Klopp could yet score a quadruple in his final season for Liverpool. Photo: Offside/Jacques Feeney
In the eyes of Liverpool fans, Jurgen Klopp needed no more trophies to confirm his status as one of the greatest players of all time. For the rest of the football world, probably yes.
There is a contradiction at the heart of Klopp's reign at Anfield: his extraordinary work is not reflected in a uniquely glittering list of accolades.
This sounds strange, given that his second League Cup win was his eighth trophy since 2015. The fact remains that there are many managers who have won as much or even more than Klopp.
Klopp was not only a brilliant coach, but he was exceptionally unlucky.
Three defeats in the Champions League final (one of them to Borussia Dortmund) and two defeats to Manchester City by a single point highlight how much better it could have been. Near misses in the Premier League with 97 points (in 2019) and 93 points (in 2022) show that if he had managed the club in any other era, his Liverpool team would have ranked among the best of all English champions . Pep Guardiola marked this opportunity with a black marker.
Future generations can look at what Klopp actually won, make direct comparisons with other elite managers of this and previous times, shrug their shoulders and ask, “What is all the fuss about?”
These lapses can cloud the judgment of those who do not evaluate his work carefully enough. What Klopp won reflects only part of the story he is now completing.
Regardless of how much more he wins before his emotional farewell, Klopp is a god-like and transformative figure on Merseyside.
Comparisons between Klopp and Bill Shankly are more apt now than ever. Like Klopp, the man who laid the foundations of Anfield in the 1960s is not the most decorated manager in Liverpool's history. This does not change the fact that he will always be considered the greatest player at Anfield and one of the most influential in the sport.
Shankly did not win as much as his successor Bob Paisley. There was no European Cup parade when Shankly was manager. Under him, Liverpool were never the dominant force in European football that they would later become. And yet, deep down, Paisley's biggest fans admit that everything that followed would not have been possible without Shankly. Every trophy Liverpool won between 1974 and 1995 featured Shankly's reflection in the silverware as his plan was carefully followed by the boot staff and scouts who were under his influence.
The same should be true for Klopp as long as owners Fenway Sports Group get the next meeting right.
Liverpool have a path forward where Klopp's replacement will take on what he has done and build on him in such a way as to win even more than him, especially if the club's direct rival for the next eight years is not Guardiola.
If there is one lesson FSG has learned from watching Klopp run this club — and fostered this precious bond between players, staff and fans — it is the power of collective energy.
What Klopp has done goes beyond results and trophies. It's the way he did it that makes him so special.
There are certain qualities that cannot be measured by cold hard data on wins, losses, draws, xG, pressing stats, possession or net expenditure. What value do you place on a manager's personality strength? How do you measure a person's ability to make an 18-year-old, fresh out of a club academy and playing only his second senior game, believe that he belongs on the pitch and leads the way in a major final at Wembley?
There are no UEFA coaching guidelines that can advise this. Nor is there someone who can teach someone an instant emotional connection to the working heart of Liverpool fans, making them believe that they are more participants than spectators, and that you, every member of the backroom team and every single player is one of them. .
You cannot buy or create these relationships and the trust and passion they bring.
Only a select few managers have managed to create that connection instantly: Shankly, Paisley, Joe Fagan, Kenny Dalglish and now Klopp. It is no coincidence that they will forever remain the most revered. Every club thinks their club is special. I understand. But I'm not sure there are many clubs like Liverpool where the manager's personality — that is, he really understands the fan base and heritage of the city he represents — is so important to whether they are suitable.
I fully understand why Klopp considers Sunday's win over Chelsea his most special — his greatest managerial triumph. He compared last week's win over Luton Town to Barcelona because of the circumstances. I knew he would rate Sunday as highly as winning the Champions League in 2019, for the same reasons.
I am not exaggerating when I rank it among Liverpool's greatest final victories. Forget: «It's just the League Cup.» This success defied all logic.
To say that Klopp used “young players” is completely untrue. They didn't have a team full of normal backups. Some of them are youth team players. Be honest. Which player outside Liverpool even knew what teenager Jayden Dunnes looked like before he was sent off before extra time? This is the boy who was due to play in the FA Youth Cup on Thursday night.
Jayden Danns (centre) played his part in the Wembley final when he was just 18 years old. Lewis Coumas (left) and Trey Nyoni (right) will also remember Sunday for a long time. Photo: Liverpool FC/Andrew Powell
This level of performance would not have been possible without the institutional and cultural excellence imposed by Klopp, and that is a great credit. academy director Alex Inglethorpe and his team for preparing the players for such a monumental leap.
Before Sunday's game against Chelsea and in the last few months of Klopp's reign, I feared that the end of his final chapter would be a long meditation on , what could have been.
All the talk is about the four. There was also the distinct possibility that Liverpool would end the season empty-handed, with Klopp's stunning turnaround since last year failing to yield the tangible reward of a meaningful win this time around.
As a player Liverpool, my strongest emotions after winning a Major The final often brought as much relief as euphoria. As a supporter, it's not that different. As extra time began, I was worried that a defeat for Liverpool would mark a hollow end to Klopp's reign because, despite what managers say, defeats in cup finals are debilitating and require a longer recovery time.
Winning has the opposite effect. Now there will be a strong belief in Klopp's team that one trophy can turn into at least two. For his Anfield CV to reflect his stellar performance is something Klopp really needs.
Whether he joins the collection or not, Sunday highlighted why even some of those who have spent more time on the winners' podium will forever remain in Klopp's shadow.
Свежие комментарии