Jürgen Klopp

[Assassin]

Duno where to put this and not seen it before

Captures the moment VVD falls to the ground and absolute limbs in the stand. For a still image to capture so much chaos

VVD in Sadio Mane copycat celebration shocker

[SB]

We are the champions, champions of Europe

[red g]

Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola said they were deeply moved on Thursday night after being inducted into the League Managers Association’s (LMA) Hall of Fame.

The German and the Spaniard were presented with silver salver to commemorate their inductions by LMA president Gareth Southgate and fellow Hall of Famer Sir Alex Ferguson at a gala evening in Manchester.

“To be a part of this incredible group of managers is big,” Klopp said

“Tonight my family and coaches are here. I wanted them all to be here because it is very important in in our family history.

“It’s big, it’s really big. When I first heard about it [the honour] I couldn’t believe it,” he said.

“I’ve now been in England for a bit longer than four years and I’ve enjoyed each second, to be honest.

“I saw all the names with the pictures when I came in, it’s really impressive.

“I don’t often feel pride but, in this moment, I’m very proud because this is something really, really special.”

Guardiola said: “I do not have any words to express my gratitude. To be part of this family.

“It is an incredible honour to be a part of it, for the rest of my life and for generations, to be in this Hall of Fame in English football.”

LMA chairman Howard Wilkinson said Klopp and Guardiola had shown “incredible drive, innovation and dedication” in their roles.

“Since arriving in England, they have built two of the best teams in Premier League history and have done so with humility and honour,” Wilkinson said.

Klopp joined Liverpool for the 2015-16 campaign and last season led the club to the Champions League title.

Guardiola took over Manchester City at the start of 2016-17, and has so far taken the side to two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League Cups.

https://www.teamtalk.com/news/klopp-guardiola-deeply-moved-by-lmas-hall-of-fame-honour

[Cormack74]

A fabulous achievement undermined by having it presented by DBF

[dom9]

A fabulous achievement undermined by having it presented by DBF

And Howard Wilkinson.

[Shaggy]

Guardiola said: “I do not have any words to express my gratitude. To be part of this family.

“It is an incredible honour to be a part of it, for the rest of my life and for generations, to be in this Hall of Fame in English football.”

He was so honoured he sneaked in to the bash late, stayed for 20 minutes to collect his award, and do some photos, and then ****ed off.

Klopp stayed all night, had a few pints and charmed everybody

[dom9]

TBH, I'd be more Pep when faced with the prospect of spending any time with that mob.

[Shaggy]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/dec/02/liverpool-pep-lijnders-jurgen-klopp-assistant-paddle-tennis-james-milner?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Liverpool’s Pep Lijnders: ‘Our identity is intensity. It comes back in every drill’

Jürgen Klopp’s assistant on designing training, playing paddle tennis with the manager and why James Milner inspired him

Mon 2 Dec 2019 00.01 GMT

Long before Liverpool reached last season’s Champions League final, preparations for a possible showdown in Madrid were being made by Pepijn “Pep” Lijnders. The semi-final against Barcelona had not been played but Jürgen Klopp’s assistant was already contemplating the ideal preparation. He thought about inviting a team who could mimic Ajax’s or Tottenham’s style, to give Liverpool an idea of what they could expect if they overcame Barça.

The location was decided. Marbella’s weather was similar to Madrid’s and it would be relatively easy to fly a team there secretly. “I really wanted to organise a game because otherwise it would have been three weeks without any competitive action,” Lijnders says. “I wanted us to play a similar team to the opponents we could face in Madrid. The idea was to privately invite a team to train three to four days in the way we wanted them to play us in the friendly.”

Lijnders’ efforts proved well worth it after Liverpool overcame a 3-0 deficit to reach the final. “Benfica B came over and everything remained secret,” Lijnders says. “We gave a presentation to their manager about how they had to play. It had to be like Tottenham, with their set pieces, footballing intentions and defensive organisation. We played that game behind closed doors. We even built higher shields so no one could see anything. The match took place exactly one week before the final and we prepared everything like we would do during the day of the final.”

Liverpool, who defeated Benfica B 3-0, secured the Champions League by beating Spurs 2-0. When watching the buildup to the early goals in both those games there is a recognisable pattern, with Liverpool winning possession on the halfway line and playing a long ball to Sadio Mané. “In both moments you could clearly see how we positioned ourselves to be able to dominate the second-ball game and directly searched for Sadio into the free space behind the last line.”

