Jurgen Klopp on his long Liverpool goodbye, VAR, favourite moments and thanks to city and the fans ahead of his final game in charge against Wolves
AXA training centre, Liverpool, UK
AXA training centre, Liverpool, UK
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00:00 (audience laughing)
00:03 (audience laughing)
00:06 - Morning.
00:13 - Morning.
00:14 (audience laughing)
00:26 (audience laughing)
00:29 - Good.
00:36 - Sorry.
00:37 - I thought that was it.
00:39 - Morning.
00:41 - Morning.
00:42 - I was going to leave you the war's game on Sunday,
00:43 so, by the way.
00:45 (audience laughing)
00:45 - How bad can I make this for the last time?
00:48 - You're a tellin' in there, don't worry.
00:50 You will make it.
00:51 (audience laughing)
00:52 - Jürgen, what's the week been like for you?
00:54 How are you feeling about your last game?
00:56 You've had a very intense and dramatic week.
00:58 What's the most intense week of your life?
01:01 - Yeah, the most intense week of my life definitely was that.
01:04 I said so often goodbye this week to so many people.
01:09 Great moments already.
01:14 So we don't have to pretend it's a normal week,
01:17 because it isn't, but on the other side,
01:21 looking at the game, I said it as well this week already,
01:26 I very often try to save myself, and this is the last game of the season,
01:30 and after that it's holiday, that's what I had for the last 24 years,
01:33 so business as usual.
01:35 Knowing that everything during the game will be completely different.
01:39 Yesterday the players said goodbye, we had a little barbecue here,
01:45 it was really nice.
01:47 The day before yesterday I was with the staff of Chapel Street,
01:50 it was really, really nice.
01:52 The sun hit the stadium after that, and now it's goodbye, celebration, whatever.
01:59 It's a lot, and I had very emotional moments of course, in between,
02:04 but it's a lot to do as well.
02:07 I'm not sure, but I don't know exactly how many shirts I signed last week,
02:13 but there were a few, let me say it like that,
02:16 and I'm not sure if not everybody has now won.
02:18 But it's all part of the thing.
02:22 Saying goodbye I don't think is ever nice,
02:26 but saying goodbye without...
02:28 ..feeling sad or hurt or whatever,
02:35 that would just mean that the time we spent together was not right and not great,
02:41 and we had a great time.
02:42 So it was always clear that it would be tough, and I know it will be tough.
02:46 You've got a few programmes for you to sign as well, if you've got time.
02:50 LAUGHTER
02:52 Is that a no-chance answer?
02:54 If it wouldn't be live!
02:56 Not just yourself obviously leaving the club, we knew that anyway,
03:00 but Pep Linders, we found out this week, has got a new job to look forward to,
03:04 and today we found out that Joel Matip and Thiago will be leaving the club as well.
03:09 If we could get your thoughts on all three.
03:14 Yeah, Pep and Midor have a bright future, I was said that,
03:18 they are incredible coaches, fantastic coaches,
03:22 but the most influential coaches you can imagine I ever had,
03:27 because we created a style of play which I really love,
03:31 together they are incredibly talented, full of energy,
03:34 so I will follow each step of them.
03:37 I think it's a great choice of both sides, they are lucky,
03:42 because that will be really good.
03:45 Yeah, president, Johnny, John Achterberg, joins Stevie, good luck with that!
03:58 LAUGHTER
04:00 No, fantastic coach, if you ask the goalies over the years,
04:05 he coached on one day 12 goalies, I didn't know we had that many at the club,
04:09 but he coached everybody and their dogs, it was unbelievable.
04:14 So, fantastic. Jack Robinson is leaving as well,
04:19 fantastic young goalie coach, the future is bright for him.
04:23 Andreas Kohlmeyer will leave, future is bright for him,
04:29 his CV is Bayern Munich, Liverpool FC, and the most successful spells he can have.
04:33 So that's really cool.
04:36 So many people will leave, but it's normal, actually.
04:41 They don't leave because "I go", or whatever, but there's a new start and that's fine,
04:47 and in football, if you want to be part of the football business,
04:51 you need to be ready to move a lot, because usually you get a second after half a year,
04:56 or after a year, and you go on, next one, next one...
