How Juergen Klopp became a people’s darling at Anfield

Juergen Klopp is about as far from Liverpool’s traditional “boot room” production line of managers as it is possible to imagine but the German built a seemingly unlikely bond with Anfield just as some of the greats who went before him.

Bill Shankly will always be the man who turned the club into a world power and Bob Paisley will probably never be surpassed in terms of success both domestically and in Europe. Kenny Dalglish was worshipped as a player and manager and is similarly adored for his conduct around and since the Hillsborough tragedy.

Those men all flourished when Liverpool were invariably the strongest team in England, when Manchester United couldn’t buy a title and the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City were often battling to get out of the lower divisions on a shoestring.

When Klopp arrived from Borussia Dortmund in 2015, however, they were in the doldrums, at least domestically, and had not won the league since 1990 – an extraordinary drought for a club that had topped the table 11 times since 1973.

The suffering was amplified by the fact it was Manchester United who had indisputably replaced them as the big beasts of English football, and though Liverpool were still a formidable cup team, highlighted by the Miracle of Istanbul Champions League victory over AC Milan, the league struggles hurt.

When Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers in October, 2015 he immediately endeared himself to the Liverpool public by describing himself as “the normal one” – in reference to Jose Mourinho’s “I am a special one” proclamation when he joined Chelsea, but adding “it is not a normal club, it is a special club”.

In announcing his planned departure at the end of the current season, Klopp said on Friday: “I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything.”

The feeling is mutual. Klopp quickly understood the emotion that drove the club, the impact of Hillsborough, the respectful city rivalry with Everton and the far more visceral rivalry with Manchester United. He knew the power of The Kop and engaged with the fans to gain the maximum benefit from that famous Anfield atmosphere, as he ran to them with his famous fist-pumping celebration, with his frenzied, toothy laughter, they roared their appreciation and loved him back for recognising it.

That symbiotic relationship peaked in the 2019 Champions League semi-final, when, after losing the first leg 3-0 in Barcelona, Liverpool triumphed 4-0 in the return on an astonishing Anfield night. Beating Tottenham Hotspur in the final almost felt like an after-thought but a sixth European title had the Liverpool fans walking tall again.

The following year came the long-awaited Premier League title, won emphatically with seven games to spare and securing Klopp’s place in the hearts of the Liverpool fans who had been waiting 30 long years for a return to the top.

The Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and Super Cup have also been lifted during his tenure and, though he said on Friday he just did not have the energy to keep pounding away, Klopp is not about to slip away quietly.

Leading the Premier League, facing Chelsea in the League Cup final and still going strong in the FA Cup and Europa League, Liverpool are flying and Klopp can now enjoy every step of what will be an emotional five-month lap of honour.