Football
ESPN staff 10y

Klinsmann says Moyes firing wrong

Jurgen Klinsmann voiced strong support for recently sacked Manchester United manager David Moyes, saying he was a talented football man who deserved more time on the job.

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"It's difficult to judge from the outside," Klinsmann said. "But my emotional reaction was a big disappointment because David Moyes is an excellent and absolutely outstanding coach. From the outside looking at it, I think he needed more time. Now pulling the plug when everything is lost already doesn't really make sense to me."

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The German has something in common with Moyes. The current United States national team coach was let go near the end of his first season as manager of Bayern Munich in 2009, after his club underperformed in the Bundesliga.

"[Manchester United] wanted a change, you know, so change takes time," he added. "David Moyes was not given a couple of outstanding big transfers at the beginning of the year to make things happen right away. He didn't have Robin van Persie for part of the season because of injury. He did the best he could do based on the squad he has."

Klinsmann used the example of Liverpool's transformation under Brendan Rodgers as proof that Moyes could have made a difference if given a chance.

"Brendan Rodgers had a year of rebuilding, the way he wanted to build it. It was not going well, I think they finished seventh or eighth last year in the Premier League. Now look where are they. They are at the top of the league.

"Change demands time and time was not given to David. They questioned everything he did from the first moment on. From the outside, again, in my opinion it's wrong and I feel sorry because he's an absolute outstanding coach."

Klinsmann and his U.S. team face a series of stiff tests of their own in the upcoming World Cup in Brazil where they will face Germany, Portugal and Ghana during group play.

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