🚨 Thomas Muller on Jurgen Klopp’s Germany against Serbia:
“I watched the first ten minutes and thought, ‘Okay. This looks different.’
Then twenty minutes passed and Serbia still hadn’t really started playing.
At some point I stopped watching Germany and started watching the Serbian striker.
I felt sorry for him. (laughs)
Germany would lose the ball, three players would immediately run towards it, win it back and start attacking again.
Serbia would finally clear it.
Ten seconds later, Germany had the ball again.
I texted one of the boys at half-time:
‘Has Klopp explained to Serbia that they’re allowed to keep the ball?’
He replied:
‘Apparently not.’
That’s when I knew Jurgen’s football had arrived.
Thirty-two shots. Twelve corners. Almost four expected goals. Serbia had one shot all evening.
ONE.
The funny thing is Germany only won 2-0.
If somebody woke up tomorrow, saw the score and said, ‘Comfortable Germany win,’ he’d have absolutely no idea what happened to Serbia.
This wasn’t 2-0.
This was 90 minutes of Serbia trying to leave a room and Jürgen Klopp repeatedly closing the door.
After the match I saw him smiling.
I thought, ‘There it is.’
I’ve seen that smile before.
Liverpool used to give managers that smile.
Now apparently he’s brought it home.”
🚨 Pep Guardiola on Jurgen Klopp’s embrace with Florian Wirtz:
“After the game, Jurgen walks onto the pitch, sees Florian and hugs him like he hasn’t seen the boy in five years. (laughs)
People see a nice moment.
I see a problem.
Because I spent years competing against this man.
I know what happens next.
One day at City, one of my staff showed me footage from Liverpool training. Klopp was laughing with the players, grabbing somebody around the neck, hugging another one.
I said:
‘Turn it off.’
He asked, ‘Why?’
I said, ‘Because on Sunday these same people are going to run at us like we’ve insulted their families.’
That’s Jurgen.
People talk about tactics, pressing, intensity.
Of course.
But before players run for your tactics, they have to want to run for you.
Look at Florian tonight.
He’s had difficult weeks. Jurgen gives him responsibility, he plays beautifully, scores, and after the final whistle the manager doesn’t walk over like, ‘Good performance, see you tomorrow.’
He grabs him.
No cameras needed. No speech.
Just: ‘That’s my boy.’
And now you’ve created a monster. (laughs)
Because the next time Jurgen asks Florian to press somebody for 90 minutes, Florian isn’t thinking about pressing.
He’s thinking:
‘This man believes in me.’
That’s how Klopp creates warriors.
I used to prepare City to play Liverpool and tell my players:
‘Be careful. You’re not only playing eleven footballers.’
They’d ask, ‘What else are we playing?’
I’d say:
‘Eleven footballers who don’t want to disappoint Jurgen Klopp.’
Tactics can prepare you for the first problem.
I never found a tactical solution for the second one.”
🚨 Virgil van Dijk reveals what Jürgen Klopp told him at full-time against Germany:
🗣️ Virgil van Dijk: “When the final whistle went, Klopp came straight over to me. He looked at me, shook his head and said, ‘Virgil, you really chose tonight to make my life difficult?’
“I started laughing because I knew exactly what he meant.
“He said, ‘I spent all those years telling you to be calm under pressure, and now you’re using everything I taught you against me.’
“I told him, ‘Boss, you always told us to play until the final whistle.’
“He looked at me and said, ‘Yes, but I was hoping you would forget that lesson tonight.’
“That was Klopp.
“Even after the game, even with all the emotion, he still finds a way to make you laugh.
“Then he became serious for a moment and said, ‘I know you, Virgil. I know how you think. I knew you would keep fighting until the end. That’s what makes you so difficult to play against.’
“I told him, ‘You created the problem yourself.’
“He laughed and said, ‘Maybe. But I definitely didn’t expect the problem to come back and punish me wearing orange.’
“That made everyone around us laugh.
“Then, just before he walked away, he pointed at me and said, ‘Enjoy tonight. But remember, I know all your weaknesses.’
“I said, ‘And I know yours, boss.’
“He just smiled and walked away.
“That’s the relationship we have.
“He was my manager for years. He knows my game better than almost anyone.
“But tonight, there was no Liverpool.
“No club football.
“No old relationships.
He was trying to beat us, and I was trying to make sure he went home disappointed.”
🚨 Cody Gakpo reveals what Jürgen Klopp told him after his last-minute equaliser against Germany:
🎙️ “Klopp came straight to me after the goal and said, ‘Cody… seriously? You had to do that against me in my first game?’ I just laughed. He gave me that look he used to give me at Liverpool when he was angry but also secretly enjoying what had just happened.”
“Then he said, ‘I taught you how to score important goals, but I didn’t teach you to score them against me!’ I told him, ‘You always said I should hurt the opponent, boss. I was only listening.’ He started laughing and said, ‘Yeah, but tonight you could have ignored me for once!’”
“The funniest part was when he walked away and shouted, ‘I’m still your coach!’ I turned around and said, ‘Tonight, no boss… tonight I’m Dutch!’ I think Liverpool fans will understand why that made me laugh. Klopp knows exactly what I’m capable of and unfortunately for him, he got a reminder at the worst possible time.
C’est de la folie de se lever avant même qu’on prononce ton nom pour la récompense imagine c’était pas toi mdrrrr l’aura de malade https://t.co/V4Sn3WQmN1
After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season.
This is easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.
I know many of you have wondered why or been frustrated that I haven’t spoken about this yet, but it was always my intention to keep my full focus on the team’s best interests, which was securing No.20.
This club has been my whole life – my whole world - for 20 years. From the Academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever. I will forever be in debt to you all.
But, I have never known anything else and this decision is about experiencing a new challenge, taking myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself both professionally and personally.
I’ve given my all every single day I’ve been at this club, and I hope you feel like I’ve given back to you during my time here.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank everybody – my coaches, my managers, my teammates, the staff and our incredible supporters - for the last 20 years.
I’ve been blessed enough to live out my dreams here and I will never, ever take for granted the special moments I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived through with you all. My love for this club will never die.