Jurgen Klopp has brutally roasted Manchester United, with the former Liverpool boss able to laugh at the struggles being endured by his former arch-rivals. The German tactician spent nine years locked in Premier League battle with the Red Devils, and ultimately emerged victorious as he was able to awaken sleeping giants on Merseyside from their slumber and turn them into serious contenders for the biggest domestic and continental prizes.
Klopp turned Liverpool into contenders for every trophy
Klopp captured a couple of those, with Liverpool savouring Premier League and Champions League title successes during his tenure. Silverware was also secured in cup competitions, with Liverpool emerging as challengers for every trophy up for grabs in any given year. Their haul under Klopp would have been even greater were it not for the strength of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
United had hoped to form part of that picture, but regression continues to be endured at Old Trafford. The Red Devils have not celebrated a top-flight title win since bidding farewell to Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. Ruben Amorim is struggling to deliver a reversal in fortune at present, with the Portuguese facing some uncomfortable questions after winning just 18 of his 49 games at the helm.
AdvertisementGettyMan Utd struggling again under Portuguese coach Amorim
Klopp is no longer prowling the touchline, having stepped down as Liverpool boss in the summer of 2024, but has become head of global soccer for Red Bull and is charged with the task of making the clubs in their elite talent stable as competitive as possible. Klopp told of that challenge, while breaking into his booming laugh: “We are not the final destination. We are not Liverpool… or in former times Man United! You can write that if you want.”
He is able to make such tongue-in-cheek comments having experienced the stresses of life in the dugout. He said of trying to help those, such as Amorim, that may find the going tough at times: “I want to instil this (stability); more trust, going through the hard times. If you are convinced, then you are convinced. The world is like that: ‘Oh my God, you are great!’ Then it is, ‘Oh no! You’re sh*t.’ There’s no grey area anymore. And very often life is grey.”
Klopp knows how to lose & pass on that advice
Klopp knows better than most how it feels to lose and fall agonisingly short in pursuit of an ultimate target, with it that vast experience which allows him to pass on words of wisdom. He went on to say: “I lost more Champions League finals than most people play. I know how to lose and how life goes on. I don’t need to keep my experience for myself. I never did, but I just never had time to talk to people about it because it was the next game coming up. Now if somebody asks me something, I’m the most open book I know.”
Klopp is enjoying life away from the dugout, with a more stress free existence being embraced. His role with Red Bull is keeping him busy and he will commit fully to that position for as long as he feels that he has something to offer. The enigmatic 58-year-old said: “The last thing I want to be is the old man in the room… The one who says, ‘In the past, everything was good. We did it like that!’ Hopefully I finish before I reach that point. I want to be the counterpart. I want to be, if necessary, the emergency call of the coaches or sporting directors, the guy they call when they don’t know who to talk to. You need to create a relationship.”
GettyWill Klopp ever return to management?
Klopp is still relatively young when it comes to management, with there plenty of elite coaches in the business that are older than him. He has, however, suggested that no return to the dugout will be made as there is no desire on his part – certainly at club level – to step back into that demanding world any time soon.
