Jurgen Klopp says goodbye to Liverpool fans after his last match as manager on Sunday. AFP Photo
Paul Kennedy
D-list pundits have been going into overdrive this week having their say on whether Jurgen Klopp can be classed as a legendary Premier League manager.
Liverpool FC-hating Danny Mills, proud owner of one League Cup winner’s medal, has been in his element, bleating away on TalkSport: “He’s only won one Premier League, he’s only won one Premier League, he’s only won one Premier League.”
And while I can’t argue with that particular fact, I kind of think Mills, who also has a Division One play-off final medal from 1998, is missing the point.
I’m sure even Jurgen himself will be slightly disappointed he only won the top prize once during his nine years as Liverpool boss, but there’s so much more the German did during his reign.
Personally, I can’t really remember that much about the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup final which Liverpool won against Flamengo of Brazil, but I still lie in bed at night thinking about every single kick of the Champions League semi when we produced a miracle to beat Barcelona by four goals to nil.
The European Super Cup victory against Chelsea that same year is also something that’s escaped my mind, but I remember like it was yesterday when an ecstatic Klopp sprinted full-throttle on to the pitch at Anfield to hug goalkeeper Alisson Becker and celebrate Liverpool’s late-winner against Everton.
Jurgen gave me, and every other Liverpool fan, hope. He made us believe.
We were a pretty average team when he took over, and within a few years we were playing probably the best football I’ve ever seen.
He connected with supporters in a way Anfield hasn’t seen for decades. I’d go as far as saying he shares the same passion and emotion as Bill Shankly did.
I’d even push the boat out further, and suggest other than Bob Paisley, who won three European Cups and six championship trophies in nine years, Klopp is the best manager Liverpool have ever had.
It’s also worth noting that there are only three managers to have ever won the Premier League and Champions League with an English team.
Klopp, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola.
So OK Danny Mills, and all the other pundits chipping in saying Klopp isn’t a legend, even former Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher had a pop, Jurgen may not have won the same amount of trophies Pep has, but the way he made Liverpool fans believe again, taking us to cloud nine and back is worth more than any amount of silverware.
Jurgen Klopp is a Liverpool legend. And that’s all I really care about. VNS
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