Liverpool 2017-18: We won it 5 times

[Tall Dark And Texan 29]

Hell of a season. 

[maninblack 7974]

 

[maninblack 7974]

The skipper is awesome

 

[Firemans4Horn 18023]

What a fun season. I love all you guys. 

 

Let’s win the whole fucking thing!

[Firemans4Horn 18023]

rewatching the game. 

 

Of all the horrifically officiated games we suffered through I think Kevin Friend’s performance today pipped the JV ref from the West Brom game and Jon Moss @ home against Spurs. 

[hobbes2702 13016]

What a team. Let’s win the whole fucking thing

[Firemans4Horn 18023]

We could have scored 6 or 7 goals in the first half. We need to bring our shooting boots to Kiev. 

[JimmyHoffa 1188]

[Jograves 357]

20 hours ago, Firemans4Horn said:

rewatching the game. 

 

Of all the horrifically officiated games we suffered through I think Kevin Friend’s performance today pipped the JV ref from the West Brom game and Jon Moss @ home against Spurs. 

Shocking refereeing yesterday. I don't know how anyone can make an argument that was not a penalty on Salah. The defender basically cleans him out inside the box. Mind bottling.  

I thought we played great yesterday. Can't even pick out a poor performance. I thought Gini and Hendo looked great in the MF two. Virgil is a complete stud. Wins every header. He made a pass to TAA that was out of this world too. Lovren was good yesterday too. 

Can't wait for the final. Going to be a long two weeks. 

[maninblack 7974]

Said it earlier in this thread, I think, but we've been fucked by piss poor officiating this season. Normally don't want to bitch about it b/c I'd like to believe it evens itself out across the league, however, this year it doesn't appear that way. Until the FA starts holding these fucking twats accountable I don't expect it to get better.

Glad it didn't ruin top 4 for us this go round. Now let's get rested and fuck Madrid up.

[pied 252]

Just thought of something.  Next season's thread can't be started until 5/27.  That is a great thing my friends.

[pied 252]

1 minute ago, maninblack said:

Said it earlier in this thread, I think, but we've been fucked by piss poor officiating this season. Normally don't want to bitch about it b/c I'd like to believe it evens itself out across the league, however, this year it doesn't appear that way. Until the FA starts holding these fucking twats accountable I don't expect it to get better.

Glad it didn't ruin top 4 for us this go round. Now let's get rested and fuck Madrid up.

I know there was discussion on the number on TAW a week or so ago about the disparity of us getting PKs at home compared to the rest of the league, but never saw it cited anywhere.  I'd LOVE to see those numbers if anyone runs across them.

[Jograves 357]

 

[maninblack 7974]

Madness.

 

Soon...

[C-Man 27172]

Got this bad boy yesterday. I’m ready!

[pied 252]

6 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Got this bad boy yesterday. I’m ready!

 

Pretty sure that's on the list for the kid's birthday this summer

[TKS 66]

Infuriating fact: Spurs had more penalties at Anfield (2) than LFC (1) this season.

Fun fact: Liverpool scored more goals in the Champions League (46) than Everton did in the EPL (44) this season.

Due to new rules, the summer transfer window opens this Thursday and closes the Thursday before the season starts.

[JimmyHoffa 1188]

2 hours ago, pied said:

 

Pretty sure that's on the list for the kid's birthday this summer

Mine too. 

[JimmyHoffa 1188]

46 minutes ago, TKS said:

Infuriating fact: Spurs had more penalties at Anfield (2) than LFC (1) this season.

Fun fact: Liverpool scored more goals in the Champions League (46) than Everton did in the EPL (44) this season.

Due to new rules, the summer transfer window opens this Thursday and closes the Thursday before the season starts.

 

What's the rule on off season signings and transfers? Can Keita make the move as early as Thursday since his now former club's season is already over? I know he can't play but just for training purposes.

Edited May 14, 2018 by JimmyHoffa

[Jograves 357]

Keita's transfer isn't complete until July 1, so he can't train with the squad. 

I did hear that he'll be at the cup final though. 

[mdmost 42993]

Caught up with the replay. What a fun match. I thought Solanke was a good piece. Set up the goal for Salah and knocked in his own. Of course, Salah is the story of the season but the solidification of Robertson and TAA at the back makes this offseason a lot easier to stomach. Getting a guy to push Lovren, who has improved with VvD, will be essential. Wonder when the Can move will occur. Interested in who we'll replace him with. The Ox injury will make signing multiple MF a must. 

Edited May 14, 2018 by mdmost

[Jograves 357]

Can didn't make the German provisional squad. 

[pied 252]

26 minutes ago, Jograves said:

Can didn't make the German provisional squad. 

Torn on him.  He wasn't an every day guy, but was sometimes freaking key. Wouldn't like to lose him, but don't feel to arsed if I;m being honest.  Seems like he might think he's better than other's do. Even through contract uncertainty he seemed to go all out, every time and his injury obviously appears to be legit, unlike the punk Phil.  Figure I only have a couple more weeks to dwell on my disappointment with him.  I'll let it go, mostly, after the final.

