Jurgen Klopp is an entertainer. The charismatic Liverpool manager with a booming laugh and big personality, he has been box office throughout his managerial career.
It’s why English football first fell in love with the affable German when he led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final at Wembley in 2013. And it’s why there was genuine delight when he was lured to Anfield in October 2015.
From the first time he was put in front of the TV cameras at his Liverpool unveiling, he has always known the perfect thing to say. From declaring himself ‘The Normal One’ to ordering Kopites to turn from doubters to believers, his Reds career has been littered with perfect soundbite after soundbite. The right lines delivered in the perfect, and most entertaining, way.
Klopp isn’t daft or soft, though. He can be sharp and defensive, often when being protective of his players. You only need to look back at his recent response to an Amazon Prime Video presenter joking about 12.30pm kick-offs, or his unimpressed reply when asked if he plans to sign a new centre-back in January after losing Joel Matip to an ACL injury at last Friday’s pre-match press conference to see this other side of the Liverpool boss.
It’s rare that you are left without a story when Klopp steps in front of a camera. Or a crowd. And that was very much the case when the German appeared at the Anfield Road stand test event on Monday night.
Up to 7,500 fans piled into the stand to watch an LFC Foundation match as the club put on a test event in order to obtain the necessary licences from Liverpool City Council ahead of re-opening the newly redeveloped stand against Manchester United on Sunday.
But the main entertainment was always going to be the Liverpool manager, as he took part in a special Q&A session with LFC TV’s Peter McDowall before the event concluded. And playing up to the crowd, one of his answers in particular proved particularly amusing as Klopp made light of the Reds’ rollercoaster summer transfer window
“We’ve all been energised haven’t we, by this new Liverpool? This Liverpool 2.0 if you like,” McDowall asked, addressing the crowd and then Klopp. “As a manager and their leader, that must energise you every day to get out of bed?
“They’re long days, the schedule is crazy but you must get out of bed with a smile on your face, getting to work with these young lads?”
“Oh, I am. I am,” Klopp would agree. Before wasting no time in delivering an answer he knew the crowd would enjoy.
“In the summer, the summer we had when a few strange things happened in the transfer market,” he recalled, in reference to Liverpool’s failed pursuits of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. “But here between us, I can say my God were we lucky, eh?
“We didn’t know that in the moment, it didn’t feel like it in that moment. But, meh. I’m really happy that it worked out like that
“You never know before, but I had a really good feeling before we started pre-season. Clear we had two already with Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) and Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai) in, and we knew there was a chance for Ryan (Gravenberch).
“Then we obviously realised other central defensive midfielders don’t want to join Liverpool (laughs). You see what happens!
“And then we found (Wataru) Endo. He’s an exceptional player, he is, absolutely. He’s 30 years old and an experienced captain of Japan. It’s not possible to be the first pick because the transfer market is not like that. We don’t go for a 30-year-old player who plays in Germany and nearly got relegated.
“Thank God we looked about things twice and had another look. Then it was clear we wanted this boy, and he wanted to come, definitely, and that helps.
“And now we have the squad together. We have a new leadership group if you want with very experienced players. Still young, some of them, and a group around full of desire and full of passion to give everything for this club.
“So that’s the start and now we have to try and make something special happen.”
Klopp was of course referring to, though not by name, how Liverpool had a club-record £111m bid accepted by Brighton & Hove Albion for Caicedo, having been led to believe he wanted to move to Anfield, only for the player to declare he only wanted to sign for Chelsea after the Reds had scheduled his medical.
He would end up joining the Londoners in a deal worth up to £115m, while alternative target Lavia would also snub Liverpool in favour of joining Chelsea from Southampton to rub further salt in the Reds’ wounds.
Yet four months on and Liverpool sit top of the Premier League table. In contrast, Chelsea lie 12th and find themselves 18 points behind Klopp’s side. Caicedo has struggled at Stamford Bridge, while Lavia is yet to make an appearance because of injury.
It is easy to make headlines out of such quotes, and Klopp would know full well that he said at Anfield would inevitably find its way to wider consumption. He would even joke later on how he couldn’t wait to read back what he’d said in tomorrow’s newspapers.
But this tongue-in-cheek dig, ‘here between us’, was exactly that. An amusing soundbite from the relaxed manager to entertain the laughing crowd as opposed to an unnecessary, unprompted attack at a rival’s expense, which can now be hung up on the Stamford Bridge dressing room wall. Take it with a pinch of salt.
After all, with club employee McDowall asking the questions in a controlled environment, he was never going to be pushed to create such headlines. He didn’t have to say what he said, but did so to play up to the supporters present and, unsurprisingly, the crowd lapped it up. Consequently, it was shared on social media before most fans would have had the chance to even get back home.
Put him in front of the media as opposed to supporters and you get a very different answer. He will perform for his club and his people, but not the TV cameras.
Klopp would later perform his trademark fist pump celebration to entertain the crowd further, something he has grown reluctant to do for the TV cameras on matchdays, unless the occasion overcomes him. After all, he is a passionate man.
Make no mistake, he will have been left bemused at Caicedo’s transfer decision in the summer. It also won’t be lost on him how Liverpool are thriving in complete contrast to Chelsea.
