Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said this Friday that Jurgen Klopp was the “best opponent” he has faced in his coaching life, on the day the German announced he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
“He was the best competitor I ever had as a coach. The Premier League will miss him, his charismatic personality and the way his team plays. I wish him all the best. Football needs coaches and personalities like him,” said Pep Guardiola. , after beating Tottenham (1-0) in the FA Cup.
The Spanish coach met Klopp in England and also in Germany when he was coach of Bayern Munich and Klopp coached Borussia Dortmund.
“Of course I will miss him. I was shocked by this news, just like everyone else. But I’ll sleep better knowing I won’t meet him,” Guardiola joked.
Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool coaching staff at the end of this season after nine seasons at the English Football League club, the coach himself announced in a video posted on the Reds’ official website.
“I will leave the club at the end of the season,” Klopp began with a statement in an interview published by Liverpool, admitting that the decision to leave the Anfield Road club he belongs to may come as a “shock to many.” contracted until 2026, after arriving in England in 2015.
Despite revealing his “love” for the club, the city, the fans, the team, the staff, the “eccentric” German coach, 56, admitted he is “running out of energy” to continue in his role.
“I’m running out of strength. Obviously I don’t have any problems at the moment and I knew that one day I would have to make this statement, but for now I’m fine. I just know I can “I’m not going to keep doing this job year after year after year after year after year,” he said.
Klopp said the decision was communicated to Liverpool’s owners in November last year: “When we sat down thinking about next season, discussing possible transfers, the location of the training camp, I thought to myself: ‘I’m not sure I’ll here at this time,” and I surprised myself. And I started thinking about this possibility.”
Recalling that “last season was extremely difficult” when Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League and missed out on the Champions League, Klopp praised the behavior of the club’s directors, who “might have chosen to end the relationship at the time.” but they kept him ahead of the Reds.
“It’s not what I want to do, but I think it’s the right decision,” said the coach, refusing to think about farewells at the moment, taking into account that the team that includes Portuguese Diogo Jota is still involved in tournament. fighting for several trophies, including the Premier League, in which it occupies a leading position.
The coach also added that he will take at least a year’s sabbatical, noting that in England he will not coach any team other than the Reds.
“What I know is that I will never coach another club in England, it’s impossible. “I believe that I will find something to do, but I will not coach a team or a selection for at least a year,” he emphasized.
Jurgen Klopp is in his ninth season in charge of Liverpool after arriving at Anfield Road in October 2015, replacing Northern Irishman Brendan Rodgers, who has won the English League, FA Cup, League Cup, FA Super Cup, Champions League and Club Cup in that time. World Cup and European Super Cup.
He is the fourth manager with the most games played in Liverpool’s history with 466, behind legends Bill Shankly (783), Tom Watson (742) and Bob Paisley (535).
Moreover, Klopp has only visited three clubs in his 23-year coaching career, starting with the bench at Mainz, where he hung up his boots in 2001 after spending seven years there, the same amount of time he spent in charge of Dortmund. Dortmund, from 2008 to 2015.
In Dortmund he experienced his first successes, winning the Bundesliga twice in a row and breaking the hegemony of Bayern Munich (in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons).
With Dortmund he also won three German Super Cups and a German Cup, and reached the Champions League final in 2012/13 – which they lost to the Bavarians – leading a team that included players such as Mats Hummels, Sebastien Kehl, Sven Bender, Ilkay Gundogan, Nuri Sahin, Ivan Perisic, Kevin Grosskreutz, Marco Reus and the “inevitable” Robert Lewandowski.
There are less than five months left until the end of this season. Liverpool are top of the Premier League, five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, will play Chelsea in the League Cup final in February and are in the last 16. Europa League, as well as in the 1/16 finals of the FA Cup.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.