[Jograves 357]

I think he was a good servant for the club. His goal at the end of last season against Watford was maybe the key to us making the CL this season. I also think he brings a toughness to the MF we sometimes lack. He doesn't take any shit. 

The rumor is he wants guaranteed playing time, which Klopp isn't willing to give, and that's the bigger issue than the buyout clause. It forces us to find a replacement though, which is never a given. I read earlier that Grujic played so well at Cardiff that he may take Can's place. 

[mdmost 42993]

I liked his scrappiness. He wasn't afraid to get in and mix it up. But he did seem to run hot or cold. I wouldn't mind him coming back but I trust in Klopp to find a suitable replacement if/when he goes.

[pied 252]

1 hour ago, Jograves said:

I think he was a good servant for the club. His goal at the end of last season against Watford was maybe the key to us making the CL this season. I also think he brings a toughness to the MF we sometimes lack. He doesn't take any shit. 

The rumor is he wants guaranteed playing time, which Klopp isn't willing to give, and that's the bigger issue than the buyout clause. It forces us to find a replacement though, which is never a given. I read earlier that Grujic played so well at Cardiff that he may take Can's place. 

I guess that's it.  Why should I get crazy upset for a guy not guaranteed playing time?  Like the guy, he played hard, the team will have to replace him, but he's not all that.

I'll wish him well and root for him though.

[maninblack 7974]

Think we need a holding MF to replace Can and an AM to replace Coutinho. Based on the rumors I'm hoping it's Neves and Fekir. Those two plus K8A with Ox, Hendo, Gini, Grujic and Milner in reserve would be one of the best midfields in the league.

Hopefully, B2B years in the CL and a CL final run will attract a lot interest.

[C-Man 27172]

Doesn't Robertson have some chronic heel issue that has forced Klopp into using him judiciously this season? Thought I heard that about him -- or am I confusing him with somebody else?

[Jograves 357]

Henderson

[C-Man 27172]

Still chasing Pulisic?

Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic is wanted by Liverpool this summer partly because the club’s owners are keen to bolster their American appeal.

Journalist Duncan Castles told The Transfer Window Podcast: “There’s a longstanding interest in Pulisic, a lot of it motivated by him being an American superstar and the commercial value involved with that.

“The owners have wanted a top-grade American in that team for a long time.

“And Pulisic was also promoted to Dortmund’s first team squad by Klopp - so there’s a direct link between the player and the coach there.

“When I last asked they were asking about a $70m (£50m) asking price, which has probably gone up since then.”

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/702906/Liverpool-Lyon-Nabil-Fekir-Borussia-Dortmund-Christian-Pulisic-Moham1ed-Salah

[C-Man 27172]

2 minutes ago, Jograves said:

Henderson

Shit, that's who I meant. Yeah, that guy! Is this a situation where it's never going to fully heal?

[406W30th 1111]

I think Pulisic is almost a certainty. Klopp has long been an admirer and only got one season to work with him at Dortmund. He provides quality depth in a position where we need badly need it, would give the American owners a young American player with superstar potential, probably wouldn't be too fussed about playing time, and wouldn't break the bank. Dortmund is still figuring things out from a managerial perspective and a move seems good for all parties.

I wouldn't be shocked if he's the first deal of the summer, Naby's July 1 move notwithstanding.

 

[Jograves 357]

 Shit, that's who I meant. Yeah, that guy! Is this a situation where it's never going to fully heal?

I don't know. They've been pretty tight lipped about Hendo's heel this year. I think they've managed it better than in past years though. I know at one point they said it shouldn't recur but it does seem to bother him every now and then. 

Re: Pulisic. Duncan Castles is generally full of shit and a Mourinho boot licker. I wouldn't trust him to have too much inside info on LFC transfers. Transfers is something else they've been fairly tight lipped about after the VVD saga last year. 

Edited May 15, 2018 by Jograves
ETA: adding quote

[maninblack 7974]

Holy hell. Grab a drink, preferably whiskey, and settle in for this one.

The inside story of how Jurgen Klopp weathered the worst to lead Liverpool into the Champions League final

Spoiler

"And now, we will go to Kiev. It sounds crazy, but it's true."

The downpours, pelting over Kowloon as though they were bullets from above, had finally subsided. For Liverpool, however, this was the inception of the storm. 

 

Before the sun could fully crack through the scattered clouds that Friday morning in Hong Kong last July 21st, Jurgen Klopp’s phone screen was crowded with notifications from sporting director, Michael Edwards, and Fenway Sports Group president, Mike Gordon.

 

The news being broken to the manager - the club had instantly rejected a £72 million bid from Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho - was yesterday’s back-page buffet in the United Kingdom courtesy of the seven-hour time difference. 

