05/07/2024

Jurgen Klopp, a "normal guy" who revolutionized Liverpool until turning it into a perfect machine [VIDEO].

Miercoles 04 de Mayo del 2022

Liverpool defeated Villarreal and reached the Champions League final. It is the third final since Jürgen Klopp's arrival with an equal balance: one defeat and one championship. The 'Reds' also have a chance to win the Premier League and the FA Cup.

The first thing Jürgen Klopp (Stuttgart, 1967) did when he first stepped into the Melwood meeting room -Liverpool's training center and his home for almost seven years- was to grab a marker and write on a whiteboard: "TERRIBLE." In capital letters and as big as he could. It was October 2015, he was about to introduce himself to his new players, and it had been about eight months since he had left Signal Iduna Park, his previous home, walking alone in the rain with just a backpack, after Borussia Dortmund's elimination against Juventus in the Champions League round of 16. Perhaps motivated by that fall he suffered with Dortmund, the message he gave, amid everyone's disbelief, was how their opponents would feel when facing them. Today, the prophecy has been fulfilled: his Liverpool destroyed a Villarreal that fought as much as it could (they were 2-0 up at halftime, but then lost 3-2) and reached a new continental final.

SEE: The secrets behind Melgar's success, the club that has twice as many international victories as the 'big three'

Self-proclaimed as a "normal guy" (The Normal One), in contrast to Mourinho who called himself special, the German was responsible for designing and building perhaps the most perfect football machine ever seen. A team that represents him on the field with emotional, passionate, and frantic football, something different from that Dortmund side that, beyond reaching a Champions League final, struggled to maintain the rhythm and bid farewell to the competition with a 5-1 defeat behind them. That's why the incredible 45 minutes of domination by Villarreal, even scoring two goals to equalize the tie, were not enough. In the second half, the 'Reds' became the opponents' grinder again and turned the match around to win 3-2 thanks to goals from Fabinho, Colombian Luis Diaz, and Sadio Mane.

They know that I love our club and it's the best place I can be,” Klopp told Liverpool fans worldwide in a message where he also announced that he will stay until 2026. The person who seems to live every day as if it were the last, regardless of tomorrow, renewed a contract that hasn't even expired for two more years. The love is mutual. In fact, when Jürgen landed in the English city, he was received as a messiah. The crowd that immortalizes the anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" embraced him as if he were a savior. He didn't bring an idea of play or a talent reviver. He brought a leader, a recruiter of emotions.

“Liverpool was the second English city most bombed by the Nazis, after London. About 4,000 people died in the blitz of 1940 and 1941. Only three German players have worn the club's shirt throughout its history: Markus Babbel, Didi Hammann, and now Emre Can. Seeing German flags waving in the Anfield stands, even before Klopp managed a game, was surprising,” wrote Argentine journalist Martín Manzur in "El Gráfico" about how Anfield experienced Klopp's arrival, considering him the fifth Beatle.

In these seven years, the German rebuilt a historic Liverpool that seemed to be immersed in a nightmare. The club went from being satisfied with qualifying for Champions League spots to becoming a reference in world football. They fell, yes. But they knew how to rise from the rubble, just like they did at La Cerámica stadium to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Villarreal. In the coach's first three seasons, the 'Reds' lost all three finals they played (League Cup and Europa League in 2015-16, and Champions League in 2017-18). Then they won three in a row (Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup). In the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, they lost both times they played the Community Shield.

This season started by winning the English League Cup. In fact, if Liverpool wins the Champions League, the FA Cup (they will face Chelsea in the final), and the Premier League (they are second to Manchester City with five games remaining), they will be the first English team to achieve it. Paris, the city of tranquil love, will welcome Klopp and his "heavy metal" on May 28th. The opponent will come from the Santiago Bernabeu: Real Madrid is seeking a comeback against Manchester City. The first leg ended 4-3.

Ver noticia en El Comercio: DT

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