A very select few can manage Liverpool. Even fewer can be succesful. Jurgen Klopp, though, has passed the test with flying colours and tried to describe what it takes.
Klopp took Liverpool from a team struggling to qualify for Europe to world champions in just over four years.
Winning the Premier League and European Cup has cemented him as an all-time great, but it was more than just Klopp’s on-field exploits that endeared him to supporters.
When asked what it takes to manage Liverpool, the German was at first unsure but went on to say: “I think I understand a little bit of football. I mean that’s probably my skill.
“I love people and especially football players so, from that point of view, it was not difficult.”
It was a pretty modest response from one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever managers. Before that, though, he did verbalise his thoughts and explained which part of the job he finds most tiring.
The German was clear in his answer that doing press and speaking to the media “is very difficult most of the time.”
Explaining why, Klopp said: “It’s just that’s really draining when you always have to talk and explain things most of that you cannot explain.
“When you’re winning, it’s fine because then you can speak about individuals, fantastic performance, stuff like this, but we cannot do the same when we are losing.”
Speaking about post-match press conferences after defeats, the coach explained what he dislikes about the questions he faces.
“We single out a player and you speak about him and he was particularly bad, so let’s talk about that for the next 10 minutes,” the German said.
“That means that cuts off 50, 60, 70 percent of the things you can say, but you’re still asking.”
Klopp is a football man and his comments back that up.
“Actually being manager of Liverpool, the pure football side – coach the team, do the stuff we do, grow together as a unit – I love that part,” the boss emphasised.
“But still, I’m not the right man to do that as well anymore, but what is really hard is you, that’s the outside world, is really hard…
“People ask me ‘Will you miss it?’
“Probably, but I don’t know, I’ve never had it.”
While Jurgen may not miss every element of him being Liverpool manager, we certainly will.
Soccer2day 