03 July 2023 , 01:00
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Jurgen Klopp is one of the top-three managers in the world.
So I’m not surprised that the Deutscher Fussball-Bund want to take the Liverpool boss back to Germany ahead of hosting next summer’s European Championships. It’s a no-brainer.
As the host nation, their fans will expect them to win the tournament – so, of course, they will all want the best man for the job. And, let’s be honest, Jurgen is the best Germany could appoint. Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nageslmann are both brilliant young coaches, but they’re not in the same league as Herr Klopp.
The problem for the German FA is that Klopp is still motivated by the challenge of building something special at Anfield. And that’s just the kind of news that will keep Liverpool fans buoyed throughout the summer, following the disappointment of last season. Klopp’s team will come again – I have absolutely no doubt about that.
Along with Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, he stands at the pinnacle of the managerial profession. I don’t think there was any chance of him walking out on his club to answer the SOS calls coming from his homeland because he is so invested in what’s happening in the Premier League.
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I wouldn’t say Jurgen has got unfinished business on Merseyside. After all, he has won every trophy possible. He has ended Liverpool’s painful 30-year wait for the title and lifted the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and Club World Cup. Jurgen has nothing to prove.
If he walked away from Liverpool tomorrow, he would leave with every box ticked. But I think he loves the club and the fans. I also believe he is still driven by the prospect of competing against Guardiola – and the re-emergence of Manchester United, under Erik ten Hag, and Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta, will only add to that.
Hansi Flick is under pressure as manager of Germany ahead of Euro 2024 (Mikolaj Barbanell/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Don’t forget, as well, that Mauricio Pochettino is back in the Premier League with Chelsea. You could tell Jurgen was frustrated by how the Reds performed last season by some of the things he said in his press conferences and interviews. It certainly wasn’t in the script to finish fifth.
The fact that he has managed to challenge Guardiola over such a sustained period is a testament to how good he is. City are one of football’s great teams. They are managed by a manager who is built the same way. Jurgen has been very unlucky to have arrived in England just as City were starting to really emerge.
Have your say! Should Jurgen Klopp consider leaving Liverpool for the Germany job? Let us know in the comments section.
Jurgen Klopp wants to forge his second great Liverpool team (Getty Images)If Guardiola left City and Klopp was available, I have no doubts that they would offer him the job. He is one of the few managers capable of replacing someone such as Pep. And I’m not sure Jurgen is suited to be an international manager at this stage of his career.
He is still only 56 and you just have to look at how much energy he exudes on the touchline to see that his batteries remain fully charged. Klopp loves being around his players and working with them on the training pitch five days a week.There was a lot of talk about him being burnt out and in need of a sabbatical when he left Borussia Dortmund.
Five months later, he was driving past Stanley Park to take on the challenge of bringing back the glory years to Liverpool. Jurgen has galvanised the club, bringing the players, the fans and the owners all together. He epitomises what the manager of Liverpool Football Club should be about.
He’s had a lot of success – and he wants even more. I mean this in the nicest possible way when I say he’s a right greedy so-and-so. Great managers are like that. They are never satisfied.
Guardiola is the same – look at how driven he was to win the Champions League with City. And, of course, Sir Alex Ferguson was made from the same stuff.
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