 

Klopp’s designs for the pre-season tour had already been scaled back due to monsoon conditions that prompted cancelled training sessions and improvised workouts.

 

It was this development, though, which had the potential to cyclone through their preparations for 2017-18.

 

Liverpool could not have been more unambiguous in their response to the offer: there would be no summer sale, regardless of how much the fee shot up.

 

Undisguised, too, was the fact La Liga’s giants would return armed with a traditional media offensive that would pack more of a punch than their improved proposals.

 

The only variable surrounded the focal point. What was Coutinho, who had signed a new five-year deal without a release clause that January, thinking? 

 

As Klopp entered the private assembly room for breakfast at the palatial Ritz-Carlton, the answer immediately presented itself. The 25-year-old, inner turmoil tinting his facial features, was on edge with “an instant difference in his body language,” according to observers.

 

So this was a problem. Klopp walked over to Coutinho to schedule a talk for that evening, when they had an honest and respectful exchange.

 

Liverpool could not simply delete their plans for the season on account of Barcelona being unprepared for the loss of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, the Reds boss explained.

 

It was a point he circled back to, while also emphasising that the timing was wrong, as was the message it would send about the club.

 

Coutinho understood that, but highlighted the sacrifices his wife, Aine, and parents had made for his career. The future revolved around them as much as it did his own ambitions.

 

He was happy at Liverpool, he loved the club, he was full of gratitude… But this was Barcelona. And beyond that, it represented a lifestyle change for his family, who could function within a culture so much closer to their own.

 

Klopp acknowledged Coutinho’s thought process, but repeated that it was about Liverpool and this was not the right thing for the club, for his teammates, or for their season ambitions.

 

The message was reinforced privately by Edwards and the ownership before a public declaration.  

 

“We wish to offer clarity as regards our position on a possible transfer of Philippe Coutinho,” read a statement on the club’s official website on August 11 2017, which highlighted their “definitive stance is that no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool FC when the summer window closes.”

Through the clinking glasses and guffaws, there is thick blend of relief and defiance daubing the atmosphere in the Freshfield area of Formby.

 

It is Saturday, January 6 2018, where a long-scheduled New Year’s celebration for Liverpool’s staff at the Klopp residence has coincided with the £142m sale of Coutinho to Barcelona. 

 

The news had been released shortly before the flow of Monkey 47 gin and a catalogue of German lager at the gathering, with the message following the announcement on the club’s official website entirely scripted by the manager. 

 

“Players will come and players will go, that is football, but as a club we are big enough and strong enough to continue with our aggressive progression on the pitch, even when we lose an important player. We have never been in a better position in recent times, as a club, to react in the right way. We will use our size and strength to absorb moments like this and still move forward.”

 

That night, as the spine of the football staff and their partners made his home their own, Klopp may as well have had the words inked on his appearance.

 

The party, defined as “symbolic” and “powerful” had an element of toasting to Coutinho’s contribution at Liverpool, but at the same time, there was a sense of middle fingers flying in the direction of the doom decorating his departure.

 

Whatever followed, those present felt they were in this together. They believed in each other, in the roster, that the addition of Virgil van Dijk would make Liverpool stronger, that there was more than enough snarl as a collective to continue on an upward trajectory. 

 

That Klopp, above all, subscribed so religiously to this thinking translated into others sharing his conviction.

 

Liverpool would not just be fine, Liverpool would be fucking flying.

 

Klopp was a portrait of confidence and composure, but the previous five months had been stressful for the former Borussia Dortmund trainer.

 

It went against his entire nature, heavily built around empathy, to see a player so sewn in distress. He treasured Coutinho professionally as well as personally and agonised over what the saga was doing to the Brazil international.

 

Klopp imagined what it was like for him at home. He was torn by the impact it was potentially having on his wife and young daughter.

 

The manager knew how he'd feel if one of his own kids were going through that situation, or if his partner was being affected by it.

 

Part of Klopp’s weaponry is sagacity, drilling deep to appreciate what drives those that line up under him or work alongside him.

 

That he knew Coutinho, who is quite sensitive and counts his family as his axis, was cheerless made him so too.

 

The 50-year-old is often cast as the centrepiece, revelling in attention. He is charismatic, and so is more than comfortable getting on the dance floor or grabbing the mic to create a rhapsodic environment.

 

But those who know him best insist Klopp is happiest sitting off and shining the spotlight on the ones he cares about having a good time. 

 

He loves witnessing the initiation tradition of a player singing a song in front of all his teammates.

 

He adores the environment the squad have carved between themselves and the way they have married the serious (a strict fine system) with the humorous - Dejan Lovren’s ‘gaffer’ social media undressing stands out after he revealed his Champions League half-time rallying call at Manchester City. 

 

Klopp can also spend hours on YouTube watching videos of joyous supporters and has noted multiple times this season that watching the crowd develop and truly connect with the team has been special.

