FOWLER Klopp just proved he’s passionate, normal and in touch with the fans
Our Anfield legend always hits the mark
respect for Everton. Nor was Klopp goading the visiting Blues, once again packed into the Anfield Road End.
What I saw was a manager who gets it, a manager who is in love with the game and knows how much it means to the supporters to win the derby and give Liverpool’s title challenge a huge lift.
I would say the same if it had been Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho or Marco Silva.
Pep lost control himself last season when he raced down the touchline to celebrate Raheem Sterling’s last-minute winner for Manchester City against Southampton.
A couple of weeks ago, Jose reacted to Marouane Fellaini’s late strike to beat Young Boys and take Manchester DID I feel for Jordan Pickford when his blunder handed Liverpool victory is last week’s Mersey derby? Yes and no, to be honest. It was a calamitous error by the Everton keeper. Pickford (left) claimed that he was trying to flick the ball over the bar, but it looked like he was attempting to catch Virgil van Dijk’s mishit shot. Jordan was trying to prevent Liverpool from an injury-time corner. So, as a former pro who was on the pitch when Pepe Reina made a similar error to hand Andy Johnson a goal in a derby, of course, I felt a tinge of sympathy for him. But as a Liverpool fan? Nah, sorry, Jordan. United into the last 16 of the Champions League by lifting up and smashing a crate of water bottles.
Neither man was punished – nor should they have been.
No one was hurt. The only people offended were those who get offended by everything.
I remember when Mourinho ran down the touchline at Old Trafford to celebrate a winning goal for Porto in the Champions League. I thought it was brilliant.
In fact, I recreated that celebration when I scored against United for City in a Manchester derby!
If my manager had reacted to a goal like that when I was a player, I would have been all over him.
I think that seeing your manager celebrate like that helps to build a bond. It galvanises everyone in the team. For me, Jurgen Klopp proved, beyond any doubt, that he is a true man of the people.