LIVERPOOL — The skeptics. Believers. Conquerors. These three words on a banner in Anfield's Kop End, each separated by a series of trophies, succinctly summed up Jurgen Klopp's eight and a half year reign as Liverpool manager. As the curtain fell on his time in charge, Klopp did his best to convince every fan inside the stadium after the 2-0 win over Wolves that nothing will change once he walks out the door. However, once the euphoria of her emotional farewell subsides, the reality could be very harsh.
Arne Slot, the Feyenoord manager, has been chosen to fill the void left by Klopp, but the 45-year-old should probably avoid sitting back to watch his predecessor's final day at Anfield unfold unless he fancy waking up in the middle of it. of the night in a cold sweat, wondering what the hell you're about to find yourself in when you start your new job.
Make no mistake: managing Liverpool is an incredible honour. It is one of the biggest clubs in the world, a team with a huge fan base and a history that only Real Madrid can eclipse. They have an all-star team, led by players such as Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker, and emerging talents such as Jarell Quansah, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott.
But here's the trick. Fans are completely in love with Klopp because he brought Liverpool back to greatness, made it a club where the best players wanted to play again and delivered the biggest trophies. Slot has plenty to look forward to when he walks into Klopp's office and sits behind his desk, but if he saw and heard the adulation directed at Klopp before, during and after Sunday's win, he might think he'd taken on an impossible job. . .
Few managers enjoy the privilege of leaving on their own terms. Football is such a cutthroat business that even the most successful are fired when results plummet. Both José Mourinho (Chelsea) and Claudio Ranieri (Leicester) were fired within months of winning the Premier League title and Klopp has not delivered that trophy to Anfield since 2020. But because he rebuilt Liverpool and restored pride and the confidence of the club since he arrived. In October 2015, Klopp became perhaps the most popular manager of any club during the Premier League era.
For weeks now, ever since he announced his decision to step down in January, Liverpool fans have been chanting Klopp's name and also dreading this day. As the fan song goes, “I'm in love with him and I feel good,” although that was the day it all came to an end. The banners (“Danke Jurgen”, “Jurgener Believers”, “Boss”) illustrated the affection for the former Borussia Dortmund coach, as did the chants.
“Thank you for ignoring my request not to sing my song completely for the last six weeks,” Klopp said after the match, addressing the crowd from the center circle. “If you sing it next year, it would be fun.”
If Liverpool fans chant Klopp's name next season, it probably won't be fun for Slot. The new man needs everyone to line up behind him, from the players and club staff to the fans, just as they did with Klopp, but the danger for Slot is that he will be judged alongside Klopp and that seems like a measuring stick. unfair. for any future Liverpool manager, as a coach and as a personality.
But Klopp did everything he could for his successor. When Sir Alex Ferguson retired after 27 glorious years as Manchester United manager in 2013, he delivered a message to the club's fans saying: “The most important thing now is to support our new manager.” That was David Moyes, who was sacked after 10 months; Since then, United have been eating and spitting out coaches.
Will it be different at Anfield? Time will tell, but Slot can at least rest assured that he has the backing and blessing of the outgoing coach. “I want you to sing the name of him, the new coach,” Klopp said. “Arne Slot, na na na na na!
“When next season starts, go full throttle with the new coach. When you start, you keep believing. Don't stop believing. I saw a lot of people cry, the same for me too, but the change is good. If you go with the attitude correct, everything will be fine.”
The fans chanted Slot's name, just as Klopp said, but quickly went back to chanting Klopp's. They wanted to give the crowd one last punch, which he delivered, and he stayed on the field to make sure he soaked up every last bit of love and affection.
At that stage of the procedure, after full time, he had put on a red hoodie that said “I will never walk alone again” on the back. He said that he was now “one of you” when he spoke to fans and insisted that the future could be bright.
“It doesn't feel like an end, just a beginning,” Klopp said. “People told me that I turned you from skeptics to believers. That's not true. Believing is what you do yourself, you did it. Nobody tells you to stop believing.
“This club is in a better moment than it has been in a long time. We decide whether you believe or not, trust or not. From today, I am one of you and I believe in you.”
Fans cried in the stands as Klopp gave his address and then walked around the pitch before heading into the tunnel for the last time, after soaking in the atmosphere and emotions on display for almost two full hours after the game ended.
They have been eight and a half unforgettable years, perhaps insurmountable, but that is the task that has been entrusted to Arne Slot.
Good luck, Arne. You will really need it.
