History boys
Every club are envious of Liverpool, declares Klopp
Jurgen Klopp believes he and his Liverpool squad are the envy of every coach and player in the world after creating “one of the biggest football stories in history”.
Ahead of tonight’s Premier League trophy presentation, Klopp had no intention of downplaying the magnitude of Liverpool’s achievement in ending their 30-year wait for the English title.
The silverware will finally be in Jordan Henderson’s hands after the last home game against Chelsea, with Klopp comparing his emotions to that of a child on Christmas Eve.
“It is one of the big stories in football history,” the manager said. “If someone had a chance to decide to become champion in any country this year, which team would you want to be at to have it special? Make your choice. The choice would have been Liverpool FC because it was the one everyone wanted to be part of, and we are lucky to be part of it.
“I appreciate that a lot. It is a really big one. It is not that other championships will ever be forgotten, but this one no one will forget.
“I had some good moments since we won the Premier League, being reflective and happy about how big a prize it is, but the difference [with seeing the trophy lifted] could not be bigger. It is 100 per cent the moment [it sinks in] when we get the trophy. That is what it is all about.”
Klopp’s emotions got the better of him when the title was confirmed a month ago. He is unsure how he will react when the trophy is finally lifted, but has already absorbed what it means, given how many illustrious names have tried and failed in the past three decades.
“From a professional basis, it is one of the greatest days of my life,” he said. “To finally get our hands on this trophy, when everyone was waiting so long and probably two or three years ago nobody thought it would be possible for us.
“I will try to be prepared for it. It’s difficult and quite a challenge. Everyone in the club worked so hard for it. I will be proud. It’s a milestone and we should see it as such. The last 13 or 14 months, it is for sure the most exceptional and successful year of my career. Being champion of Europe, England and of the world doesn’t happen often.
“It makes sense that we take a picture with all our trophies at some point in the future. We will do that and rightly so. This is the moment you really have to cherish.”
A podium has been built on the Kop for the presentations, with Sir Kenny Dalglish among the dignitaries joining Premier League chief executive Richard Masters for the ceremony.
Klopp was reminded how the last time Liverpool were awarded the English title at Anfield, on May 5, 1990, Dalglish made his farewell appearance as a second-half substitute against Derby County.
“There is no chance that I will come on as a sub,” Klopp said. “The game when we became champions, we saw Kenny and Graeme Souness and how much it meant to them. It was really nice to see.”
Liverpool’s hopes for players’ close families to attend the game were last night blocked by the city council’s Grounds Safety Advisory Group.
Increasing capacity from 300 to 500 needs written permission from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, so the safety certificate could not be amended. Liverpool could try for a last-minute reprieve with a formal request to the DCMS today.