Klopp sets stage for Liverpool's next manager with thoughts on Carabao Cup final
Jurgen Klopp insists he is not at the stage of his farewell tour when, to coin a recent Anfield phrase, this means more.
But he is hell-bent on writing some memorable closing “chapters” for his Liverpool “book”. In Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, Klopp has the chance to win the first of a possible four trophies in the final season of his Liverpool career.
And while he is, despite his imminent departure, adamant it is business as usual, Klopp is clearly dreaming of a storybook ending to his time on Merseyside. He said: “What we are doing at the moment is writing a wonderful book, I would say.
“We wrote and we are still writing a wonderful book and when I leave we close that book and put it on the shelf and then someone else will write a wonderful book. There is space for some (more) chapters.
"I am not there and writing the resumé already. Not at all. I am 100 percent in trying to create a few special memories on top of what we have done. We will see what is possible but the basis we created so far … come on, 60 Premier League points is an extraordinary amount of points with all the things that have gone on.
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“And we all know it should be 61 or 63. We all know that. It is so special and let’s keep going.”
Klopp, of course, was referring to the controversial defeat at Spurs in the Premier League back in October when his team were victims of a VAR cock-up. And he was also alluding to a long-running injury crisis that left him without 11 first team players for Wednesday’s win over Luton Town.
“The boys are doing extremely well in most difficult circumstances,” Klopp went on. “We have had to prove a few points … that you can miss X, Y, Z players but still win games.”
Klopp will be hoping Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez - who missed the victory over Luton - will both be fit to start against Mauricio Pochettino ’s men and he is expecting a sterner challenge from the team that capitulated at Anfield at the end of last month.
Klopp said: “Chelsea are a different animal since we (last) played them. They are much more stable. They have had very good results since then. There is no favourite in this final.”
Klopp called on Liverpool fans to create a special atmosphere on Sunday, saying: “The red part of Wembley should be rocking. This team deserves it, this team deserves each push. These boys will throw their heart and soul on the pitch and the more we can give them the better it is.”
And will there be any extra emotion for Klopp, knowing that it will be one of his last finals - or possibly the last final - as Liverpool manager? “Let me wait until Sunday and how I feel,” he smiled. “But I cannot see that because I am just not in that mood. I am just absolutely in the moment.
“I want to win but not for me or my trophy cabinet. It is for the boys, for the club, for the people, that is much more important.”
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