LIVERPOOL, England – Jurgen Klopp made one thing very clear on Friday when he announced his decision to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season: from now until his last day in the job, it must be business as usual at Anfield. . The fact that Klopp fulfilled his wish, on and off the pitch, during the FA Cup victory over Norwich on Sunday showed how much he still controls everything at the club.
His team recorded a 5-2 victory against the Championship club to secure a fifth round tie at home against either Watford or Southampton (both in the second division) and further boost hopes of reaching both domestic cup finals, having already booked a Carabao Cup final against Chelsea next month.
The rowdy Liverpool fans – the team in the stands – kept their emotions in check to calm the tributes to Klopp, even when they would have been desperate to honor the manager who has restored the club to greatness but will leave this summer after almost nine years in office. carry. There was a brief Klopp song two minutes into the game and another brief chant after an hour, but it wasn't until the fourth minute of stoppage time at the end of the game, when the tie was won, that the fans finally gave it to them. a full version of your favorite Klopp song.
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“I understand it, it's very emotional,” Klopp told the BBC after the match. “I just have to make sure I don't get to that side of it. I said [the fans] you do not have to [sing his name] because I already know our relationship.
“In games we have to be warriors and not celebrate the old man on the bench.”
Make no mistake, Liverpool fans are shocked by the news that Klopp will no longer be manager beyond this season, but the 56-year-old has consistently told fans to focus on backing the team rather than giving him a serenade to him. Of all days, one would have expected Klopp to be challenged on Sunday, 48 hours after announcing his eventual departure, but even when they chanted his name, it was like children whispering at the end of class hoping the teacher wouldn't. . Don't scold them.
Same old thing: do what the manager wants.
Liverpool are a club that harnesses emotion and passion more than most. Few teams can claim to have anything like the relationship with their fans that Liverpool enjoys, and that connection is one of the main reasons why the club and Klopp have been such a perfect match since his arrival in October 2015.
However, with Liverpool still in with a chance of winning four trophies this season, Klopp doesn't want anything to distract his team from the task at hand. Speaking for 30 minutes at a press conference on Friday, four hours after the club's social media broke the news of his decision to leave, Klopp said he would “answer 500,000 questions about my decision, but as of today, I will only I will focus on the team.”
Klopp is an open book. He can be charismatic, funny, and attractive, but he can also be grumpy and short-tempered when he gets a question he thinks is trivial or followers focus too much on him, so you can bet he'll respond in typical fashion if any of those things happen. In the next weeks.
However, it will be difficult to control the sentiment of the fans. They did what they were told against Norwich, keeping the chants and banners to a minimum, but they will find it difficult to control their emotions for the rest of this season.
There will come a time when Klopp and his players will need supporters to raise the roof and use the manager's imminent departure as a catalyst for the noise and atmosphere that could carry the team over the finish line when they face more challenging opponents than Norwich.
Why is Klopp so loved at Liverpool? It's because he has achieved that rare combination of achieving success and at the same time echoing the feelings of fans in every way.
It captures Liverpool fans' desire for attacking football, but also their outlook on life. Liverpool is a city where family comes first and, politically, has an unashamedly socialist outlook. In Klopp they see a kindred spirit.
Pep Guardiola does not have the same connection with Manchester City fans (the City manager has criticized the club's fans in the past) while not even Sir Alex Ferguson unified the Manchester United fan base like Klopp did in the Liverpool.
The banner on The Kop Stand, which carried an image of Klopp along with the words 'Long to Reign Over Us', summed it up. That phrase is usually reserved for the king or queen, but not in Liverpool.
However, Klopp's reign is coming to an end. He has given notice of his intention to abdicate his throne and the succession requires a suitable replacement. And with Liverpool still strong in four competitions, the new manager could face an even tougher task next season if Klopp leaves the scene after winning a quadruple.
It's not an impossible dream. Klopp said he would turn skeptics into believers when he arrived at Anfield and, nine years later, that belief is now so strong that he almost expects to win four trophies this season.
If that happens, they will never stop singing Klopp's name.
