Jürgen Klopp was in a good mood at his first English football championship. The German coach of the new titleholder FC Liverpool kept dancing, cheering, singing and laughing again and again late Wednesday evening during what might be the strangest championship cup ceremony in the empty stadium on Anfield Road because of the coronavirus pandemic. “A great moment,” said the former Bundesliga coach about the first Liverpool championship in 30 years. “That means the world to me.”
Arm in arm he sang the legendary “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in front of the empty bleachers The Kop with the Reds pros had to stand a little apart, with fireworks and confetti rain the long-awaited trophy. “We are now champions in England, Europe and the world and that is the only truth,” said the 53-year-old master maker and recalled winning the Champions League and Club World Cup last year. “I couldn’t be more proud.”
Only the empty stadium clouded the historic evening. The Klopp eleven defeated Chelsea FC 5-3 in an offensive spectacle, then the trophy handover for an outstanding season – but all without the fans. Therefore, the former Dortmund coach was also aimed directly at the fans. “Drink what you want and get ready for a party, I just don’t know when. When this bullshit virus is over, “said Klopp, announcing a big gathering:” We’ll have a party later. “
The fans weren’t there, but they were somehow live at the 19th championship. Some Liverpool pros broadcast live video from the booth or from the cup handover on social media. “It would have been perfect with the fans in the stadium. But it’s also a great moment for me, ”said a cheerful Klopp.
Klopp’s assistant coach Peter Krawietz, meanwhile, has criticized the English government for dealing with the corona crisis. “In England this was tackled too late and too little consistently. To date, there are a few rules that are applied in everyday life in a manageable manner. When I’m standing at the petrol station wearing a face mask and rubber gloves, people sometimes look at me as if I came from the moon, ”said the assistant to the German team manager in an interview with Spox and Goal.
At the beginning, it was particularly difficult to deal with the pandemic, said Krawietz: “From my point of view, no effective procedure has been found to date.” Despite the many discussions, handling in Germany in particular was “an impressive example of how one Society is forced to learn new things and deal with them properly, ”said the 48-year-old.
Nevertheless, Krawietz currently outweighs the joy of the first Reds championship won after 30 years. “How our community has developed over the past five years, and particularly in the past two seasons, and how it has found its way to play football, to function, to be active, to play good football, and to show and maintain an attitude every day, which is geared towards wanting to achieve everything with fair means and with a positive charisma – these guys have set standards that will continue to resonate for a long time to come, ”enthused Krawietz.
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