KIWI SPIRIT HAS HELPED JURGEN REACH THE TOP
JURGEN KLOPP is using the spirit of the All Blacks to ensure his Reds continue to conquer.
The Liverpool boss takes his side into a game tonight as champions when they face the team they dethroned, Manchester City, at the Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool have now become kings of Europe, Club World Cup winners and champions of England after securing the Premier League title last week.
So the questions have turned to how Klopp can keep the drive in a team which has won the lot.
But he remembers back to his first summer as manager of Mainz when he was left in awe of New Zealand’s great rugby union side, and even got the German team fired up by the Haka on their team bus.
“At Mainz, I saw in the summer break this documentary,” said Klopp, above.
“I was completely impressed by these big fellas and how they spoke.
“At that time, the
All Blacks were by far the best in the world.
“I think they had a winning percentage of something over 70 per cent and it was really impressive.
“They were all amateurs, maybe they got a little bit of money I don’t know. They worked as butchers, as builders and all that stuff.
“These guys, these pretty impressive guys, just spoke about their past and what it meant to play for this team.
“The last two minutes before the Mainz team bus arrived at the stadium we always listened to the Haka and when the door opened I don’t know if people thought a bunch of boys would come out of the bus because it was pretty loud and impressive and it gave us a little kick.
“They were the All Blacks; at Mainz their main colour is red so we made ourselves the All Reds.”
Klopp has taken New Zealand’s all-conquering attitude through his career and instilled it in this Liverpool side which can take a step towards a record-breaking season with a win tonight.
And Klopp is sure this side doesn’t believe it has reached its peak.
“As long as you wear this shirt, less than 100 per cent is not allowed,” added Klopp.
“It’s not my phrase, it came from the All Blacks.
“I saw that in the documentary for the All Blacks and I kept that always for myself. “That is for each LFC player the same and for me the same.
“That is what we try to live. That works out sometimes, unfortunately not all the time because we are human beings.”
Liverpool will receive a guard of honour tonight at the Etihad Stadium as City hand over the title of champions to their rivals.
“I’m not sure if I ever got a guard of honour but it is long ago when we won something in Germany,” said Klopp, who led Borussia Dortmund to back-toback Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012.
“It’s a nice gesture, 100 per cent. I wouldn’t need it because we want to go there and win a football game.
“We won’t celebrate something we won a week before.”