Jurgen Klopp has no interest in seeing a statue of himself placed outside Anfield after leading Liverpool to Premier League glory. Former...
Jurgen Klopp has no interest in seeing a statue of himself placed outside Anfield after leading Liverpool to Premier League glory.
Former Reds captain Steven Gerrard said last week the club should have been working on a statue of Klopp ahead of a title triumph that was finally sealed on Thursday.
Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, two of Liverpool’s most successful managers, have been immortalised in bronze in the Anfield grounds, while Kenny Dalglish has a stand named after him.
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Klopp has now won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and Premier League since arriving on Merseyside in October 2015.
However, he does not agree with Gerrard’s assertion that a monument to commemorate his achievements is required.
“They got those statues when they were not here anymore. I want to live for another 30, 40 years, so I’m not interested in statues,” Klopp told a media conference on Friday.
“I’m the manager of this team and we won the league, so people see this very positively I can imagine. I’m very positive about that as well, honestly, but we don’t have to compare me with these iconic figures.
“What Bill Shankly did, where he took the club from in the second division, and then Bob was his assistant and took over and won pretty much everything. And Kenny Dalglish played for this club … was immediately successful as a manager, which is incredible.
“There is from my point of view no comparison possible. I am here for four and a half years, I came from Germany over here, tried to do my job, I love the city and the club, but there is no comparison needed.”
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Klopp believes the patience he has been afforded at Liverpool underpinned the achievement of winning their first top-flight title since 1990.
“I think the people had a positive opinion of myself when I came in, so that was really nice and helped a lot because it gave us time to achieve the things we have in the past two or three years,” he said.
“The people wanted to have their own history as well, like the players had to write their own history and stories, so they were ready not to compare us too much with all these great, great figures. That gave us time and we used this time pretty well so it could happen.
“It’s normal that fans are positive about the manager of the team when they are successful, but they know and I know as well how much it means to us and how important my coaches are.
“It would not be possible, that’s the truth … I am the face of it, but a lot of the work the others do. That’s how it is.”
Having had concerns over the status of the season during the three-month suspension amid the coronavirus pandemic, Klopp was overjoyed to raise spirits in a city he has grown incredibly fond of.
“I know it means the world to them [the fans], it means the world to me, it’s just exceptional,” he said.
“I know so many people in Liverpool and they tell me exactly how much it means to them. I don’t think I underestimate that. It’s massive.
“What I really love is a successful football gives a city a lift. At this time all cities need a lift, Liverpool as well, and I’m really happy about that.
“This title is a sign that we played a good season, it’s as well a sign for the future. There are some football and atmospheres you can look forward to and we need that in this moment in time. I’m really happy for our people.
“I feel very close with the city, even when I can’t go in the city. From the first day, it clicked with the people. The welcome was great. I knew about expectations, but I felt immediately the people wanted to give us time.
“I love the way people see life, I love the way they want to be different, are different but are very special in a good way, how they are really common.
“If I didn’t, we would not stay here for nine years – that’s what we agreed on. It’s a good package.”
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