 

So to view the opposite - to see sadness plague Coutinho - was piercing.

 

As such, if the decision was solely Klopp’s to make, the No.10’s switch to Spain would have been sanctioned before the start of 2017-18.

 

Never thinking he is always right, and knowing what he personally felt was trivial when juxtaposed with the full picture, the German supported the reasoning of Edwards, Gordon and the ownership in general.

 

It did not make sense then, that when the only route available for Coutinho to secure an exit was to go antagonist, his camp targeted the manager in their press onslaught, which only hardened FSG’s stance.

 

Klopp hid it well, but the falsehoods over his relationship with Liverpool’s “genius,” plus the player’s manufactured unhappiness at the club did hurt - especially as he continued to publicly fight his corner.

 

Coutinho’s performances post the saga, especially on the continent, may have been seen as a fait accompli, but to get him to feature in the Champions League at all was an achievement.

 

When it became apparent there was absolutely no twisting of Liverpool’s arm, the threat of not representing the club in Europe was still strongly being advocated by his advisors.

 

Gordon and Edwards toiled to surgically remove that and Klopp began reintegrating Coutinho, a process made simpler by his protection of the wantaway star. 

 

Despite the heckling and suspicious inverted commas each time the ‘back injury’ that sidelined the midfielder in August was mentioned, Klopp never deviated from his line - even when the issue was “only emotional” according to Brazil’s doctor during an international break.

 

Squad harmony and ensuring there were no further hiccups to the start of the season was paramount for Klopp - he did not mind being the subject of ridicule, which drew mass respect from the dressing room.

 

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… 

Happy New Year!

 

2018 had only just ticked in, but it entered with the same complexity and concern Liverpool had enjoyed a temporary break from. 

 

Barcelona were not so much knocking on the door as they were smashing through it. Coutinho’s desire to leave had not diminished despite his excellence behind a supreme frontline and the club preparing for their first Champions League knockout fixture since 2009. 

 

Liverpool did not want a repeat of the upheaval of the summer, but conversely, neither did they want to cede the Brazilian during such a positive juncture.

 

Against the tide, they attempted to persuade him to stay until the end of the season on very lucrative terms - a deal now effective later. However, there was no budging from Barca’s end nor his: Coutinho had been on Merseyside for five years and he was adamant: it was time to say goodbye.

 

As the days ticked on and the eventuality of a sale became more pronounced, Gordon was hugely concerned that the uplifting tone around the club would morph into one of unrest. He was insistent that any abuse should be funnelled towards him and the ownership, shielding Klopp and the squad from toxicity. 

 

Through this period, though, there was no calmer person at Melwood than the manager and there was no way he wouldn’t front up.

 

Klopp demanded that everyone relax, that this was just a football transfer, and so they should treat it as such and nothing more.

 

If Liverpool did not want any drama around it, then it was imperative that they did not create a spectacle themselves. 

 

It was a transaction, not a tombstone for the Reds’ season.

 

The most significant factor was how the squad would react to the development. The Magician was loved his peers, but additionally, there had been an episode that played on Klopp’s mind.

 

One August afternoon, a desperate Coutinho approached the senior players’ committee and pencilled in a talk in one of the meeting rooms on Melwood’s ground tier.

 

He appealed to them to change the club’s mind, and while he knew the squad wanted him to stay, he also figured fellow professionals would recognise why he felt this was a ‘dream step’ that was critical to take.

 

For all the chicanery that occurred during the summer window, it was the folding of his teammates into the fuss that most annoyed Klopp.

 

So when the deal was done and Coutinho was off, the manager rounded up the full group in the dressing room at the training complex and delivered an incisive address. 

 

The message was that they'd lost a great player and a friend, but it was no more than that. He told them to not give anyone on the outside a chance to say that Phil going has affected their season.

 

Klopp mentioned that the scrutiny would increase, but he didn't believe it would hamper Liverpool in a negative way. It was important for the team to believe the same, because if they allowed his exit to be an excuse, Liverpool were weak.

 

He reminded his players they could decide whether people said their collective genius had walked out the door with Coutinho.

 

"This is us. On we go."

Liverpool had anticipated a thunderstorm, and when the whistle for the interval went at the Etihad, they were relieved for the respite from Manchester City’s electric onslaught.

 

The scoreline was only 1-0 to Pep Guardiola’s men on the night, and still 3-1 to the visitors on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals, but those first 45 minutes were punishing.

 

Klopp’s half-time routine is consistent home and away. He speeds from the touchline to the dressing room, takes off his jacket and convenes with assistant coach Peter Krawitez, who has selected crucial in-match clips along with analysts Harrison Kingston and Mark Leyland.

 

The footage they slice is never usually of a goal being conceded or scored, but examples of how to avoid the former or ensure the latter by highlighting the positioning of the defensive line or where the best offensive spaces are.

 

At City, there was a deviation. Lovren had been shouting, telling the team to ‘wake up,’ that they weren’t showing enough belief and were allowing Kevin De Bruyne and co to do as they please.

 

Klopp pounced on this as the perfect opening for his own message and so he broke away from his normal process, allowing the centre-back to speak for just under a minute before then commanding the room.

 

He started by agreeing with the Croatian, before pointing at Lovren and Van Dijk, saying they were killing the team by being too deep.

 

He then calmly got his crucial information over: get higher, condense the pitch and stop City playing the passes that feed their strengths.

 

In possession, relax, orientate yourselves better and speed it up. He pointed out spaces available to break City’s press, helping Liverpool retain the ball and thwart the hosts’ constant flow of attacks.

 

Klopp then highlighted Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s chance at the end of the first half as the memory that would be playing on loop in the home dressing room.

 

He stressed that City had just seen what Liverpool were capable of and it would be terrifying them as all it would've taken was one successful attack to scorch Guardiola's charges.

 

There was an element of 'so what the fuck are we doing still sitting here?' as he ordered them to go out and get back on the front foot.

 

While City were engulfed by the emotion of the occasion with Guardiola getting sent off at half-time, Liverpool used the break to reorganise.

 

Klopp’s ability to cut through everything and communicate concisely was visible through the first passage of play in which his side strung five to six consecutive passes together.

 

It culminated in Mohamed Salah’s opener on 56 minutes that effectively ended the tie, after Gini Wijnaldum fed Oxlade-Chamberlain.

 

The England international dissected City to supply the Egyptian, who along with Sadio Mane had worked to isolate and unsettle Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi as per instruction.

 

Klopp is forever examined through his magnetism, but not his methods. People see the cool as fuck figure with his unkept stubble in a hoody and trainers, but not the tactical nerd obsessed with preparation and details.

 

The storyline is dictated by the hugs, fist pumps and rantings, but should be about the composed leader, who is able to read the room and never ducks a big call.

 

Liverpool need only a point to secure Champions League football heading into the final top-flight game of the season against Brighton? Ok then, he'll just pick four attackers.

 

There is a misconception too that Klopp’s management is punctuated by Hollywood moments, that ‘Any Given Sunday’ type zingers are delivered on a daily.

 

To this point, Andy Robertson and Oxlade-Chamberlain are often asked “what did Klopp say to you when things weren’t going well at the start of your Liverpool career?”

 

There is no cinematographic answer as there were no elaborate meetings or ground-shifting discussions.

 

He told them to continue as they were, put in the work, and the time would come, things would align.

Klopp believes there is no point ballooning something beyond what it actually is, and that often, the best decision to take is none at all.

 

He figures having ‘the talk’ can be self-indulgent and self-serving at times. If there is no certain benefit to a player, what exactly is the point?

 

And if there is no massive issue, with the criticism existing externally, why should Klopp feed the notion that there is a problem by formally addressing it?

 

Take Mane for example, who was slightly off colour for a period, snatching a little too much and overthinking every action.

 

In general, though, the speedster was still a threat, still being decisive and still ensuring that the front three functioned exceptionally while adding to his defensive duties.

 

There was never a big sit down with the Senegal international, simply a brief sort of ‘What’s up? Stop beating yourself up about any mistakes, I am very happy with you.’

 

Mane found his own way through his stifled spell, aided by a sprinkling of encouragement rather than a lengthy tactical dissection.

 

Klopp doesn’t hesitate to assume control when a situation demands it - see Mamadou Sakho as a reference - but he dictates when necessary, not out of ego nor as an act.

October 8, 2015

At Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool’s city centre, those who would now work closely with the club’s new manager were offered insight into the character behind the established caricature.

 

After Klopp signed a three-year deal worth an estimated £7m per season in the Sixth Boardroom, where Rafa Benitez had also ratified a contract with the club in 2004, he gathered the football staff for dinner.

 

Some expected a rousing speech from the German, others assumed it would be the introduction to Jurgen’s Law.

 

Instead, Klopp spoke very little, inviting everyone to tell him about themselves, their roles and how things worked at Liverpool - from training schedules to the matchday routine. He wanted to absorb as much information as possible.

 

When it was time to talk through the media plan for his unveiling, Klopp was asked about his preferences when dealing with press. “No, no,” he responded, underlining that this was the communication team's field and they were the experts.

 

They had to tell him how it should be. They had to teach him.

 

One of the Stuttgart native’s gifts is trusting and turning to the people he works with, previously stating “I’m not a one-man show. I was never that in my life, and I never want to be that. The best lesson you can get in a day - to speak to smart people about things they know about much more about than you do.”

 

It is why when recruitment continuously pushed Salah to the forefront of the agenda for Liverpool’s incomings, Klopp co-signed their expertise.

 

He is across everything, but respects staff who take responsibility for their spheres of influence and are bold enough to settle on important decisions without informing him of each small detail.