04:59 It's always an experience, but we experienced eight and a half years together,
05:02 which is pretty special, and everybody's super thankful and appreciative of that,
05:06 and they all see it like that.
05:10 So they will be fine and I will follow whatever they will do.
05:17 Joel and Thiago were in my office, we spoke a bit longer this week.
05:22 Have you ever seen a better free transfer than Joel Matip?
05:30 You will not find a more likeable person than Joel Matip.
05:35 He's funny in his own way, ridiculously funny to be honest,
05:39 and a wonderful man with a wonderful family,
05:42 so he has to make a decision whether he wants to play on or not,
05:45 we will see that or read it or whatever.
05:49 But whoever gets him is a lucky club, definitely,
05:53 because he's world-class and super humble.
05:56 That together is now really rare, like super humble.
06:01 And the next world-class player, then obviously Thiago.
06:04 In a parallel world, I would have loved to see the career without injuries.
06:10 He's not the best, but definitely one of the best I ever saw.
06:16 He can do things, I'm not sure, before that I didn't think it was possible.
06:22 He's in control of absolutely everything on the pitch,
06:25 unfortunately the body didn't play exactly a part.
06:27 But he's in a good way, he looked really good yesterday,
06:30 and I'm sure he won't want to give it a try again.
06:35 I told them already thank you for everything they did,
06:39 so I don't think I have to tell you that now.
06:41 Whoever leaves this club and works together last year,
06:44 they were all brilliant, there's nothing.
06:46 If they wouldn't have been brilliant they would have left last year,
06:49 because we don't carry problems with us.
06:53 So I'm really, really thankful for all that.
06:56 Jürgen, we've often tried to get you to comment on the wider things affecting football,
06:59 so for the last time, Premier League clubs next month are going to be voting
07:04 on whether or not to scrap VAR, I just wondered if you were voting, how you would vote?
07:08 I'm not sure they vote against VAR,
07:22 I think they vote against how VAR gets used,
07:25 because that's definitely not right.
07:28 So I understand that. In the way they do it, I would vote against it,
07:33 because these people are not able to use it properly.
07:36 I don't think VAR is the problem, but the way we use it is the problem.
07:41 You cannot change the people, obviously, that's clear,
07:45 but you cannot change them, so I would vote for scrapping VAR.
07:52 Jürgen, how do you want your side to sign off against Wolves in your final game?
08:00 Look, this is a massive challenge now, to sit here and pretend that I really...
08:06 I have no clue how the team meeting will be.
08:10 I think the documentary guys are in, right?
08:13 I don't know, but probably they asked me if they can have the last team meeting,
08:17 which nobody ever had, and I said no, because I have no idea how that will be.
08:25 Maybe Virgil is doing it, so if somebody has to do it who is really on fire,
08:30 can I be on fire? Probably yes, I think so, but I don't know at the moment.
08:35 But it will be really strange, and now we talk about the Wolves game,
08:37 yes, they want us to play top-top football, people come for that,
08:41 but in an atmosphere like that during a game would be cool,
08:47 if that would not be a good-bye atmosphere, but in a football atmosphere that would be cool.
08:52 It's a strong opponent, they played a sensational season,
08:56 they were the most unlucky team I ever saw with the VAR decisions,
09:00 they were crazy against Wolves.
09:02 We had a few strange ones, but they are the champions of that, unbelievable.
09:08 Now, recently, the result is not exactly what they would expect,
09:13 especially with the football they played before,
09:16 but they will be strong, they want to finish on a high,
09:18 so we have to be strong, we will prepare as good and as normal as possible.
09:23 But this time I think I was never the part who disturbed a good game,
09:28 but probably in this moment I am the one.
09:30 I'm really sorry for that, I would love not to be that,
09:34 but standing there and pretending that's a completely normal game,
09:38 nobody would believe me if I told that.
09:41 It's a challenge for different reasons this time,
09:44 and I hope we all together can just put a really good performance on the pitch.
09:50 I think we all would deserve that, and it's much easier to celebrate afterwards
09:53 if you saw a good game before.