Lijnders is speaking at the Melwood training ground. Dressed in a club jumper featuring six stars symbolising the European Cup victories he explains how the technical staff work on a daily basis. “Jürgen [Klopp] is the leader and face of the team, the one who defines the character and who stimulates everyone. Pete [Peter Krawietz] is responsible for the analysis and prepares everything in regards to videos which are shown to the players. I’m responsible for the training process.

“Together we decide what kind of aspects we want to develop for the team and then I create the exercises. It’s quite simple; it’s just about the continuing stimulation of our mentality to conquer the ball as quick and as high up the pitch as possible. That element comes back in every exercise. We as staff always try to find ways so the players can be more spontaneous and more creative.”

The high counterpressing has become the identity of the modern Liverpool. Lijnders works to refine its model and creates exercises which help players master the system. For example, in training a rule can be that a goal counts only when all the players have crossed the halfway line. “Purely to stimulate the team to push up quickly and be ready to counterpress; counterpressing is only possible when you are together at all times. People say Liverpool are good at this or at that but I always say the main thing we are good at is that we are always together.”

Lijnders explains there are a lot of formats. “Let’s take the five-v-two rondo, which in fact is a pressing rondo. Our game is about movement and speed, and with only five players those five have to run non-stop. The two guys in the middle are encouraged to make an interception within the first six passes. If they succeed, they can go out both at the same time, otherwise only the player who intervened is allowed to leave the middle. This all stimulates our counterpressing vision where we try to disrupt the buildup of the opponent inside their first few touches.”

Lijnders explains how they often continue a session with other rondo-esque exercises, such as two teams of three competing against one team of three, until the latter wins the ball and replaces the team who lost the ball. That exercise is about instant transition and not dwelling on disappointment after losing possession.

Lijnders argues those drills help shape Liverpool’s identity. “The players first have to understand the importance of counterpressing to our team. They have to feel it, not with the head, but with the heart. They start the exercise with the idea to keep the ball, but in the event of losing it they have to be directly on top of things.

“When a team lose the ball in training, you will hear me, Jürgen or Pete screaming: ‘Go! Get it back! Don’t stop!’ It’s so loud they’ll even hear that in Manchester, haha. They have to understand why it’s so important. That power and emotion is our game. Because our identity is intensity. That comes back in every drill. And that’s what I like about coaching: that you can stimulate certain common behaviour and create a lot by specific team training. That’s what I live for.”

Lijnders is only 36 but has been coaching for years. At 17 he was forced to quit playing after sustaining a serious knee injury. He quickly moved into coaching and after starting at the amateur side SVEB in the Netherlands he moved to PSV as a youth coach. In 2007 he went to Porto to become their academy’s head of individual development and coached the youth team. After a few seasons Manchester United were keen to take him but that failed to materialise when Sir Alex Ferguson retired and Lijnders joined Liverpool in 2014, with responsibility for the Under-15s and Under-16s. A year later he was promoted to the first team by Brendan Rodgers.

Lijnders says he is often inspired by the players when creating exercises. “The five-v-two rondo is a good example. It’s actually called Milly’s rondo now, after I got inspired by James Milner, because he always intercepted the ball within the first few passes. He was really quick and brought the focus of the rondo to another level. I was like: ‘How can I come up with a rule that everyone will execute with his kind of intensity?’ So I gave an extra incentive for the two players in the middle if they would intervene within the first six passes. So I told Milly: ‘This is your idea!’ The other players loved it.”

Lijnders strongly believes in the power of role models and says the manager and captains reflect the identity of the club. “The heart of the team is the heart of the coach. So the character of the coach will become the character of the team in the long term. That’s it. Because there is no stronger weapon than your own example. If I’m a disciplined coach, then I don’t need to discipline the players. Our captains Hendo [Jordan Henderson] and Milly, together with Virgil [van Dijk], are so disciplined, which means the rest of the group doesn’t need to be disciplined. There is a saying from [Theodore] Roosevelt which says: ‘People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.’

“Jürgen does really care about the squad and his staff. Players will understand and absorb more of our philosophy when they feel how much we care about them.”

The philosophy is about playing football in its most attacking shape. “We always focus on ourselves, attack the opponent with – but especially without – the ball; a chasing attitude over 95 minutes.

Lijnders has developed training drills to help players match the intensity of James Milner. Photograph: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
“So our way of playing is central element in our training sessions. But I also look to details of opponents which can give us an advantage, like spaces they might leave open or other weaknesses which we can exploit. I always try to interweave those elements in our sessions without the players noticing it.” He believes, though, that “75 % of the opponents we’ve played against so far in the Premier League changed something in their formation beforehand”.

