An Ode to Jurgen Klopp
The story of his career as told through one game
11 games into the 2024/25 season, it's safe to say we are firmly in the Arne Slot era. There’s cautious optimism in the air as we sit at the top of both the Premier League and the Champions League. This season’s narrative has centered on the contrasts between Slot and Klopp: control vs. frenzy, direct play vs. patient buildup. But the big question is: can Slot lead us to the league glory only Klopp has achieved this century?
Yet I find myself marveling at where we are now. November 2024 tells a far different story than November 2014. Back then, we had an embarrassing draw with Ludogorets, and losses to Real Madrid, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Crystal Palace made for a depressing month at the end of the Brendan Rodgers era. In a decade, we’ve gone from celebrating Rickie Lambert’s opener in a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace to mounting our fifth serious title charge in seven years.
When exactly did our fortunes change?
There are countless key moments: the sacking of Rodgers, breaking into the top 4 under Klopp, Champions League finals, league victories, Origi’s heroics — the list goes on. But for me, one game encapsulates the Klopp era: our 4-3 win against Manchester City in 2018. That match was a microcosm of the Klopp years.
A Promising Start: Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Goal (1-0 Liverpool)
In the 9th minute, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain drove forward into City’s half and let loose a low, powerful shot into the far corner—a beautiful goal.
Not having watched much of him at Arsenal, I was unfamiliar with his game, so this goal was both an emphatic start and a pleasant surprise. This mirrored Klopp’s start at Liverpool. In his first few months, there were clear signs of promise and some memorable wins: 3-1 over Chelsea, 4-1 over Manchester City, the unforgettable 5-4 vs. Norwich, and a 6-0 demolition of Villa. And that’s without even mentioning the Europa League run.
Those early days were magical because Klopp defied expectations. Dejan Lovren, who once seemed hopeless, became the hero of our comeback against Dortmund. Victory against Manchester United felt monumental. There was hope, despite the squad’s obvious flaws.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were early disappointments too: a 3-0 loss to Watford, a scraped 2-2 draw with West Brom, and a 2-0 defeat by Newcastle. There were reasons for optimism, but it was clear there was a long way to go. The City game in 2018 reflected this —City had early chances, and without Van Dijk, our defense was still vulnerable.
The Deflation After the Initial High: Sane’s Goal (1-1)
I missed Sane’s equalizer while we paused for Maghrib prayers. Watching the highlights later, I was frustrated by the concession.
A brilliant diagonal ball took Joe Gomez out of play, and Sane’s powerful near-post shot beat Karius—one he really should’ve saved. Back to reality at 1-1.
Klopp’s first half-season was similar; he led us to two cup finals, both ending in heartbreak. We lost on penalties to City in the League Cup final and then painfully to Sevilla in the Europa League final. This introduced a recurring theme of Klopp’s era: no matter how big the dream, we couldn’t always escape football’s brutal realities.
The Glory Moments: Firmino, Mane, and Salah Score (4-1 Liverpool)
Looking back, it feels inevitable, but at the time it was surreal.
Firmino’s aggression exploited poor defending by Stones to give us the lead. Mane’s venomous shot made it 3-1, and Salah capitalized on an Ederson error with a sublime lob for 4-1. Within nine minutes, we had gone from anxiety to jubilation, battering the league’s best team.
Over the next few seasons, Liverpool transformed from plucky underdogs to the world’s best. We thrashed City and Roma on our way to a Champions League final, returned the next year to lift the trophy, and finally captured the Premier League. Memories of agonizing moments — Arshavin’s four goal haul, Gerrard’s slip, a 97-point second place — faded away. We did it.
The Klopp era was defined by moments of pure joy. It was as though the frenzy his football unleashed created glitches in the matrix, allowing impossible moments to happen. Manuel Neuer wasn’t supposed to be spun around, yet Mane bent reality to make it so. Lionel Messi wasn’t supposed to lose a commanding lead, yet the Anfield crowd willed in four goals. Liverpool wasn’t supposed to win league titles yet we powered our way to the top. Matches against Manchester United were supposed to be tense, yet Klopp’s Reds tormented a series of United managers. (Ten Hag may no longer be United’s manager, and Klopp is no longer in our dugout, yet the fact remains: Liverpool defeated Manchester United 7-0).
We pressed relentlessly, passed with precision, and had world-class talent throughout the squad. Firmino’s flicks, Salah’s sprints, Mane’s magic — each moment contributed to the sense that we were untouchable. If the opposition survived all that, they still had to face the Merseyside’s very own Slenderman in Matip or the Leviathan-like Van Dijk. Even the squad players were operating on a different level. Seemingly at will Divock Origi would show the world that he was the successor to R9, Shaqiri showed why his Stokealona days were just the prelude, and even Adrian stepped up to deliver. We had nine exhilarating minutes in the City game, and 18 unforgettable months with Klopp.
In short, Jurgen Klopp, through sheer force of personality, rewrote the playbook. He inspired a team that gegenpressed its way out of decades of near-misses, mediocrity, and heartache. He turned doubters into believers.
The Late Deflation: Bernardo and Gundogan (4-3)
Late goals by Bernardo Silva and Gundogan turned 4-1 into 4-3, making for a tense finish. Loose defending nearly undid us, but we held on.
After winning the league, Liverpool’s form declined. Injuries, age, and bad luck meant Klopp’s era ended more quietly than he deserved. We came within two games of a historic quadruple in 2021/22, and we gave everything in 2023/24. Along the way, we won trophies, said goodbye to icons like Mane, Firmino, Henderson, and Wijnaldum, and welcomed new stars like Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, and our very own Shakespearean tragi-hero Darwin Nunez. It’s bittersweet that the Premier League’s greatest manager only walked away with one title, but the joy we experienced was unmatched.
Klopp took Liverpool from the doldrums to dizzying heights even Icarus couldn’t ascend to. For our larger-than-life manager he flew past the sun and etched his name into Liverpool legend. There may have been some charring on the way down, but like those nine minutes against City, Liverpool was, for a time, unbeatable, undeniable, and unstoppable.