Jurgen Klopp Appointment 2015

Lore & Background

Klopp guided Liverpool to UEFA Champions League finals in 2018 and 2022, and won the trophy in 2019 to secure his first – and Liverpool's sixth – title in the competition. Klopp's side finished second in the 2018–19 Premier League, registering 97 points; the then third-highest total in Premier League history, and the most by a team without winning the title. The following season, Klopp won the UEFA Super Cup and Liverpool's first FIFA Club World Cup, before delivering Liverpool's first Premier League title, amassing a club record 99 points and breaking a number of top-flight records. These achievements won him back-to-back FIFA Coach of the Year awards in 2019 and 2020. Klopp won a cup double of the EFL Cup and FA Cup in 2022. He won another EFL Cup in 2024, departing that same year.

In Their Own Story

Rain lashed against the Melwood training ground windows on October 8, 2015, mirroring the gloom that had settled over Liverpool for years. Then, a figure walked in—tall, bearded, and radiating an infectious, almost manic energy. He bypassed complex whiteboards, looking his squad in the eye with a intensity that demanded immediate belief. 'We will run until our lungs burn,' he told them, his voice rough but filled with a fire that had been absent for too long. Years later, watching his team lift trophies with tears mixing with sweat on the touchline, it was clear he hadn't just managed a football club—he had resurrected a sleeping giant.

Reader's Guide

Klopp is a notable proponent of Gegenpressing, whereby the team, after losing possession, immediately attempts to win back possession, rather than falling back to regroup. He has described his sides as playing 'heavy metal' football, in reference to their pressing and high attacking output. Klopp has cited his main influences as Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi, and former Mainz coach Wolfgang Frank. The importance of emotion is something Klopp has underlined throughout his managerial career.

Did You Know?

• Klopp spent most of his playing career at Mainz 05, initially as a striker before moving to defence.
• He secured Bundesliga promotion with Mainz in 2004 and later guided Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title in 2010–11 and a domestic double in 2011–12.
• Klopp won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool in 2019, the club's sixth title in the competition.
• He won back-to-back FIFA Coach of the Year awards in 2019 and 2020.