Jürgen Klopp is heading into his final weeks as manager of Liverpool Football Club, something that will undoubtedly be and perhaps already is something that can be very familiar. The German has taken the club, the city and the people to his heart, but soon it will be over.
In an interview with TNT Sports before the match against West Ham, the Liverpool manager shared a story about when he and his son were out for a walk in Formby, just outside Liverpool city. He expected to apologize several times to passing supporters, but the situation was completely different.
– My son is here for a visit, so the last thing we want to do on Thursday night is watch the City game (against Brighton). Rather, we went out in Formby and actually sat outside. I wasn’t sure if people wanted to see me there because a lot of Everton supporters live there too. But we went out anyway and had a great time.
– During the time we sat there, around twenty people came up to me to say thank you. I was in a mood where I wanted to say sorry for the night before, mostly because I know how important that game is to the people of Liverpool. The response was nevertheless: “No, no, we just wanted to thank you”. It’s crazy how people are here. The Everton supporters deserve to be happy once a year too, Klopp said with a smile on his face.
– Very grateful
In Formby, the Liverpool boss also met an Englishman from the south-west of England. He had the same impression as the German.
– I met a guy from Devon, and he had lived everywhere before. He told me: “Even to me, people from Liverpool are very special”. It is exactly the same as I have learned, he continued.
In almost nine years as Liverpool boss (October 2015), Klopp knows what he’s talking about when he describes a typical Scouser.
– They have a very special way of handling life. They also behave differently (in a positive way) and are very open. We feel very grateful to have been part of this community for so long.
