“Now the world knows me”
Klopp didn’t know exactly where Liverpool was
2/19/2023 8:32 am
Jürgen Klopp has had a steep coaching career: from Mainz via Dortmund to Liverpool. He himself states: “Now the whole world knows me.” His start in England is accompanied by major geographical challenges.
The move to Liverpool also presented Jürgen Klopp with geographical challenges. “At the beginning I had no idea which city was where,” said the 55-year-old coach about his early days with the Reds in 2015 in the WDR podcast “Ball you need is love – for the love of football”. He had a large map of England hanging in his office: “I didn’t even know where London was from Liverpool.”
In the conversation that was recorded in November and has now been broadcast, the former Bundesliga coach reported on his enthusiasm for the club’s legend. Liverpool is a “really, really, really big club,” said the 2019 Champions League winner and explained: “When I was in Mainz, the whole city knew me, when I was in Dortmund, all of Germany suddenly knew me . Now I’m in Liverpool, now the whole world knows me.”
But the whole world knows that things are not going perfectly for the coach and his team at the moment. The Reds are only ninth in the Premier League and are already a long way behind the places that qualify for international games. Newcastle United, the opponent on this 24th matchday (Sunday, 6.30 p.m. in the ntv.de live ticker), is on one of these.
Klopp makes proposal for VAR
Klopp expressed a clear opinion on the video evidence. “I think the idea itself is quite good,” he said, because the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) makes more correct decisions. “But if it ends up causing us to wait ten minutes for someone to make the wrong decision – of course that doesn’t make sense.” As in the Bundesliga, there are always debates on the subject in the English Premier League.
Klopp thinks it is wrong that the VAR can only officially intervene in the game if there is a clear wrong decision. “It’s not about a crystal clear wrong decision, it’s just about right or wrong.” Some VAR decisions would be made because he “doesn’t want to piss his colleague on the pitch,” said the 55-year-old. Therefore, “far too many mistakes” would happen. “You have to use common sense in football, especially in VAR history.”
Klopp suggested using people as video assistants who are not referees. “Who’s sitting there? Does it have to be a referee or could it be someone who just has a talent for judging things correctly.” These are in no way dependent on the referee on the pitch and could therefore easily overrule him. “It’s about more right decisions,” said Klopp.