Jurgen Klopp could still seal a fairytale ending at Liverpool as he prepares to depart at the end of the season, ending his nine-year reign at Anfield. Despite the Reds’ elimination from the FA Cup, Klopp’s side are still contesting strongly for the Premier League and UEFA Europa League and will hope to add both medals to their Carabao Cup triumph.
Speaking on the Sky Sports News back pages podcast on Wednesday night, The Athletic journalist David Ornstein believes Klopp’s decision to announce his departure at the end of the campaign has “galvanised” his squad, which could help them scoop a second Premier League title four years after ending the club’s 30-year wait for a top-flight triumph.
Ornstein Would Not Bet Against Liverpool Winning More Silverware
The Athletic reporter feels Liverpool can add more gloss to an already impressive season
Since his arrival in 2015, Klopp dragged a below-par Liverpool side up through the ranks and onto the biggest stage of them all when he led the club to its sixth UEFA Champions League success in 2019.
As well as winning the Premier League title in 2020, he has also delivered an FA Cup and two League Cup titles on Merseyside. A second Premier League medal would cap off a remarkable tenure, which Ornstein does not believe is a stretch to say they could achieve.
“He doesn’t always get the tone quite right in his press conferences, but he’s a great character and his messaging is powerful. The fact that he’s leaving in the summer is going to galvanise the players, the staff, the fan base. It already is, the way they are in contention for these trophies, despite the fact they’ve had so many injuries, had to play so many young players — they’ve stepped up to the plate.
“You wouldn’t bet against Klopp leading Liverpool to more glory and ending on a high, but it is going to be really tough because he is in a ferocious battle in the Premier League. This is going to put his powers to the absolute test, to the limit and let’s see how he comes out of it. I think he’ll be pretty confident that he’ll get a bit more silverware before it ends.”
Van Dijk ‘Will Miss’ Klopp When he Departs
The Liverpool captain has spoken glowingly about the German ahead of his scheduled departure
Virgil van Dijk has arguably been the most important part of Klopp’s project at Anfield and has developed into one of the best defenders in the world under the German’s watch — as well as one of the finest in Premier League history.
The Dutch centre-back admitted that Klopp will be greatly missed by players and fans alike in Liverpool when his time comes to an end, and that he will “never take for granted” Klopp’s decision to bring Van Dijk to the club.
Klopp signed the defender from Southampton for £75 million and he completely transformed the defence. Van Dijk has played 249 times under the 56-year-old manager since and became Liverpool captain last summer for what turned out to be Klopp’s final year in charge.
