'we' did,
not apologies for 'what the other guys did, but I had to go with
them'. Not at all, it's all fine," Klopp said.
"If a player would come to me and say, 'Oh we didn't qualify for
the Champions League, I have to leave,' I would drive him to the
other club myself. I would take the key and say, 'Come in the
car, where do you want to go? I'll drive you.'
"That would be something I never could understand. It's like me
saying: 'We didn't qualify for the Champions League and I need
to work in the Champions League, so I go.' I am responsible for
this mess, so you cannot go in these moments."
Liverpool reached three Champions League finals under Klopp,
winning the title in 2019.
The second-tier Europa League has long been derided as a "booby
prize" and the German manager said he was unfamiliar with that
term
"What is a booby? I needed to come fifth to learn that word. Not
for me," he added.
"On the level we usually perform it is about Champions League
because of the money, the opponents and all this. But I love
European competitions.
"I know when you play there's no difference. People may think,
'It's just the Europa League' but I am 100% sure that come the
first whistle, Thursday night, whoever is the opponent, Anfield
will be rocking. And that's all I need."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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