Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp Reflects on Cooking and Life Beyond Anfield and also on his Legacy
With just seven Premier League matches to go of his tenure, Klopp speaks about how he wants to be remembered, dealing with the pressure, and his ideal send-off from Liverpool.
Interviewing Jurgen Klopp the morning after Liverpool’s rare and humbling defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League at Anfield isn’t ideal timing.
After a sleepless night of analysing what did and didn’t happen, Klopp has already moved on to Sunday’s match against Crystal Palace. “This game was definitely a low point from a performance point of view,” he says.
“The good thing about a low point is that it’s easy to improve, so you only have to make the next step, and we have to show this immediately against Palace. In life and sports, you can have setbacks; it’s all about the reaction.”
But it’s back-to-back disappointments for Liverpool after the draw with Manchester United last Sunday, and with no space for a wobble in this three-way title race, he admits the Palace game has become massive.
“It would have been massive anyway, but now with that one in mind [the loss to Atalanta] for the outside world, it’s even more massive,” he says.
“What is better to wake you up than a loud alarm clock? Obviously, last night I could still hear the bells, so that means we should be awake for that one.”
With just seven Premier League matches to go of his tenure, the pressure on the players is intense; no one wants to make the mistake that could take Liverpool out of the title race.
There are obviously nerves, but Klopp says talking is key: “We talk and remind the boys of the things we are really good at because we are really good.
“That’s the reason we are where we are; we just have to show that every day, and that’s now the situation. That’s not new; for some, the situation might be a bit new, but that’s when the more experienced players have to step in and lead the pack on the pitch.”
When he led Liverpool to the Premier League title in 2020, COVID meant the treasured trophy lift was to an empty stadium, but Klopp doesn’t view it as a missing moment from his life.
He says, “For me, I’ve had enough parades and parties; it was never about that, and it will never be about that, but I would love to give the people the opportunity to celebrate something special, and I think it would be right as well.
“I’m still happy we are still in that fight. I want to make sure we really go for it. Sometimes life and football are the same; you need a proper smash to realise why you do what you do and we got that smash and we will use it.”
Having to juggle the squad this season and bringing in young players to seamlessly plug gaps has had its challenges, but Klopp laughs at the idea that it would be one of his greatest managerial achievements if they could win the league title.
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“I don’t care if that’s what that would mean—would that make me a great manager? I never considered myself a great manager. Never, ever in my life,” the football manager says.
“I am surprised until this day that people see me that way; that’s 100% true but I accept that people see me like that.
“What’s important is that the Liverpool people are happy with what we did; that’s the only important thing. I don’t need the comparison with Arsene Wenger or whatever. It doesn’t mean anything to me.
“On my gravestone, I don’t want ‘here is one of the most successful managers on the planet’ you are still lying three feet under. No not for me. I want to be remembered as somebody who helped people through life.”
Life after Anfield
Every match takes the 56-year-old German closer to the end of his story at Liverpool.
Having shocked the football world by announcing in January that he would be quitting at the end of this season, he has no doubts whatsoever about his decision, saying it is “100%” right.
So what is his plan? Holidays? Gardening?
“There’s a few things Ulla [Klopp’s wife] told me—I have to learn cooking and take a dance class,” he says.
“I said you don’t want me to have a break because if I do that, I will start working after four weeks again! I should probably learn cooking so I can at least make some breakfast or whatever.”
He continues to say, “This will be the first time in my life where I don’t have a real idea of what I will do, and that’s exactly what I want.”
When I ask if he can cook anything at all, he replies, “No. Hot water, tea—does that count?
“During COVID, I scrambled eggs, but after that, I forgot it again. I was raised in the Black Forest with two sisters; the only reason I knew where the kitchen was was because the smell came from there! I’m pretty useless in private life.”
I finish the interview with a hypothetical question about his send-off at Liverpool.
If he could pick one artist or band (live or dead) to play at it, who would it be and what would they sing?
“It’s Liverpool, so it would be the Beatles 100%; they could easily choose the song because I love them all,” he says.
“Actually, the band that is alive is Die Toten Hosen; the translation is The Dead Pants. It’s a punk rock band, and the lead singer, Campino, is a good friend of mine and the biggest LFC supporter on the planet. That would be the biggest day of his life.
“They sing in German, so no one would understand, but that’s fine,” Klopp adds, laughing at the idea of it.