Klopp's Poignant Reflections on Salah's Liverpool Farewell
There was always a sentence. Whether it was a routine Friday at the training ground or the tense hours before a Champions League final, Jurgen Klopp possessed a unique talent for articulating any situation in the most vivid and evocative manner. Two minutes into this conversation, it becomes abundantly clear that nothing has changed. We are speaking with him in his capacity as an honorary ambassador for the LFC Foundation about Mohamed Salah and how Liverpool must now move forward. Simultaneously, this presents an opportunity to witness a different, more contemplative side of the legendary manager.
A Lightning Bolt Announcement
Salah's announcement on Tuesday struck like a bolt of lightning. The profound shock that he will leave Liverpool after nine monumental years has not yet begun to subside. He was a totemic figure in the team Klopp meticulously constructed, a squad that made the extraordinary appear routine. His departure unquestionably marks the end of a significant era.
'That’s how it is,' Klopp observed philosophically. 'Don’t try to chase the shadows.' It is a beautifully simple way of emphasising that the future holds more importance than the past. While Klopp always maintained deep respect for Liverpool's illustrious history, he was fervently committed to writing his own chapter. He succeeded so spectacularly that many now find it challenging to envision the club's next steps.
The Nostalgic Movie Reel
When Salah sent the internet into meltdown with his two-minute farewell video, every social media platform was instantly flooded with clips: his breathtaking goals, his iconic celebrations, his decisive fingerprints on matches that will be debated with undiminished passion long after his former teammates have become grandparents. So, while Klopp's advice to look ahead is sound, he confides with a knowing smile that he, too, has succumbed to nostalgia.
Returning to the city that was his home for nine years—to assist Sir Kenny Dalglish in managing this afternoon’s legends game against another of his former clubs, Borussia Dortmund—has only intensified these reflective feelings.
'That’s the thing in these moments – time stops for a second,' says Klopp. 'And that means you watch the movie again. My big target was always that when I am old and grey – I’m grey, yes, but maybe not that old – I can look back and smile, and that is definitely the case. The Mo movie is a beautiful movie; to make it interesting you have to have a few edges in. We had our arguments but they were always for the right reasons. It’s a beautiful movie with a happy end. It will be a great day mid-May when everyone is allowed to say goodbye. It will be pretty special.'
An Era of Unparalleled Success
As was that all-conquering team itself. Klopp, during a visit to the LFC Foundation Community Hub, had no intention of discussing Liverpool's current on-pitch challenges. However, he fully understood why the Egyptian's seismic news has thrust their collective achievements back into the spotlight.
Together, over seven glorious years, they won every major trophy available, bar the Europa League. Within that period, Liverpool and Manchester City cultivated the highest-quality rivalry of the Premier League era, their clashes becoming England's definitive version of El Clasico.
'We lost Sadio Mane,' Klopp reflected. 'We could sing a song about him. What a player he was! Bobby Firmino: Oh. My. God. On the day Gini (Wijnaldum) went, probably none of you thought; “that’s a big miss” until he was not there anymore. Then you thought: “Oh!” He was the perfect combination of technique, power, and tactical discipline. Then Hendo left. Some thought: “Good! It’s time!” Milly went and all these kind of things. That’s just how it is.'
'But other players came in: Macca, Ryan, Dom. Now it’s time, not for Liverpudlians obviously because there is still a lot to go for, but for me it’s a bit different and I can already reflect. And what a time that was. And what a player he is. My God! The goals he scored and the games we had.'
The Sliding Doors Moment
It is fascinating to consider that this conversation might not be happening if Julian Brandt, the Bayer Leverkusen winger at the time, had accepted Klopp's offer to join Liverpool in 2017. Signing Brandt ahead of Salah would have sent Klopp and his project down a completely different path. Fortunately, destiny intervened correctly.
Klopp has been exchanging messages with Salah this week—they even share the same physio, Chris Rohrbuck, who is currently helping the German manage a niggling hip issue. There will undoubtedly be a point in the future when they sit down to discuss their grand adventure in even greater detail.
Managing Special Talents
'I am really happy and proud that I was part of the whole journey,' Klopp stated. 'We both know that we had these arguments, not big, big arguments. Like the one at West Ham, both of us, five seconds later, would have thought: "No, we don’t do that in public, come on, rewind." Next morning it was already over but it happens in public. We never lost respect for each other and that is what I really like.'
'He didn’t like me for a second when I took him off after 87 minutes and all these kind of things, and you think: "Why?" The time with him and Sadio together, they were a challenge, of course they were. Special players are a challenge. Tell me one who is not? The real difference makers. The one who wasn’t, by the way, was Bobby Firmino. Rotating Mo was difficult. I’d be: "You cannot play three games a week." And Mo would be: "Yeh, I can." Ok then, you can, but all the others can’t. It is all fine.'
'You always walk on the edge in these moments. You play a player too often or not often enough, there’s extra time, long travel, and you can’t play all of that. If you could plan for it, then it would be easy. Two hours sleep after a game and in two days’ time you play again. I tell you in the press conference: “Thank you very much for 12.30 on Saturday” and everybody thinks: “Oh come on! **** off!” But it’s the biggest problem in that moment for me and I cannot stop thinking about it.'
'It’s not that I want to say it. Then I go back and say to the players: "12.30 is a great time." But I’m not convinced and they feel it. So, in these moments, you need players who want to play all the time.' Mohamed Salah, with his 255 goals and a chest full of honours so glittering they could be housed in the Tower of London, was unequivocally that player. It is precisely why Klopp, and so many others, will find themselves tempted to chase his formidable shadow for years to come.
