Liverpool, England – Jurgen Klopp made one thing abundantly clear on Friday when he announced his decision to step down as Liverpool coach at the end of the season: From now until his final day on the job, it should be business as usual at Anfield. Klopp getting his wish, on and off the pitch, in the FA Cup win over Norwich on Sunday showed how much control he has over everything at the club.
His side recorded a 5-2 win over the Championship club to secure a fifth-round tie at home to either Watford or Southampton – both in the Championship – and boost hopes of qualifying for the domestic cup finals, having already won. Booking the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea next month.
Noisy Liverpool supporters (the team in the stands) kept their emotions in check to play down their tributes to Klopp, even as they were desperate to pay tribute to the manager who restored the club to greatness but will depart this summer after nearly nine years at a cost. There was a short Klopp song two minutes into the game and another short chant an hour later, but it wasn’t until the fourth minute of stoppage time at the end of the game, when the tie was won, that fans were finally given a full version of their favorite Klopp song. .
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“I understand, it’s very emotional,” Klopp told the BBC after the match. “I just have to make sure I don’t get on that side of it,” I said. [the fans] No need for that [sing his name] Because I already know our relationship.
“In matches, we have to be warriors and not celebrate with the old man on the bench.”
Make no mistake, Liverpool’s fanbase are distraught at the news that Klopp will not be manager after this season, but the 56-year-old has consistently told fans to focus on supporting the team rather than singing their praises. Of all days, you’d expect them to challenge Klopp on Sunday, 48 hours after his eventual departure was announced, but even as they sang his name, it was like children whispering at the back of the class hoping the teacher wouldn’t. Don’t tell them.
Business as usual: Do what the boss wants.
Liverpool is a club that benefits from passion and passion more than most. Few teams can claim to have anything close to the relationship that Liverpool have with their fans, and that connection is the main reason why the club and Klopp have been such a perfect match since his arrival in October 2015.
Although Liverpool still have a chance to win four titles this season, Klopp does not want to distract his team from the task at hand. When he spoke for 30 minutes in a press conference on Friday, four hours after the club’s social media channels broke the news of his decision to leave, Klopp said he would “answer 500,000 questions about my decision, but after today, I will just focus.” On the team.”
Club is an open book. He can be charismatic, funny and charismatic, but he can also get grumpy and short-tempered when he receives a question he thinks is trivial or when supporters focus too much on him, so you can bet he’ll respond in typical fashion if any of those things happen in the coming weeks.
But controlling the emotions of the masses will be difficult. They did as they were told against Norwich, keeping the chanting and banners to a minimum, but it will be difficult for them to keep their emotions in check for the remainder of this season.
There will come a time when Klopp and his players need the fans to raise the bar and use the manager’s impending departure as a catalyst for the noise and atmosphere that can carry the team over the line when they face opponents more challenging than Norwich.
Why is Klopp so popular at Liverpool? This is because he achieved this rare combination of achieving success and at the same time replicating the feelings of the fans in every sense of the word.
He understands Liverpool fans’ desire for attacking football, but also their outlook on life. Liverpool is a city where family comes above all else, and politically, it is unabashedly socialist in its outlook. In Klopp, they see a kindred spirit.
Pep Guardiola does not have the same relationship with Manchester City fans – the City manager has criticized the club’s supporters in the past – while even Sir Alex Ferguson has not united the Manchester United fan base the way Klopp did at Liverpool.
The banner at the Kop stand, which bore a picture of Klopp alongside the phrase ‘It’s too long to judge us’, summed it up. This phrase is usually reserved for a king or queen, but not in Liverpool.
But Klopp’s era is coming to an end. He has communicated his intention to abdicate and the succession requires a suitable replacement. As Liverpool continues to perform strongly in four competitions, the new coach may face a more difficult task next season if Klopp vacates the stage after winning the quadruple.
It is not an impossible dream. Klopp said he would turn doubters into believers when he arrived at Anfield, and nine years on, that belief is so strong that winning four titles this season is almost a foregone conclusion.
If that happens, they will never stop singing Klopp’s name.