 

Klopp surrounds himself with strong personalities, and as such, perhaps that partly explains why his long-time assistant and friend, Zeljko Buvac, is expected to leave the club at the end of the season.

 

The Bosnian-Serb has been missing from the first-team fold since the end of April due to ‘personal reasons,’ and while no clarity has been offered on the situation, there is thought to be an element of discontent for Buvac over his standing in football.

 

That his absence has not affected Liverpool behind the scenes is a nod to the strength of the individuals in the backroom team.

 

It is a strand that runs through the playing personnel as well, with proof in the non-upheaval following Coutinho’s winter departure.

 

Just as the footballers have happily assumed more responsibility, so too have the coaching and support staff.

 

“Incredibly healthy” has been a label used to describe the overall set-up at Melwood and when you consider the seamless adjustment of Van Dijk and Salah, it seems an accurate assessment.

 

Meanwhile, players that took a while to find their stride, like Robertson and Oxlade-Chamberlain, never felt walled off.

 

Klopp empowered Henderson to cultivate the dressing room culture and the captain has promoted a togetherness many within the West Derby facility say they haven’t encountered before.

 

The bond extends beyond the team to the non-football staff, who are part of the fabric of the place too. This is so much so, that even when players leave the fondness lingers.

 

When Liverpool travelled to Rome for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, Lucas Leiva sent back a surprise for popular canteen pairing Carol Farrell and Caroline Guest - signed Lazio shirts with a personal message for both.

 

Meanwhile, it is in their domain - the dinning room - where Klopp and Edwards often strategise over breakfast or lunch beyond the more in-depth presentations on players. The duo, who both employ an open-door policy, enjoy an effortless relationship underpinned by mutual respect.

 

And while the sporting director keeps a low profile as he prefers to do his job rather than talk about it, allowing him to make moves under the radar at times, Klopp appreciates that he is distinguished in his field and very decisive.

 

The Reds boss is never shy to talk up the brilliance of the recruitment group, who are backed by a stellar research team run by Ian Graham.

 

And while Edwards is not the type to seek credit, Liverpool’s forward line - the most devastating in Europe this season - is largely his sketch.

 

Gordon assesses the dovetailing between the pair as a core canon for the club’s success. Klopp appreciates Edwards’ intelligence in assembling a team to effectively implement his aggressive blueprint, while the transfer chief is aware that signing a top player is purposeless without a top manager to extract every inch of their talent.

 

The way the Reds have vaporised teams on the continent this season with their attacking venom has seen a spike in agents calling up to ascertain if there’d be any interest in their exciting clients.

 

Liverpool are now the running train.

'I could see myself here for the rest of my career'

FSG were convinced, but how could they not have been? For nearly five years, he was the one: the ownership’s ideal manager, who remained just out of reach.

 

In October 2015, however, he had finally become their one - Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp.

 

But it was only on a three-year deal. He had never lived outside of Germany, let alone managed in a different country, and while there were no doubts over his status as The Perfect Fit on the club’s end, Klopp was mindful of the adaptation both he and his family would have to undertake.

 

The contract represented a realistic scenario rather than a romantic one. During a relaxed conversation in June 2016, however, he remarked that he could imagine being at Liverpool for the rest of his managerial career to Gordon.

 

That put in motion an instant process to lock Klopp in after a quick discussion with principle owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner.

 

Within a matter of hours, fresh terms had been thrashed out with the manager’s agent, Marc Kosicke, and a new six-year deal was agreed.

 

Klopp had been on holiday in Ibiza before ferrying over to Formentera, the smallest of Spain’s Balearic islands in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

And on June 16, as he celebrated his 49th birthday, he also toasted signing on until 2022, with the news only being announced at the start of pre-season the following month.

 

"When you have an individual of Jurgen's quality in the building it makes perfect sense to secure that person for the long term. To not do so would be irresponsible."

Long before Henry, Werner and Gordon had first met with Klopp on October 1 2015 at the New York law offices of Shearman & Sterling, they had done extensive homework on his credentials.

 

It was obvious that he was charming and a unifying figure, but they sharply realised there was endless substance beyond the soundbites and mad-scientist smile.

 

Liverpool had craved a recognisable identity and here was a bonafide architect; a man worshipped in Mainz and Dortmund for his remarkable design work.

 

They spoke for hours at the high-rise building on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, chewing over everything from playing style to reawakening the fan base and reconvened the following day for further talks.

 

Klopp had made one particular point with regularity: Liverpool should be a force in Europe. And they could be. He would work to get them back amongst Europe’s elite, and moreover, as being the kind of team no-one wanted to face in the Champions League.

 

In a matter of months after arriving in Liverpool, he had guided the club to the Europa League final eliminating Manchester United, Dortmund and Villarreal en route before falling short against Sevilla at the showpiece in Basel.

 

In his first full season at the helm, Klopp’s side secured a fourth-place finish and a crack at Champions League football for only the second time in eight seasons.

 

And having navigated a tricky qualifier against Hoffenheim last August to enter the group phase of the tournament, Liverpool are in now in its final and will be at the continent’s top table again next season.

 

Whatever happens against Real Madrid in Kiev, Liverpool’s advancement is unarguable.

 

Rewinding to Hong Kong, that they have made it here - one objective boxed off, one well surpassed - through the disruption, the injuries and the sale of Coutinho mid-season, is masterful.

 

Liverpool have the opportunity to be the ultimate conquerers of Europe this season having already dispatched Porto, Manchester City and Roma, smashing scoring records en route to the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium.

 

Most significantly though, there is a wealth of confidence within the club that this will not be a rarity, that spellbinding nights under Anfield’s lights will become a divine right again.

 

They believe Liverpool will not just be fine, Liverpool will be fucking flying.

 

 

[maninblack 7974]

Liverpool’s Permutations to Determine Champions League Pot Number Next Season

[Jograves 357]

20 minutes ago, maninblack said:

Holy hell. Grab a drink, preferably whiskey, and settle in for this one.

The inside story of how Jurgen Klopp weathered the worst to lead Liverpool into the Champions League final

  Reveal hidden contents

"And now, we will go to Kiev. It sounds crazy, but it's true."

The downpours, pelting over Kowloon as though they were bullets from above, had finally subsided. For Liverpool, however, this was the inception of the storm. 

 

Before the sun could fully crack through the scattered clouds that Friday morning in Hong Kong last July 21st, Jurgen Klopp’s phone screen was crowded with notifications from sporting director, Michael Edwards, and Fenway Sports Group president, Mike Gordon.

 

The news being broken to the manager - the club had instantly rejected a £72 million bid from Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho - was yesterday’s back-page buffet in the United Kingdom courtesy of the seven-hour time difference. 

 

Klopp’s designs for the pre-season tour had already been scaled back due to monsoon conditions that prompted cancelled training sessions and improvised workouts.

 

It was this development, though, which had the potential to cyclone through their preparations for 2017-18.

 

Liverpool could not have been more unambiguous in their response to the offer: there would be no summer sale, regardless of how much the fee shot up.

 

Undisguised, too, was the fact La Liga’s giants would return armed with a traditional media offensive that would pack more of a punch than their improved proposals.

 

The only variable surrounded the focal point. What was Coutinho, who had signed a new five-year deal without a release clause that January, thinking? 

 

As Klopp entered the private assembly room for breakfast at the palatial Ritz-Carlton, the answer immediately presented itself. The 25-year-old, inner turmoil tinting his facial features, was on edge with “an instant difference in his body language,” according to observers.

 

So this was a problem. Klopp walked over to Coutinho to schedule a talk for that evening, when they had an honest and respectful exchange.

 

Liverpool could not simply delete their plans for the season on account of Barcelona being unprepared for the loss of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, the Reds boss explained.

 

It was a point he circled back to, while also emphasising that the timing was wrong, as was the message it would send about the club.

 

Coutinho understood that, but highlighted the sacrifices his wife, Aine, and parents had made for his career. The future revolved around them as much as it did his own ambitions.

 

He was happy at Liverpool, he loved the club, he was full of gratitude… But this was Barcelona. And beyond that, it represented a lifestyle change for his family, who could function within a culture so much closer to their own.

 

Klopp acknowledged Coutinho’s thought process, but repeated that it was about Liverpool and this was not the right thing for the club, for his teammates, or for their season ambitions.

 

The message was reinforced privately by Edwards and the ownership before a public declaration.  

 

“We wish to offer clarity as regards our position on a possible transfer of Philippe Coutinho,” read a statement on the club’s official website on August 11 2017, which highlighted their “definitive stance is that no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool FC when the summer window closes.”

Through the clinking glasses and guffaws, there is thick blend of relief and defiance daubing the atmosphere in the Freshfield area of Formby.

 

It is Saturday, January 6 2018, where a long-scheduled New Year’s celebration for Liverpool’s staff at the Klopp residence has coincided with the £142m sale of Coutinho to Barcelona. 

 

The news had been released shortly before the flow of Monkey 47 gin and a catalogue of German lager at the gathering, with the message following the announcement on the club’s official website entirely scripted by the manager. 

 

“Players will come and players will go, that is football, but as a club we are big enough and strong enough to continue with our aggressive progression on the pitch, even when we lose an important player. We have never been in a better position in recent times, as a club, to react in the right way. We will use our size and strength to absorb moments like this and still move forward.”

 

That night, as the spine of the football staff and their partners made his home their own, Klopp may as well have had the words inked on his appearance.

 

The party, defined as “symbolic” and “powerful” had an element of toasting to Coutinho’s contribution at Liverpool, but at the same time, there was a sense of middle fingers flying in the direction of the doom decorating his departure.

 

Whatever followed, those present felt they were in this together. They believed in each other, in the roster, that the addition of Virgil van Dijk would make Liverpool stronger, that there was more than enough snarl as a collective to continue on an upward trajectory. 

