JURGEN KLOPP GOES OUT ALL GUNS BLAZING IN FINAL LIVERPOOL ADDRESS

Outgoing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp delivered his final address to the city on Tuesday night at a special event held in his honour at the M&S Bank Arena. 

His last match came on the final day of the Premier League season at Anfield against Wolves, where he bid an emotional farewell to home supporters and ushered in the Arne Slot era. 

After a quick holiday to Majorca, indulging his other passion of padel, Klopp flew back into Liverpool on Tuesday ahead of the evening’s event. 

And while the tears were flowing again - as the crowd inside the hall serenaded him with trademark tunes - Klopp took the opportunity to go out all guns blazing. 

The likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea were ALL in his crosshairs, as he made references City’s 115 charges, what appeared to be a dig at United over their treatment of Jadon Sancho and Chelsea’s propensity for sacking managers in light of Mauricio Pochettino’s departure. 

On stage for an audience Q&A session alongside comedian John Bishop, Klopp was first asked whether one day he might count himself as a three-time Premier League champion if City’s 115 charges lead to a stripping of their crowns. 

Klopp on 115 charges verdict: 'Organise a parade, I'm there'

Pep Guardiola’s side have swept the board with four titles in four years - and six in seven - with Klopp finishing runner-up to the Spaniard twice. 

“You leave this club having won the Premier League once,” the funnyman remarked. 

“There could be a court decision that means you’ve won the Premier League three times…” 

“If you organise a bus parade,” Klopp retorted. “I’m in! How long it takes I don’t care.”

He then moved on to the role of the manager, having to stand firmly with players even in the midst of the harshest criticism. 

Klopp on £80m players on loan: 'I cannot buy into that'

This was taken as a coded reference to Manchester United, who discarded Jadon Sancho on loan to his former club Borussia Dortmund following a row with manager Erik ten Hag. 

“If the whole world loses trust and faith in the player then the manager has to be the one behind the player," he said. "I cannot just buy into that ‘he’s useless’ stuff like other clubs did by the way. Buying a player for £80m and then sending him out on loan!”

Klopp also had to answer questions based on what was perceived to be a lack of funds made available by FSG during his time in charge. 

'We did it the Liverpool way'

Despite being unable to match the spending of United, City, Chelsea and other top clubs around Europe during his tenure, the German still managed to lead the Reds to a Premier League title as well as a Champions League. 

“Can you imagine LFC as the club with unlimited money?” he said. “Imagine Kylian Mbappe came here. Imagine [Jude] Bellingham came here, [Erling] Haaland. It is not us, it just does not fit. 

“We won what we won and we did it the Liverpool way. We had hard conversations and other clubs didn’t do that in the same time.

“We built two new stands, a new training ground, we bought Melwood back – the dumbest idea I ever heard was that we sold it in the first place. The owners do what owners do.

"Surprise! The owners want to earn money. Sorry to tell you that. It’s not like they earn money on a daily basis: they invest something and that’s how the whole world goes.”

Klopp on London owners: 'I wouldn't have survived a year'

He then referenced the hire and fire culture that takes place around the upper echelons of the game, with Pochettino leaving Chelsea after just one season in charge. 

That came on the back of a very good end to the season for the West London side, who ended up in the European places and were one of the league’s form teams by the end of the campaign.

“We should be really happy that we have these owners and not guys who bought London clubs and other stuff,” Klopp declared. 

“I wouldn’t have survived a year at Liverpool (with them in charge). ‘Great development but not good enough, sack him!’ A year later: ‘Sack him’. Then finally they play football where people think they might be back and they sack the manager anyway. 

“People always think the grass is greener but we have owners who really feel responsible for the club and work really hard as well to be successful. I felt supported. We did it as good as we could have done and I’m fine with it.”

2024-05-29T11:05:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd