Of the various soundbites from Jürgen Klopp’s first press conference as Liverpool boss, one more than most was re-broadcast.
“Please give us time to work, but if I sit here in four years we might have a title,” said Klopp of his upcoming future at Anfield.
“If not maybe [I’ll win] the next in Switzerland. “
Sometimes it looked like that premonition was hopelessly misguided. Other points have made it seem astute.
But ask Klopp about this sentence today and he will insist; The Liverpool manager didn’t talk about national championship titles.
The word “title” is intended to include all trophies. A simple case of semantics from someone who doesn’t speak their native language.
“I didn’t say the league at all,” he said on October 8, 2015 last year.
“I said we’re going to win. If I’m still here, we’ve probably won something. We’ve already done that, so …”
At the time, many took the words as somewhere between a tail suit and an unwavering belief in what he could achieve, depending on your particular loyalty.
For the man himself, he merely stated that he should have brought the club success in order to keep command four years later.
The response was not universally welcomed at the time as former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel described the claim as a mistake.
“”[Is that Klopp’s] First mistake … ?? “he tweeted.” Others made the same promise! #ItsNotThatEasyMrKlopp “.
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However, when Klopp reached his four-year anniversary in Liverpool, he was a Champions League winner.
The UEFA Super Cup was also safely stowed away, and the FIFA Club World Cup was about two months away from its first entry in Anfield’s trophy cabinet.
And before the Reds boss could celebrate his fifth year as Liverpool boss, a new deal had been signed to keep him at Anfield until 2024, and the Premier League title was overturned.
If history and retrospect see Schmeichel’s testimony bleak, they are far more kind to the foresight of Man United colleague Sir Alex Ferguson, who admitted he was concerned about Klopp’s prospect of a Liverpool success.
The two great managers share a mutual respect, and the United legend conceded that Klopp’s arrival could be the catalyst for a return to the glory days on the M62.
At the time of Klopp’s move, Ferguson said, “Well, it’s a good date. I admire him.
“I know Jürgen pretty well from our meetings [FIFA] Trainer classes in Geneva.
“He’s a strong personality, very strong, very persistent, determined and his achievements, and his career in Dortmund was an outstanding rise to the top and I think he will do very well.
“I don’t like to say that because I’m Liverpool, because I’m worried about it, but no, he’ll do well.”
It will never be denied that Ferguson knew what he was talking about. Perhaps less flattery.
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