09:55 But I can't guarantee that now, but I will try as hard as I can.
10:01 Thomas.
10:03 Hi, Jürgen. Your last trophy at the EFL Cup, you won seven major trophies while being here,
10:09 how much did you enjoy that compared to the ones before?
10:13 Did it encapsulate what your team has played like over the time?
10:17 Because you had to deal with the adversity of all the injuries,
10:19 playing with the kids as well, how much joy did that give you?
10:23 I said it after the game, this is my favourite final I've ever played,
10:27 for the circumstances we played it in.
10:30 It's not the competition, but the final, forget what you get afterwards.
10:35 We all know how people see the Carabao Cup,
10:40 but in that moment it felt absolutely outstanding,
10:44 they could have given us each trophy, we would have taken it
10:47 and we would have been the happiest people on the planet.
10:50 The game was great, the atmosphere was exceptional.
10:53 You're right, it showed everything what this club is about,
10:57 because the people created an atmosphere in the stadium
11:00 which I'm not sure Wembley ever had before.
11:02 I know now a few guys from other teams who say,
11:05 "Yeah, in 1976 it was like that, but who cares?"
11:08 It's a really...
11:11 Our people can create some special moments, wow.
11:17 And that night the team created something really special,
11:20 the club created something really special,
11:23 the academy created something really special.
11:25 It was, from a club point of view, the best night of our lives,
11:29 because you want to have the kids involved,
11:31 you want to have that, you want to give the recognition to the academy.
11:34 I didn't have to say a word, we usually have to say,
11:37 "Alex Inglesdorf is doing that, Barry is doing that, Mark is doing that."
11:41 But that night everybody just had to look where they were coming from,
11:44 and everybody knew that obviously the coaches and the academy did really well,
11:47 and I love to see the kids' eyes.
11:50 And the "Allah wants Virgil" skipper's first trophy,
11:57 it was just a fantastic night, and I will never forget that, definitely.
12:03 Yeah, it was a good one.
12:06 Is there a moment or a goal performance
12:09 which defines the football you want your teams to play with over the year?
12:13 The football we played was, I would say,
12:16 the best football we played against Man City this year,
12:19 in that game, in that period, I don't know exactly how many minutes anymore,
12:23 but we never controlled City like we did that day.
12:26 That is super difficult, we see where they are now,
12:30 so they are obviously still a really good team,
12:32 but that day we played the best.
12:36 We won before, but it was different games.
12:40 We played really good and scored incredible goals against them,
12:43 I don't know, 40 passes in possession, ending up completely free from the goal.
12:48 But controlling a game against a team like that, putting them under pressure,
12:52 we never did before, so that was my favourite.
12:55 Maybe it was 60 minutes or so, but that's really good.
13:00 More spectacular, Barcelona, so many things, best goal, Alisson Becker.
13:04 Best assist, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
13:11 Against Barcelona? Yeah.
13:16 Best save, Alisson Becker against Napoli.
13:21 What else? Best cross?
13:26 LAUGHTER
13:28 Oh, best backheel goal, Sadio Mane.
13:33 I've heard a few things, yeah.
13:40 In terms of the success you've enjoyed at the club,
13:44 compared to the competition you've faced, how do you reflect on your time here?
13:49 For me it's absolutely fine. I know we could have won more,
13:54 but I cannot change that anymore, so I'm absolutely fine.
13:57 We could have won less, it's possible as well.
14:00 Not becoming champion for a point, it's not a great experience,
14:04 but it's an experience and it shows you that you were really good.
14:07 That will not be in the history books, obviously,
14:10 and then all the wins and the nearly wins will not be there.
14:13 I know that, that's life.
14:15 But if you are in it, you cannot see it like that. I can't.
14:19 And I couldn't have done anything different in this moment.
14:24 I think this one season, I don't know which it was exactly,
14:29 but when we don't score at City, when the ball was pretty much over the line,
14:35 and in the same season, I think two or three weeks later,
14:38 Aguero scores a goal where the ball is that much over the line at Burnley...
14:41 Sorry, that's not my fault, I take responsibility for everything, but not for that.
