Klopp no help on Mane

JURGEN Klopp is driven by passion and, to navigate his way through the harsh, unpredictable terrain that is modern-day professional football, he has just one tool: his common sense.

Such was the attraction of the charismatic Klopp that people flew in from Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg to be part of a fund-raising event organised by Second Division club Hout Bay United at the Bay Harbour Market on Wednesday night, and forked out a hefty R2 000 entry fee to have an opportunity to interact with the popular Liverpool manager.

Frank and forthright, Klopp was quite happy to reveal his thoughts on the game of football.

“Managing or coaching a football club is not an easy job,” said Klopp.

“I started at a young age when I was playing for the second team of Entracht Frankfurt and I coached the youth team at the same time.

“It was just something that I had, I always knew I wanted to be a football manager.

“I’ve never really thought about a managerial style.

“I’ve always believed that the most important skill in life is common sense – it just makes life easier.

“I may not be intelligent, but I am skilled in common sense.

“In football, you have to entertain, you don’t want to play boring football – I guess other clubs are quite used to that.

“But I love the spectacular, the game going up and down, I love the challenges.

“I love football players, they are just so much more skilful than I was.

“Sometimes, in a game, I have to say, ‘how did he do that?’.

“But, as a manager, the way I can help is in a tactical sense.

“For me, when my team goes 1-0 up, I want them to try to score a second goal.

“I may not be the smartest manager in the world, but I am the most passionate.”

Klopp assured longsuffering Liverpool fans, desperate for their team to win the Premier League again, that it would happen. He didn’t say when, but promised that it would.

As for the unsavoury touchline feuds between managers, he said it wasn’t in his nature to get involved.

As for Bafana Bafana, as they head into tonight’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Senegal at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane (7pm kickoff), Klopp had some bad news for the South African national football team. Asked whether he had any advice for Bafana on how to stop Liverpool’s flying Senegal winger Sadio Mane, Klopp responded: “No chance. If I knew how you could stop him, I would tell you.”