Time for Klopp to prove his mettle as Mr Motivator...
JURGEN KLOPP is doing his best to manage expectations. The perception is that Liverpool appear to be on the cusp of something special and that Manchester United are, at best, stagnant. Klopp, who faces Jose Mourinho’s team at Anfield tomorrow night, has a vested interest in playing things down but his point is pertinent.
‘I know that everybody is feeling that we are in a good way and they (United) are not in a good way but there are only three points’ difference,’ said Klopp. ‘That’s absolutely nothing.’
Later he was asked about fans comparing him with Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, which he dismisses.
‘Nobody should compare this time with the good old times,’ added the German. ‘This is a different time in a wonderful club in a difficult league.
‘A lot of good teams are around and the old times will not come back just because we wish them to. It is positive we had them and all these great personalities, guys, coaches and players, but it doesn’t help.
‘And all the things which don’t help, you shouldn’t think about.’
Klopp is right but his problem is that in his first year in charge he has made such an impression that no one quite believes him.
At the end of this season, assuming Liverpool do not win the title, it will be 27 years since they last did in 1990; that is one year longer than United had to wait, between 1967 and 1993, in their years of title-winning drought.
Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner was a team-mate at Mainz during their playing days and was Under-23 coach when Klopp was at Borussia Dortmund, so he is familiar with the euphoria Klopp generates.
‘Sometimes you catch a wave for a month or two,’ said Wagner. ‘At Dortmund, we caught a wave for three years. Every single week, every day was so unbelievably successful, that you always thought: “OK. This is the highest level we can now reach. Nothing more is possible”.
Just to add to Klopp’s messianic aura, Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke once referred to him as a Menschenfischern —a fisher of men. And Guido Schafer, a team-mate of Klopp and Wagner at Mainz, said: ‘In Germany we call him Menschenfanger — people catcher. They love him. He’s a great motivator and a charming person.’
Wagner echoes Schafer, saying: ‘He can catch people and give them excitement. He has a lot of qualities but this is one of them.’
Klopp’s year has been impressive in parts. In fact, his 12-month record reads: played 37, won 18, drawn 10, lost 9. Brendan Rodgers’ final season at Anfield, not good enough for some, read: played 38, won 18, drawn 8, lost 12.
But never was his ability to seize the mood and change it more apparent than at a post-match party after the Europa League defeat by Sevilla. Picking up the microphone he told his team: ‘Two hours ago, you all felt s***. Now hopefully you all feel better. This is just the start for us. We will play in many more finals.’ He then launched into a chorus of: ‘We are Liverpool, tra-la-la-la’. It was pure Klopp.
It echoed his speech outside Mainz town hall in 2003 after the club had missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga for the second year running on the last day of the season. ‘Someone, somewhere wanted to show to the world that, when you get knocked down, not once, not twice but even three or four times, you can get up again and keep fighting,’ he had said.
He has a way of articulating a vision and making people believe it is their destiny. Studies have been made of Klopp in Germany referring to Professor John Kotter of Havard Business School who distinguishes between managers, those who maintain performance in the short term by imitating others, and leaders, who want to change because they have a vision for the future. Klopp clearly falls into the latter category.
When questioned about United’s signings, the Paul Pogba transfer and economic strength of Mourinho’s team, Klopp said: ‘I don’t care about how much money another club can spend. Absolutely not one second of my life did I worry. Having more money, or all the money in the world, is not in my dreams for the manager’s job. I never thought about this.’
It is hard not to feel The Kop, Anfield, the club, the city and the manager are the perfect fit.
‘You are able to play this energetic, intense style over the 90 minutes if you get support,’ said Wagner. ‘You get that from the supporters. If not, you can make those runs six out of 10 times, but not 10 out 10 times.’
Schafer agreed: ‘It is possible to be successful. Dortmund twice won the title with less money than Bayern because of the tactics, the power. It’s possible to win the title with Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp, with this team and with these fans.’