Jürgen Klopp has said this summer is the perfect moment for a new Liverpool manager to take over and the only impossible act to follow will be Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
The two leading managers of the modern Premier League era meet for possibly the final time on Sunday in a fixture with suitably huge ramifications for the destiny of the title.
Liverpool’s resurgence on four fronts this season has rekindled the rivalry with City, who trail the league leaders by a point before their visit to Anfield, and strengthened the argument that Klopp is getting out at the wrong moment. The Liverpool manager, however, takes an opposing view, and believes the team and the reconnected fanbase he will leave behind present an ideal opportunity for his successor to deliver more silverware.
“After me?” said Klopp, when asked whether replacing him or Guardiola was an impossible job. “No, that’s not true. I understand it but everybody involved in this club thinks and knows this club is different. The people here are different. The people gave Bill Shankly the chance, and what came after Bill Shankly, and they are all bigger than we are, and the people will understand in the end that this was a fantastic time and we all enjoyed it like hell.
“What a ride. But I am 100% sure that what they learned over the years is if we trust and we push then everything is possible. This team will attract top class managers, 100%. The next manager might play a different kind of football or not but he will get the push from this fanbase. I think I came in at the right moment because it got lost a little bit and maybe I was the one who helped everyone to understand again how important it is.
“The club is special. Not because of the buildings – other clubs have nice stadiums – but because of the people. It’s all about the people. I really think it is the perfect moment for a new manager and not the wrong one because we didn’t win everything, we left spaces. Go [in] at City after Pep Guardiola and you need to be champion 10 years in a row to achieve the same.”
Klopp admits the competition between himself and Guardiola has pushed their teams to previously unseen heights, certainly in terms of points. But he says that missing out on two titles by a single point from City is not a lasting regret.
The Liverpool manager said: “I know it’s special [what the rivalry has produced]. I know we have had lucky and unlucky moments. I am fine with it. In those years with one point behind everybody knows on one specific moment it could have been different. For me it doesn’t minimise the joy of what we did at that particular time.
“The outside world obviously sees it completely differently – you win it or you don’t win it. There is no silver medal in the Premier League or the Champions League. I know it’s a great achievement to reach four Champions League finals but losing three of them will be considered on the outside. They will not write it on the gravestone – he lost three Champions League finals. Stuff like this for me is not important.
“I don’t consider myself a loser because I lose finals and I don’t consider myself a winner because I won one. I just try to make the absolute best out of everything. Yes these fights and having 97 points and not winning the league is incredible, and yes we pushed each other. It was good fun. It would have been better fun had we won it more often, no doubt about that, but my own view on it doesn’t change because of having a trophy or not. It was just exceptional what the boys did and it will not happen regularly.”
Klopp says his relationship with Guardiola is built on respect and, while the demands of their jobs leaves little time for a genuine friendship, admits they called each other when going “through a difficult period”. Both lost their mums during the pandemic. Guardiola also called Klopp after the Liverpool manager announced his shock departure. “He called and we had a talk, but I can’t tell you what we said to each other,” said Klopp. “I know things you would love to know!”
