This would go down as one of Jurgen Klopp’s most famous lines and served to project him to a wider and increasingly fascinated audience. It was November 2013 and all eyes were on the superstar Borussia Dortmund manager, who had fans everywhere, especially in England.
Manchester City and Chelsea wanted him in the summer of that year, and now he was preparing to host Arsenal, another Premier League club that had him on their radar, in a Champions League group game. Many Arsenal fans saw Klopp as the ideal successor to Arsène Wenger, which reminds us of the protracted nature of Wenger’s endgame. The Frenchman won’t leave until 2018.
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There were some similarities between the two; career paths, promotion of young players, entertaining styles, squad building approaches. Klopp didn’t see it. “He likes to keep the ball, play football, pass the ball… it’s like an orchestra,” he said, pretending to play the violin. “But it’s a quiet song, isn’t it? “I like heavy metal.”
Klopp was holding court with a handful of British journalists and they all remembered every detail. Vividly. Klopp makes you like this. His charm, his big laugh, the strength of his presence and personality. Energy that can be a little crazy. Or explosive.
One of Klopp’s most important qualities, like all greats, is how skillfully he uses connections. Although he insisted at the time that nothing could happen until 2018 as Dortmund had extended his contract by then, it was inevitable that the Premier League would be his next destination at some point. On the other hand, life can always get in your way.
Manchester United were watching him. The retired Sir Alex Ferguson had seen Klopp at Wembley at the end of the previous season and congratulated him on his performance after his side lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. But when the time came for Klopp to make his move in 2015, there was only one target that felt right; His fit with Liverpool is almost impossibly perfect.
Klopp, Ferguson and Wenger took their place among the legendary managers of the Premier League, along with Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho. On Friday, after the bombshell announcement that he must resign at the end of the season, saying that he was approaching the limits of his energy and running on fumes, there were so many eulogies that it reminded me of a comment made by Wenger. After he finally left Arsenal. “I don’t need to die anymore because I know what it’s like,” he said.
Focusing retrospectively on Klopp’s remarkable nine years at Liverpool has the capacity to hinder the momentum building as he seeks to achieve a breakthrough. This is something he has to struggle with. But Klopp knows only one way; Fighting every day, giving everything.
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The 56-year-old has won all the major trophies at Liverpool, although certainly not in the amount he would like. Ferguson’s biggest regret at United was that he had collected only two European Cups. Klopp would have scored three goals at Liverpool if not for their recent defeat against Real Madrid. As for Klopp’s league title, he was unlucky to face Guardiola’s City machine. Liverpool’s returns with 97 and 92 points respectively in 2019 and 2022 were enough for victory in almost every case.
Klopp plans to add to the seven major trophies he won before leaving Liverpool, competing with his team on three home fronts as well as the Europa League. He follows in the show us your medals race in British football betting, behind Ferguson, who finished with 38 points, Wenger (17), Guardiola (16 and counting) and Mourinho (11).
Statistics show that Klopp is the third player with the best points per game record in Premier League history; After Guardiola and Ferguson respectively; Ahead of Mourinho and Wenger. His win percentage of 60.7 in all competitions is higher than any other Liverpool manager. But where Klopp scores so many goals has to do with more abstract matters.
There is a style of play and intensity that has the support of Liverpool fans. For the most part, his team was competitive and fun to watch, and that should never be taken for granted. His pressing approach rejuvenated the English game.
First of all, we come back to connection. That’s why Klopp is so respected in Liverpool’s red half, and why fans elsewhere also have grudging respect. Does the latter find touchline meltdowns frustrating? Yes. Would they want that kind of intimate passion in their haven? Also yes.
It wasn’t just about Klopp imposing himself on his club, which is something the best do, although that’s clearly a factor. This is how he tapped into the mindset of the wider community, namely the city of Liverpool, to tap into a strong sense of identity and togetherness.
“Being an honored explorer is probably the best thing I could achieve in my life; it’s absolutely extraordinary,” Klopp said on Friday. “The way these people deal with difficulties is a role model for me. “I learned a lot here.”
Klopp buys Liverpool because their values match those of the city. An incurable romantic, he likes to portray his teams as brave, hard-working outsiders against those with more money. He did this with Bayern in Dortmund. Then read City now for Bayern. It’s a move that has generally paid off and has underlined Liverpool’s renewed confidence.
When Klopp announced that he would step aside because he thought “his energy level was infinite and it is no longer so”, there was a temptation to look for an alternative, more controversial or conspiratorial explanation. But there are no gaps in his story. It is authentic, consistent.
Let’s go back to Wednesday night at Fulham after Klopp’s team reached the Carabao Cup final. Liverpool fans held up a banner saying “Imagine it was us”. So how was it? “There are definitely worse situations,” Klopp replied. But then it went straight into the stress of an impending fixture backlog. “Imagine it’s us and we have to play all the games we have to play,” he said. “It’s not as fun as watching them.”
Wenger used to say: “Physically you have to be like an animal in this business.” It always catches you at one stage or the other. Guardiola was supposed to take a year off after Barcelona in 2012.
The real question is why Klopp is telling the world this now. The idea is to give Liverpool all the time and clarity they need to plan ahead, but he certainly broke the news early. Klopp does not want the remaining games of Liverpool’s season to be about him. So good luck to you, Jürgen. Perhaps a more realistic hope is that players will be excited about this long farewell.
The obvious parallel to this is Ferguson’s announcement in May 2001 that the following season would be his last at United. The Scotsman later admitted it was a mistake: “A lot of players had put their tools aside.” Of course, he would make a U-turn in January and stay there until 2013.
When Ferguson said it was a good day, it was followed by a sudden announcement that there were only two games left in the season. It’s pointless to look at Mourinho’s Premier League departures because he has never been in control, but with Wenger he made a sudden statement despite having seven games left to play in 2017-18.
Klopp’s farewell tour begins on Sunday against Norwich in the FA Cup. It will be loud and emotional. Just how you like it.