Jurgen Klopp on keeping players motivated even when they are not playing:
“Treating them completely normal. Don’t forget them! A week with three games, it was fast. You wake up on Monday and whoop it’s Friday and you had a game on Wednesday and you can’t remember it. In this week you need to take the time to give them all the attention. You know the players who didn’t start the day before and then you have this training session the next day. How is the mood there and who is responsible for the mood? I can’t stand on the sideline and look oh they’re not in the best shape. Maybe they are angry because of yesterday or I give them reasons why they can be in a good mood. It is my job to help them find a little light at the end of the tunnel that it’s not forever.
“First we were in a hotel but we didn’t want to live in a hotel. It was nice, but we wanted to have something like a home until we find a real home.”
“So we moved in a flat and at night time we always walked through the city, and it was really nice just to get to know the city a little bit. We just walked through.”
“We all know Liverpool of course has rough parts, but it’s beautiful as well.
“And then you get to know more and more people and then it’s really difficult not to fall in love with it, because the people are special.”
“Whatever other people say, people here are special and so that’s why it felt home. I mean it was home for nine years and it still feels home. When I fly in, it’s coming home.”
Many of our managers have experienced that special bond with the city. In fact, almost all of them, at least the relevant ones who stayed with us for a longer time. They quickly got the feeling for the city and its inhabitants, and constructed a bond. That’s a part of the magic linked to this club imo. My opinion: every worthy manager has to build up a personal relationship with Liverpool the city.
With hindsight, Klopp and the club would have been better off short term and long term had they bought Declan Rice instead of Nunez in summer 2022 after the quadruple near miss run.
A MacAllister - Rice - Szobo/Elliott midfield would have destroyed the league in 2023-2025 (Szobo was not yet a clear starter in 2023/24 as RCM).
Its a good point and something Slot got wrong with his family staying in Holland (I’m not saying they didnt have good reason but it has meant Arne has felt like he’s been doing a Jose at United non committed/FIFO type approach.
@Walshy07 has already posted the video link but it is not showing the embedded video viewer on his post, and folks may be missing out on Crouchy’s full interview with Kloppo. Here it is. Thanks again Walshy.
Bring Jurgen back and give the positions (and salaries) of Slot, Hughes, AND Edwards (also what exactly is Edwards doing now that multi-club is out anyway!)
