When German coach Jürgen Klopp (56) says goodbye to the Liverpool players after less than nine years after the season, he will do so as a club legend. He managed to return the Reds to the position of rulers of English and European football and built a lasting bond with the city and its inhabitants.
The shock and disappointment on Merseyside that followed the German’s completely unexpected announcement that he was leaving on Friday speaks to a transformation Liverpool have not seen since the iconic manager Bill Shankly 50 years ago. Klopp won his fans mainly because of his civil behavior.
On his first day at Anfield in October 2015, he modestly described himself as “normal”, a stark contrast to Jose Mourinho’s bombastic “exceptional” arrival as Chelsea manager 10 years earlier. Nevertheless, the progressive and innovative shipmaster achieved extraordinary achievements.
As Liverpool’s only manager, he managed to win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup and Community Shield. Before coming to England, he did similarly in Germany, where he pushed Bayern Munich aside and won two Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund.
Yet few believed Klopp would be able to repeat the feat after one of the world’s biggest clubs had spent decades in the doldrums. Liverpool took over in 10th place in the league table…
Jürgen Klopp has announced his decision to step down as #LFC manager at the end of the season, having informed the club’s ownership of his wish to leave his position in the summer.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 26, 2024
It took some time for conservative England to accept his ways. After a 2-2 home draw with West Bromwich in December 2015, many were tapping their foreheads when he gathered the players on the pitch, holding hands with them to celebrate a late equalizer together.
However, his strength of personality, charisma and coaching skills soon began to charm the very emotional fans. “Klopp is a great communicator, showman and leader of the pack,” former Liverpool captain Graeme Souness said of him. “He’s a great fit for Liverpool because he feels the emotion of the place.”
The club’s history has been marked by tragedies as well as triumphs. The Hillsborough disaster, which killed 97 Liverpool fans in 1989, left indelible scars. “Liverpool is an extremely emotional football club, with its history, with its tragedies. When you go to Anfield and hear ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, you feel the emotion,” Souness described.
In a way, it was telling that the road to glory under Klopp was not straightforward.
Love grew
Before the triumphs there was much sorrow on the way. The German coach lost the first three finals in the League Cup, Europa League and Champions League. In the 2018/19 season, his club record 97 points were still not enough to beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Premier League.
However, within weeks, Liverpool responded with a win over Tottenham in the Champions League final in Madrid. En route to it, Klopp produced arguably his best European Cup game of his career at Anfield, thrashing Lionel Messi’s Barcelona 4-0 despite losing the first leg 0-3.
A three-decade wait to win the league title ended in 2020. Instead of a bombastic show in front of full stands, however, the players lifted the trophy for the Premier League winners in an empty Anfield due to the restrictions caused by the coronavirus.
The Covid period has been particularly difficult for Klopp. Because of travel restrictions, he could not attend his mother’s funeral.
In 2022, Liverpool won the League Cup and the FA Cup and were attacking to complete the quartet of trophies. But City dominated the league again (by a single point) and in the final of the Champions League, Real Madrid rejoiced after a 1-0 victory.
Rumors about Klopp’s future have been rife during an underwhelming 2022/23 season that saw Liverpool slump to fifth in the Premier League, but today’s news came as a surprise. Only the 56-year-old coach admitted that he had run out of energy.
However, with Liverpool five points clear at the top of the table, he is determined to go out on top with a first domestic triumph in front of packed stands. “Let’s make it a priority. That would be really cool. Let’s get the most out of this season and create more good memories when we look back in the future…”
2024-01-26 21:45:00
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