Klopp: I'm here to put things right at Liverpool FC

Soon after his press conference to the world on Friday morning, unveiling him as the new boss at Anfield, he is asked whether British people expect him to work miracles here.

“What do you think?” asks Klopp, in genuine curiousity.

The response from the journalist is that he thinks they do. “I do too,” the German exclaims excitedly. “That is why I asked everyone in the room [during the press conference] if I could perform one on the same day.”

Quick and decisive - much like the football he implemented, and became renowned for, at Dortmund – Klopp is clearly a man who walked into the job understanding the expectation that engulfs Anfield.

There will be the short-term expectations, of course; play better football, win more games, make people enjoy football again. Long-term, however, there is only one real hope. The title is not so much a 25-year itch as a full blown irritant becoming worse by the year.

Klopp is a jovial character, for now. He smiles often and engages in conversation, rather than orating and instructing. But there is a seriousness behind it too. None of that talk yet.

“If you want to see Liverpool more successful than in the past 24 [or 25] years, you can do your small part of course,” he says. “If you make me out like, I don’t know, Jesus and then the next day say ‘he’s not able to walk on water’, then we will have a problem.”

He chuckles, but given the deification Liverpool fans partake in with managers, it is not an outlandish statement. Bill Shankly had his arms outstretched, in front of his disciples at St George’s Hall, after losing the 1971 FA Cup final; Rafael Benitez saw his portrait, the ‘Raffatolah’ carried down the streets of Anfield.

It has started already with Klopp. The club have commissioned several pieces of merchandise already, including a t-shirt with ‘the Normal One’ emblazoned on the front. A marketing must, granted, but also a sign of how his infectious personality has gripped the fanbase.

Klopp is not getting carried away with it, however, and says supporters are “clever” enough to realise that.

“Expectations are really important, not just in life, but football. After this first big hype, we can all cool down and we can talk about football.

“It was not my idea to make this [situation], hiding, and photographs in the bathroom or wherever.

“I think we have enough time to talk about expectations, it’s one of the most important things we have to talk about. For so many years, all Liverpool fans are waiting, I understand that they are loose in patience. But it doesn’t work without, that’s the problem.

“Now they are all happy [saying] ‘Jurgen’s here, everything will change’ – some things will change, for sure, because I’m different to other managers.

“But we cannot change the whole world in one day, but I’m sure all the Liverpool fans are clever enough to understand we need time.

“I don’t want to sit here in three years time and say ‘now we can start’, I want to change many things as soon as possible. But it’s really important we are patient enough to be successful because this is the only way.”

What system will Klopp play at Anfield?

The call for time is an understandable one. There is Klopp the man, and then Klopp the manager. The former has had an immediate impact, but the latter could take time. Boosting the squad’s confidence should be no problem, but the intricacies of his footballing style.

He is expected to implement the Gegenpressing tactic he shaped in the Bundesliga, particularly at Dortmund. The high-tempo game, which demands winning the ball back as soon as possession is relinquished, was a big part of his success at the club, winning two German titles and reaching the Champions League final at Wembley.

Klopp, however, won’t be bound to one particular style of play. He also played 4-2-1-3 at times in Germany, while the presence of two big strikers – Christian Benteke and Daniel Sturridge – makes two up top an option, too. For the new coach, it will be mentality, rather than tactics, that he wants to remain consistent.

“I do not only have one vision,” he insisted. “What we played at Dortmund was the way we thought best to be more successful than before, that’s all.

“If you are not in the best situation, we have to change and the first thing we have to change is to do more.

“If you try to be more intelligent, it’s not possible, but if you try to do more, try to learn more, try to invest more, that’s possible. That’s the first thing.

“In Dortmund, if we had a problem, we changed our style of course – but it didn’t come to the view of all the world.

“If you watch Champions League, we couldn’t play with them on one level.

We didn’t drive to Manchester City and say ‘hi guys, look if you can get the ball’ – we needed to work harder than them and then we are in a good position.”

Klopp on his sabbatical

The general consensus is that Liverpool, too, are in a good position with Klopp at the helm. Though he never seemed weary at Dortmund, even during the difficulties of his last campaign, his energy and enthusiasm is enough to galvanise the club.

On his sabbatical, started in the summer, he said: “For the first time I really could understand how big the titles were.

“I never had time for this, and now i’m here and I’m really prepared.

“On Sunday, I’m in the cup final [vs Wolfsburg] and on Monday, I sit in a new room and have to build a new team? That’s not what I wanted.

“Now I’m really ready for this and I hope we can enjoy our time here... for these two weeks until Tottenham!”

Refreshed, reinvigorated, ready. Klopp knows the hard work starts now. Thankfully for Liverpool, he is a man who attaches so much importance to it anyway.

Source: Liverpool Echo

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.