Jurgen Klopp is one of the most animated and decorated football managers in the current footballing roster. His overwhelming success with Liverpool has managed to slingshot him to the ace of the managerial appellations, as he continues to be the mastermind behind the Red’s unprecedented rise from the ashes.
Success did not come overnight for the German tactical giant. He built his empire at Anfield by bits and pieces, and still continues to work diligently to turn Liverpool into an invincible powerhouse of Europe.
Enthralled by his on-field tactics, his supporters have also been highly fascinated by the man’s ability to make the wittiest remarks that will leave anyone listening to him, in splits. We will look at five of the wittiest statements made by Jurgen Klopp.
1. Klopp never had much love for his own playing career
Despite being one of the scintillating masterminds in the history of football, Klopp’s own footballing skills were of a very dubious stature, and he failed to make it big in playing the game itself. When he was asked to sum it up in a rundown, he stated, “I never succeeded in bringing to the field what was going on in my brain. I had the talent for the fifth division and the mind for the Bundesliga. The result was a career in the second division.”
2. Klopp on Arsene Wenger
Wenger was one of the finest coaches to have trained Arsenal into becoming the Invincibles in 2004. However, with time, his heroics at the Emirates stadium nosedived into a receding tailspin. Despite trying his very best, he failed to revive Arsenal and was shown the exit in 2018. Klopp was asked to describe Wenger’s brand of football when the German brought out the best of wits in him to cite, “He likes having the ball, playing football, passes. It’s like an orchestra. But it’s a silent song. I like heavy metal.”
3. Klopp’s words of wisdom in dealing with a defeat
This wasn’t an ideal showboat of wits from the German manager but a showdown of his heart. He taught his wards to bite the bullet and move forward. This is what made him even more special. His exact words were, “You have to feel a defeat. You cannot say ‘I don’t care, it’s not important.’ If I was allowed to say shit I would say shit but I’m not allowed!
It was important and we lost, so that feels not too good. You always have to strike back. We can say all of these things, but you know you can fall down and then you have to stand up.
That’s the truth, but it’s completely normal – only silly idiots stay on the floor and wait for the next defeat. Of course, we will strike back – 100%. We struck back today in the game.”
4. Klopp on Bayern Munich
When he was managing Dortmund, Bayern was his biggest and most substantial adversary. When he was asked that how would Dortmund fare against the German champions, he made a classic reply. His words were, “We have a bow and arrow and if we aim well, we can hit the target. The problem is that Bayern has a bazooka. But then Robin Hood was quite successful.”
5. Klopp on Mario Gotze
When Gotze left Dortmund to join the ranks of Bayern Munich, Klopp was definitely not happy with his decision. Hence, he went ballistic. Unfortunately, given his animation on and off the pitch, he decided to vent it all out via words. He said, “He’s leaving because he’s Guardiola’s favourite. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I can’t make myself shorter and learn Spanish.” In this statement, he basically called Guardiola short.
