Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino says his love of football ensures he's never stressed, following news Jurgen Klopp is leaving Liverpool.
Klopp leaving Liverpool in summerHas said he's running out of energyPochettino not feeling the strainWHAT HAPPENED?
Klopp's announcement he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season shocked the football world, with the German admitting he was "running out of energy" after almost nine years in the job at Anfield. Pochettino has been asked how he is able to switch off from the pressures of running a football club and says his passion for the game gives him all the energey he needs.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT POCHETTINO SAID
He told reporters: "Football never stresses you. It never makes you spend energy in the wrong way, it's always in the right way. It always affects the environment. In football now, it's business, so maybe that affects a little bit the coaches. But specific football, when I am involved in the training session, when we are in the game, even when I am with you here [at the press conference], we recharge the energy. It's like, you feel the boost of the energy because you love to coach, you love to do your job.
"There are new things that appear in football, this business, I think that affects a lot maybe the energy. It's difficult to explain. It's important to have good people around you, to provide, the moments when to stop and when to go away. I remember 10 or 15 years ago, it was really weird to see a manager or coaching staff spending more than 12 hours on the training ground. But now, it's a normal way. We all arrive at 7am, and are leaving at 5pm, 7, 8 or 9. It's not easy to manage because it's almost 24 hours but then when you go home after 12 hours at the training ground, [you are on the] phone to the owners, sporting directors, all sorts of different people. That is also difficult to disconnect and that's why sometimes it's difficult.
"But football is our passion. And of course, Jurgen after a few months away, or at home, for sure he will start to miss the adrenaline of the competition, the training sessions, to communicate with your staff, the players, the people. I think when you are involved in the game you miss another part of your game but when you are in another part, you start to miss the part that was really important for you."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Klopp isn't the only manager to open up about the huge pressures on football managers. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has recently explained how he uses meditation to relax. Meanwhile, Barcelona coach Xavi, who will also leave his job at the end of the season, has said it's a "cruel" job where he has been made to feel "feel worthless every day."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA AND LIVERPOOL?
Chelsea take on Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League on Wednesday night. A win for the hosts will see Klopp secure his 200th Premier League win with the Reds. Victory will also mean Klopp hits the milestone faster than any other manager in the club's history.