14:46 So we could have, but it's fine.
14:51 We could have won more Champions League.
14:54 Being three times in a Champions League final is an outstanding achievement.
14:58 Being brave enough and trying always again, as hard as we did,
15:03 is really brave, because a good chance that you lose the final,
15:10 that's just how it is, because you face Real Madrid,
15:13 they always found a way to win it.
15:17 And we tried again, and that's how it is.
15:22 As I said before, I would not be happy if I thought I could have done more.
15:31 I couldn't have done more. Could I have done better?
15:35 Me? No, could somebody else have done better? Probably.
15:39 That's possible, but me in that situation, no.
15:43 And that's why I'm fine with it.
15:45 The rest will be judged by the people,
15:49 and I'm pretty sure more of them are fine with what we did,
15:54 and some think it's not enough, and both are absolutely all right.
16:00 Karl.
16:02 Hi.
16:05 Just on a short one, a lot of times you talk about the journey and the emotional journey
16:12 that you've had, rather than the trophies and results,
16:16 including what you're going to take away from the experience...
16:20 Same.
16:21 ..outside the results.
16:22 I know, same. Look, it's nearly a decade in my life,
16:25 and super influential in so many ways.
16:29 I spoke before about how hard it will be to say goodbye,
16:32 I love absolutely everything about this place, I do.
16:35 And...
16:37 I take memories with me, fantastic memories,
16:44 I take friendships with me, relationships with me, forever.
16:49 Look, I think, and you realise the older you get,
16:57 when time slips through your fingers, that's worse,
17:00 you only realise that later on, you look back and think, "My God, that was quick."
17:04 I don't think it was quick, it's not that I feel it as if I would have arrived yesterday,
17:09 I really think it was the absolute opposite of a waste of time.
17:14 We used absolutely everything and tried to make the best out of everything,
17:20 tried to enjoy it as much as somehow possible,
17:24 and a decade in your life is a massive one, and I will not forget...
17:30 I'm not going to say a minute, but I will not forget a day in that time,
17:36 because I met the best people I ever met,
17:40 and I did it for the best club I could have imagined.
17:48 So that's just how it is, in a wonderful, very, very special city.
17:54 Very special. Nothing is perfect nowadays,
17:58 but the majority of the people in the city are for me as close as possible,
18:04 because of the way they are, the way they deal with life,
18:07 the way they welcome you, the way they treat you, and I don't mean me,
18:13 I mean all the people I know when they arrive in the city.
18:16 What they tell me describes people in Liverpool,
18:21 and that's wonderful to know. I'm completely at peace,
18:25 it's wonderful to know that I spent a big time of my life here.
18:30 And I said it before, I got the key of the city,
18:34 and I know that's probably rather funny for a lot of people,
18:38 for me it feels like responsibility,
18:43 so I don't imagine the club will need my help in the future,
18:48 but if the city needs me I'm there.
18:51 That's how it is, so I want to be helpful in whatever way,
18:58 and we will see how that looks.
19:01 Jürgen, you stood on the pitch alone at Anfield,
19:09 what was that experience like?
19:13 I'm really sorry, I know life is about pictures and stuff like this.
19:17 It was a staff event, that's why I went there, loved it, did it.
19:23 But then people from our TV channel, other people, asked me to do that.
19:27 I would never wear a saco and a shirt and go to Anfield in an empty stadium
19:32 and just stand there and enjoy an empty stadium.
19:35 I love Anfield to bits, but I love when it's full.
19:39 This was created... I hope that's not a picture of my time at Liverpool,
19:45 being alone in the stadium, that would be somehow dressed up.
19:50 When they asked me to do that, I stood there, and yes, that feels kind of strange,
19:59 and yes, you realise I never did it before, so now I did it once,
20:02 and I will never do it again probably,
20:05 but can you find Anfield completely for yourself and be alone in there?
20:08 But I wasn't alone, a lot of cameras were on, you can see because there were pictures.
20:12 No, Anfield is a super, super special place, because of the people.
20:19 It's a nice stadium, love it, love it, love it, but the people make it exceptional.
