Jürgen’s first goodbye is a feast of beautiful football
Liverpool 5 Norwich City 2, 28th January 2024.
LIVERPOOL 5 (Jones 16, Núñez 28, Jota 53, van Dijk 63, Gravenberch 90+5)
NORWICH CITY 2 (Gibson 22, Sainz 69)
I love Jürgen Klopp more than perhaps a heterosexual man in his 50’s should admit to and so I, like millions of fellow Reds around the world, was shocked and deeply saddened to hear the shattering news on Friday that the beautiful man with the beautiful beard from Stuttgart would be leaving Liverpool Football Club at the end of this season. It’s too trite and simplistic to say that I love the manager of the football club of my heart purely because he’s guided them to winning nearly every major honour the game has to offer or becoming Club Champions of the World in 2019. European finals have become as commonplace as the seasonal duel with Manchester City and the ritual accumulation of a faintly ridiculous 90+ Premier League points that still didn’t guarantee either team the English League Title. Working within whatever the bizarre framework that is the “Financial Fair Play” (FFP) initiative has still seen Jürgen attract the best goalkeeper in the world and arguably one of the greatest central defender’s in the world to the club, built upon the rock that was the Jordan Henderson and Fabinho axis in midfield to create teams including Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané and, more recently, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez, and all the while chasing trophies on all four major footballing fronts season in, and season out. He brought a new style of football to a team in dire need of it and a dire need for him, Jürgen Klopp, the man and the myth, the master tactician and genial human being, as chief steward of the good ship Liverpool.
I never saw an immediate time that Jürgen would not be Liverpool manager in much the same way as my childhood idol Kenny Dalglish, and I felt and saw some eerie comparisons on Friday to that of a cold February day in 1991 when The King said a heart breaking and tearful goodbye. I was inconsolable that day as I couldn’t see in my mind’s eye a time when Kenny Dalglish wouldn’t be permanently attached to Liverpool, a feeling that washed over me like a cold rash on Friday. Jürgen looked and sounded as broken and exhausted as did The King three decades ago and it’s been coming for eyes that dared see and for ears open to listening. The repetitive grind of two games of football a week on four footballing fronts has taken its toll as we supporters take it for granted that the man at the helm, and a manager in charge of a worldwide “brand” that has to be seen to be playing and winning attractive games of football, constantly, is fit, well and healthy and not, in Jürgen’s own words, “running out of energy”.
As an arch conspiracy theorist you’d think that I’d veer toward the gossip and rumours that circulate the internet like a bad smell but I don’t. Not in this case. I just worry for the overall health of the beautiful 56 year old human being from Stuttgart who continually talked of evolving and transitioning his team, his “boys”, into his next great team. From the outside looking in this was seemingly the season of “evolution” he talked about toward the end of last season ahead of the real assault for major honours until his contract ran out in 2026. Evolution. Transition.
His “boys”.
It’s always his “boys”.
I just hope he’s OK and I have no desire whatsoever to think about or speculate as to who will be replacing him.
That’s a step too far at the moment and anyway, his “boys” are still in every competition they entered in August and they’re chasing the impossible once again.
"Chasing the Impossible and a Sword of Damocles"
As expected, the “Jürgen is a Red” song was first on The Kop’s song sheet today and as you’ll read below it received the usual reaction from the man himself, a mixture of thanks and embarrassment and a determination that it’s not and never has been about him but the collective of team, club, supporters and community and of course, his “boys”. In truth, today wasn’t much of a contest, nor was it expected to be and quickly became a game of attack versus defence and of a Norwich City determined to play out from defence but regularly caught in the traps set by Klopp’s high pressing team swamped in junior players we believed were for a future under his managerial reign rather than a final season of chasing for it all once more. James McConnell was magnificent on his first team debut, belied his tender 19 years with some thunderous tackles, grabbed a beautiful “assist” for the game’s first goal and was calmness personified in his defensive midfield role. To his right, Conor Bradley was again superb and the 20 year old Irishman’s tackle, surging run and assist for Darwin Núñez’s goal was a thing of beauty that typified the beautiful goals scored by the Reds today. Jarell Quansah was untroubled and unrushed beside Ibrahima Konaté in defence, Ryan Gravenberch was industrious in midfield beside the goal scoring Curtis Jones. Diogo Jota scored again. Darwin Núñez too.
Off the pitch the Reds have drawn either Watford or Southampton in the 5th Round of the FA Cup who will replay to see who visits Anfield in February following today’s 1–1 draw but on the pitch, Jürgen’s “boys” consisted of a 19 year old, two 20 year old’s, a 21 year old, a 22 year old greatly underappreciated local lad and three 24 year old’s. The most accomplished central defender in the world came on as substitute and took the captain’s armband from the greatest goalkeeper in the world whilst two of the world’s finest wing-backs in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson alighted from the substitutes bench and back into first team action after their respective injuries.
Jürgen’s “boys” are way ahead of schedule, top of the Premier League and still chasing the impossible in all four competitions they entered in August.
It’s just a crying shame he won’t be here to see what heights they climb to in the coming seasons.
“I’m so glad, that Jürgen is a Red
I’m so glad, he delivered what he said
Jürgen said to me you know, we’ll win the Premier League you know he said so
I’m in love with him and I feel fine”
A final word from The Boss
“A top performance from everybody involved. Really good. I liked the game. It’s a difficult game, you play against an opponent [that is] obviously going for counter-attacks, that’s absolutely fine, 4–5–1, so we have to get used to it on all accounts. We could have — and we told the boys in half-time anyway — passed with a bit more purpose, a bit more direction, quicker in moments, but it’s difficult. And then second half it’s clear, when you are as dominant as we are, it’s clear that if you keep being dominant and improve in some departments you will create more chances. Diogo’s was the third goal, right? This wonderful half-volley, that was the direction you needed. It was a difficult ball for the defender to defend, I would say, and then we could score from there. And then another screamer from Norwich and we could finish the game off, all good”.
“It is emotional but my job is to… OK, it’s not always easy but I have to pull myself together and I received all the messages the people sent, I’m not made of wood so I get all of these. I said not too long ago, ‘Don’t sing the song during the game’ — people obviously stopped already listening to me, that’s good! But it’s fine, we won the game, we scored after that, so the reason for being superstitious is done in that case and it was great, and it’s the first game after that and I am not here to tell the people what to do. It’s just that we play on Wednesday again and if we could then ignore for 95 or 100 minutes that the manager is leaving at the end of the season and just do everything to make it as uncomfortable for Chelsea as possible that would be great. And I know the people know that as well so I actually don’t have to say it. But it was a wonderful afternoon in all parts of it”.
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Until next time.
Well, the Beatles were/are Liverpool lads, so it makes sense.
The Beatles better call their lawyers- the tune of "I Feel Fine" has been stolen by Liverpool FC.