In his first season at Liverpool Lijnders was occasionally invited to Melwood by Rodgers to talk about counterpressing and Lijnders’ interpretation of 3-4-3. Lijnders impressed Rodgers with his tactical insights and accepted an offer to join the first-team staff but stayed connected to the academy, where he had created a group in which the best players from different age groups were brought together. One player to emerge from this pool was Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Rodgers left shortly after promoting Lijnders but Klopp kept the Dutchman as first-team coach. They appeared to complement each other, so the manager was sad to see Lijnders leave in January 2018 for a managerial role at NEC in the Netherlands. So upset, in fact, that he swiftly offered Lijnders the chance to return as his assistant.

“He was convinced we could conquer a lot together,” says Lijnders, who accepted Klopp’s offer and left NEC after half a season at the end of which the team lost in the promotion play-offs. “Jürgen can touch someone straight to the heart. He knows exactly what he wants and when we were on the phone it felt just right.”

Since then Liverpool have become even better, with an increased tactical flexibility and intensity. Lijnders picks out another Klopp strength: “He is able to give a completely different perception to a situation inside a few minutes.” Lijnders gives an example of the game at Barcelona last season. “We lost 3-0, but afterwards Jürgen said in the dressing room: ‘The only team in the world who can overturn this defeat against Barcelona is us.’ It gave the squad a boost, also because of the way we had played that night. When the players walked towards the coach there was already a different feeling.”

Lijnders’ bond with Klopp goes beyond a professional relationship. Occasionally they meet at their homes but most of the time they are at Melwood, where they spend even their down-time together.

A glass cage adjacent to the Melwood building was specially built for Klopp and Lijnders to house a paddle tennis court. “It’s a combination of tennis and squash and because of the glass walls the ball can bounce, which keeps it in play,” Lijnders says. “The court is actually meant for two v two, so it’s not only a battle against each other, but also yourself.”

The initial idea was to build a court beside one of their houses, at a time when they lived close to each other, but a court at the club made more sense. “It’s fantastic. Perhaps we play two to three times a week, sometimes more often.”

On the day of this interview they have a paddle tennis match scheduled just after a joint meeting and a few hours before they lead training. “A perfect way to switch off,” Lijnders says. “You can’t play without 100% concentration. For us it’s great to just think about nothing during those games. And sometimes it is in these moments that we find a brilliant solution for something.”

In everything Lijnders does preparation is key. He has learned the smallest details can make the biggest difference. On the day of the return leg against Barcelona he sent a message via club staff instructing the ball boys to throw back balls as quickly as possible. “They can make a difference tonight, we need everyone on the top of their toes,” Lijnders wrote in his message.

The decisive fourth goal came after Alexander-Arnold received the ball very quickly from a ball boy to take a corner which Divock Origi slotted home. So the final became a reality and enabled Lijnders to continue working on his preparations for Madrid. And there, after 21 seconds, he realised that those early investments had paid off. The puzzle was complete.

[dom9]

[Buzzo]

That is next level attention to detail.

It makes me feel even more like the lazy bum that I know I am

[red g]

Jurgen Klopp marked his 100th Premier League win as Liverpool manager in style with a 5-2 thrashing of city rivals Everton on Wednesday evening.

As well as leading Liverpool to Champions League glory, the former Borussia Dortmund manager has hit some remarkable milestones since he was appointed as Brendan Rodgers’ successor at Anfield in October 2015.

Here are some of the standout stats and records from the German’s time in Merseyside.

– Klopp has made it to 100 Premier League wins from 159 games. Only Jose Mourinho needed fewer games to reach the same milestone.

100 – Liverpool’s victory over Everton was Jürgen Klopp’s 100th Premier League win in his 159th match in charge in the competition; among all managers, only José Mourinho (142 matches) enjoyed 100 wins in fewer games in the competition’s history. Centurion. #LIVEVE

– The defeat to Manchester City in January 2019 is their only defeat of their last 54 league games.

– The Merseyside derby victory marked another Liverpool record, their longest-ever unbeaten run in the league, beating the previous club record between 1987 and 1988. Since that Etihad defeat, Liverpool’s current unbeaten league run stands at 32 games.

– That’s also the third-longest in Premier League history behind Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea (40 games between 2004 and 2005) and Arsenal’s Invincibles (49 games including the entire 2003-04 season).

– In that 32-game run, they’ve won 27 and drawn five. No side has ever taken more points (86) from any 32-game stretch.

– It’s also now 48 league games unbeaten at Anfield. The last team to come away with three points was Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace in April 2017.