20:24 Jürgen, I don't know how much chance you have had over the last few years
20:31 to actually go into Liverpool, but your face is kind of everywhere.
20:36 Is it because of the mules?
20:39 That doesn't help with me going into the city.
20:43 There's a guy, I stand there.
20:49 How do you explain how much the fans have taken to you personally?
20:54 I can't.
20:56 I try to explain why I like the people so much, why the people like me so much,
21:12 how can I describe that? I don't understand it properly,
21:16 I know the Football Manager of Liverpool is...
21:19 Before you put a step on the pitch, people like you until you disappoint them.
21:24 We never really disappointed them, I think, in the moments,
21:27 but in general it was all right.
21:31 But the club is special, and that you realise now as well,
21:37 the club means the world to so many people, it's crazy.
21:41 So here's a huge opportunity to apologise, I got over the years,
21:46 but now in the last few weeks it was really extreme.
21:49 Emails, letters, if I start answering them, I sit here until 2028,
21:57 so it's just too much, and I really apologise that I cannot react on it,
22:01 some of them I read, I didn't read all of them.
22:04 I couldn't organise tickets for the last game, there were a lot of requests as well.
22:09 But it shows, and yesterday I had to read letters for LFC TV,
22:16 and one of them I burst into tears, it's just not possible,
22:20 the stories behind it, what it meant to the people,
22:23 what we did over these nine years and how their lives changed in these nine years.
22:27 I know that football can do that to people,
22:30 you can know football can do that to a city, and we did that.
22:34 But the thing is now...
22:39 And some people might think, "Now I leave and that's gone",
22:42 but it's not, because experience is there to learn from,
22:46 and if you all experience now that that can lead,
22:49 that the way we felt, the way we bought into it, led to the fact how happy we were.
22:55 Then keep doing that for the next generation, for the next team,
23:01 which is still here for the next manager, and you will feel the same way,
23:07 because the support doesn't depend on people at all,
23:11 it's about the club, it was before me about the club, it will be after me about the club,
23:15 and that's how it should be.
23:19 But we have very special supporters, and the last nine years meant the world to them,
23:28 and I'm happy about that.
23:32 Josh, one again, I apologise.
23:34 Hi, Jürgen, how are you?
23:36 Still good.
23:38 Great to hear. In the last couple of months I've been speaking to fans,
23:41 ex-players all across Ireland, I spoke to Dara Gorman who came over at Christmas time as well,
23:46 and from speaking to so many people, the main thing that was coming through
23:49 was that you made Liverpool feel like even more of a family.
23:52 Before you came in, did you expect to have any sort of an impact on fans,
23:55 on the Indian republic, across the world?
23:58 Yeah.
24:01 LAUGHTER
24:03 Yeah, I thought, "Come on, let's do that."
24:09 So, let me say, I had a good relationship with the people at Mines,
24:17 and for them it was probably the hardest because they saw me 11 years playing.
24:22 So, they knew me really.
24:26 We created a really special bond at Dortmund as well,
24:32 so I never planned that, but I like it a lot,
24:37 and I think it's actually what makes football really enjoyable.
24:41 I always explained it like that, if the people would not come and watch and support us,
24:48 football would still be a nice game, but we would put sticks in the ground and play in a park.
24:54 And because the people love it so much, and it means so much to the people,
25:00 we played in fantastic stadiums, we earned an awful lot of money,
25:03 we have a great life - intense, but really good.
25:07 And you have to experience that together.
25:13 I never understood why you would, "You're there, we're here."
25:17 It's like, we are the ambassadors of our people, we have to fulfil their dreams,
25:22 we try, we cannot guarantee that, but we have to try.
25:26 We have to fight extremely hard, because they fight extremely hard,
25:29 all these kind of things, that's how I always understood it, and we always did it.
25:33 And that's why I understand why the people love that time,
25:38 and I was here at that time so much, but I never expected it to happen,
25:43 because you never know how the people will take it,
25:47 but obviously here it was...
25:49 These thoughts fitted like a glove to the people's thoughts,
25:55 and that's why it was pretty special.
25:59 Thank you, everyone.
26:00 Okay, turn the cameras off at the back, please.
26:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]