Jurgen Klopp cut a frustrated figure a matter of weeks ago, but with his side flying on all fronts and a new contract agreed, the Liverpool boss looks like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.
His more relaxed demeanour has been clear in his media commitments, despite going into a month which could see the Reds become sporting immortals. With just a few weeks of the season remaining, Klopp's side remain in contention for all four major trophies.
The Carabao Cup is already safely stowed in the Anfield trophy room, while their place in next month’s FA Cup final against Chelsea has already been assured. A 2-0 win over Villarreal also means they have one foot in the Champions League final, whilst the battle for the Premier League title looks set to go down to the wire.
But if Klopp is feeling the pressure, he isn’t showing it and was able to share a joke with reporters ahead of this weekend’s trip to Newcastle. In footage which has since gone viral, a member of the assembled press mentioned the term “brain fog”. But Klopp, speaking in his second language, thought it was something more explicit.
“Why can everybody say that word and if I say it, it’s not okay?” the German responded. He then made it clear he thought the individual had said “brainf***” earning more than a few laughs from those in attendance.
Klopp himself found it funny and had a good chuckle and admitted that it sounded exactly the same to him. His jovial mood would have only improved as the weekend went on as well, as his side ran out 1-0 winners at St James’ Park.
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The Magpies came into the Saturday lunchtime kick-off in fine form, having won their last five games in front of their own supporters. But the visitors assumed control from relatively early on and richly deserved the 1-0 win Naby Keita’s goal delivered them.
Keita’s goal saw the Reds move to the Premier League summit at the expense of Manchester City, although they will be back down to second if the champions beat Leeds United at Elland Road.
Nevertheless, Klopp was pleased with the way his players managed the task in hand, particularly with the quick turnaround from Wednesday night’s game with Villarreal.
“You can have a team in form, a crowd who are waiting for ages for proper success, so coming here with five changes and building a new set-up is really difficult,” Klopp explained. “So the performance was absolutely outstanding, I loved it. We had some moments when we struggled because it’s so difficult.
“The impact we have off the bench in the game is outstanding, we expect a lot but the boys have to deliver. But Joe Gomez, what a game. Naby Keita, what a game. James Milner, what a game. Andrew Robertson, 93rd minute, running up, absolutely brilliant.”
Asked whether their focus was on City, he added: “No, onto Villarreal. That’s what I’m interested in. I haven’t thought about City, just Villarreal.”