– The 17 consecutive league victories between March and October 2019, capped off with James Milner’s injury-time penalty winner against Leicester, is the longest winning streak in Liverpool history.

– It took Liverpool 197 games under Klopp to score 400 goals – that’s faster than any other Liverpool manager.

– The Reds have scored four goals or more on 46 occasions with Klopp in charge.

– Klopp is yet to lose a two-legged European knockout tie with the Reds. He’s led them to the final of every European campaign he’s been involved in with the club (the Europa League in 2016 and the Champions League in 2018 and 2019, Liverpool did not play in Europe in 2016-17).

– He’s still never lost a European game at Anfield, going 22 unbeaten with 17 wins and five draws.

– Last season’s points tally of 97 in 2018-19 was the highest in the club’s history, and the third-highest in English top-flight history (extrapolated to 38-game seasons and three points for a win). Remarkably it still wasn’t enough to beat Manchester City, who finished on 98.

– 43 points from the opening 15 games is the joint-best start to a Premier League season in history. They’re level with Manchester City of 2017-18, who went on win the title with a record 100-point tally.

– Mohamed Salah has scored 80 Liverpool goals. That’s the most of any player at the club under Klopp.

– Roberto Firmino has made 207 Liverpool appearances under Klopp. The most of any player.

[dom9]

Jurgen Klopp marked his 100th Premier League win as Liverpool manager in style with a 5-2 thrashing of city rivals Everton on Wednesday evening.

As well as leading Liverpool to Champions League glory, the former Borussia Dortmund manager has hit some remarkable milestones since he was appointed as Brendan Rodgers’ successor at Anfield in October 2015.

Here are some of the standout stats and records from the German’s time in Merseyside.

– Klopp has made it to 100 Premier League wins from 159 games. Only Jose Mourinho needed fewer games to reach the same milestone.

100 – Liverpool’s victory over Everton was Jürgen Klopp’s 100th Premier League win in his 159th match in charge in the competition; among all managers, only José Mourinho (142 matches) enjoyed 100 wins in fewer games in the competition’s history. Centurion. #LIVEVE

– The defeat to Manchester City in January 2019 is their only defeat of their last 54 league games.

– The Merseyside derby victory marked another Liverpool record, their longest-ever unbeaten run in the league, beating the previous club record between 1987 and 1988. Since that Etihad defeat, Liverpool’s current unbeaten league run stands at 32 games.

– That’s also the third-longest in Premier League history behind Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea (40 games between 2004 and 2005) and Arsenal’s Invincibles (49 games including the entire 2003-04 season).

– In that 32-game run, they’ve won 27 and drawn five. No side has ever taken more points (86) from any 32-game stretch.

– It’s also now 48 league games unbeaten at Anfield. The last team to come away with three points was Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace in April 2017.


– The 17 consecutive league victories between March and October 2019, capped off with James Milner’s injury-time penalty winner against Leicester, is the longest winning streak in Liverpool history.

– It took Liverpool 197 games under Klopp to score 400 goals – that’s faster than any other Liverpool manager.

– The Reds have scored four goals or more on 46 occasions with Klopp in charge.

– Klopp is yet to lose a two-legged European knockout tie with the Reds. He’s led them to the final of every European campaign he’s been involved in with the club (the Europa League in 2016 and the Champions League in 2018 and 2019, Liverpool did not play in Europe in 2016-17).

– He’s still never lost a European game at Anfield, going 22 unbeaten with 17 wins and five draws.

– Last season’s points tally of 97 in 2018-19 was the highest in the club’s history, and the third-highest in English top-flight history (extrapolated to 38-game seasons and three points for a win). Remarkably it still wasn’t enough to beat Manchester City, who finished on 98.

– 43 points from the opening 15 games is the joint-best start to a Premier League season in history. They’re level with Manchester City of 2017-18, who went on win the title with a record 100-point tally.

– Mohamed Salah has scored 80 Liverpool goals. That’s the most of any player at the club under Klopp.

– Roberto Firmino has made 207 Liverpool appearances under Klopp. The most of any player.

Yeah, but apart from that, what has Jurgen Klopp ever done for us?

[McDermotX]

[ame="https://youtu.be/beqSuBL5SYo"]Klopp's Reaction: Lovren injury, Salah & a clean sheet | Bournemouth vs Liverpool - YouTube[/ame]

2mins in

[Phoenix07]

[ame]https://twitter.com/sportbible/status/1204787173586800640[/ame]

[Liverpool]

new deal