Initial reaction to the stunning news that Jürgen Klopp is leaving Liverpool

Well, this is not what I expected to be writing about on the eve of an FA Cup weekend in late January. Jurgen Klopp informed the world he will be stepping down as the Liverpool manager following the conclusion of this season.

I haven't fully been able to digest this yet, so my apologies if this is a rambling piece. In his two-minute statement, Klopp stated his reason for this decision was that he was running out of energy to carry on.

The demands of being a top flight football manager are sometimes understated as it truly is a 365 days a year job.

I feel this is only amplified because Jurgen puts every ounce of his being into the club. This is why we have loved him from the beginning. My first reaction upon seeing the news about this was an audible, " Oh no!".

This is not how the "Liverpool 2.0" era was supposed to happen. While I probably expected Klopp to leave the club after the conclusion of his contract in a few years, this sudden stop is not any better for the soul.

The club, the fans and the Premier League are all going to be worse off than they are right now. He is such a powerful presence in and around the club that when next season kicks off there will be a clear hole.

My second reaction was to look at the timing of this release. The end of January, with Liverpool still challenging on four fronts.

Will this prove a galvanizing thing for the players or will they begin pressing as they try to make Klopp's last months here the best possible?

I do think it was put out to put potential candidates on notice, namely one Xabi Alonso who has been doing amazing work at Bayer Leverkusen.

Reports that Pep Lijnders will be following Jurgen out of the club is also sad to hear as he has been crucial in the development of many of the talents that take the pitch every week these days. Together, he and Klopp form a powerful duo.

It's going to be an odd few days as we come to grips with the shock of this all. However, the matches will not stop for anyone so this might need to be Klopp's best work yet to keep things on track.

If we have learned nothing in the last nine years, there's a good chance Jurgen Klopp will get the job done.