 

That Klopp, above all, subscribed so religiously to this thinking translated into others sharing his conviction.

 

Liverpool would not just be fine, Liverpool would be fucking flying.

 

Klopp was a portrait of confidence and composure, but the previous five months had been stressful for the former Borussia Dortmund trainer.

 

It went against his entire nature, heavily built around empathy, to see a player so sewn in distress. He treasured Coutinho professionally as well as personally and agonised over what the saga was doing to the Brazil international.

 

Klopp imagined what it was like for him at home. He was torn by the impact it was potentially having on his wife and young daughter.

 

The manager knew how he'd feel if one of his own kids were going through that situation, or if his partner was being affected by it.

 

Part of Klopp’s weaponry is sagacity, drilling deep to appreciate what drives those that line up under him or work alongside him.

 

That he knew Coutinho, who is quite sensitive and counts his family as his axis, was cheerless made him so too.

 

The 50-year-old is often cast as the centrepiece, revelling in attention. He is charismatic, and so is more than comfortable getting on the dance floor or grabbing the mic to create a rhapsodic environment.

 

But those who know him best insist Klopp is happiest sitting off and shining the spotlight on the ones he cares about having a good time. 

 

He loves witnessing the initiation tradition of a player singing a song in front of all his teammates.

 

He adores the environment the squad have carved between themselves and the way they have married the serious (a strict fine system) with the humorous - Dejan Lovren’s ‘gaffer’ social media undressing stands out after he revealed his Champions League half-time rallying call at Manchester City. 

 

Klopp can also spend hours on YouTube watching videos of joyous supporters and has noted multiple times this season that watching the crowd develop and truly connect with the team has been special.

 

So to view the opposite - to see sadness plague Coutinho - was piercing.

 

As such, if the decision was solely Klopp’s to make, the No.10’s switch to Spain would have been sanctioned before the start of 2017-18.

 

Never thinking he is always right, and knowing what he personally felt was trivial when juxtaposed with the full picture, the German supported the reasoning of Edwards, Gordon and the ownership in general.

 

It did not make sense then, that when the only route available for Coutinho to secure an exit was to go antagonist, his camp targeted the manager in their press onslaught, which only hardened FSG’s stance.

 

Klopp hid it well, but the falsehoods over his relationship with Liverpool’s “genius,” plus the player’s manufactured unhappiness at the club did hurt - especially as he continued to publicly fight his corner.

 

Coutinho’s performances post the saga, especially on the continent, may have been seen as a fait accompli, but to get him to feature in the Champions League at all was an achievement.

 

When it became apparent there was absolutely no twisting of Liverpool’s arm, the threat of not representing the club in Europe was still strongly being advocated by his advisors.

 

Gordon and Edwards toiled to surgically remove that and Klopp began reintegrating Coutinho, a process made simpler by his protection of the wantaway star. 

 

Despite the heckling and suspicious inverted commas each time the ‘back injury’ that sidelined the midfielder in August was mentioned, Klopp never deviated from his line - even when the issue was “only emotional” according to Brazil’s doctor during an international break.

 

Squad harmony and ensuring there were no further hiccups to the start of the season was paramount for Klopp - he did not mind being the subject of ridicule, which drew mass respect from the dressing room.

 

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… 

Happy New Year!

 

2018 had only just ticked in, but it entered with the same complexity and concern Liverpool had enjoyed a temporary break from. 

 

Barcelona were not so much knocking on the door as they were smashing through it. Coutinho’s desire to leave had not diminished despite his excellence behind a supreme frontline and the club preparing for their first Champions League knockout fixture since 2009. 

 

Liverpool did not want a repeat of the upheaval of the summer, but conversely, neither did they want to cede the Brazilian during such a positive juncture.

 

Against the tide, they attempted to persuade him to stay until the end of the season on very lucrative terms - a deal now effective later. However, there was no budging from Barca’s end nor his: Coutinho had been on Merseyside for five years and he was adamant: it was time to say goodbye.

 

As the days ticked on and the eventuality of a sale became more pronounced, Gordon was hugely concerned that the uplifting tone around the club would morph into one of unrest. He was insistent that any abuse should be funnelled towards him and the ownership, shielding Klopp and the squad from toxicity. 

 

Through this period, though, there was no calmer person at Melwood than the manager and there was no way he wouldn’t front up.

 

Klopp demanded that everyone relax, that this was just a football transfer, and so they should treat it as such and nothing more.

 

If Liverpool did not want any drama around it, then it was imperative that they did not create a spectacle themselves. 

 

It was a transaction, not a tombstone for the Reds’ season.

 

The most significant factor was how the squad would react to the development. The Magician was loved his peers, but additionally, there had been an episode that played on Klopp’s mind.

 

One August afternoon, a desperate Coutinho approached the senior players’ committee and pencilled in a talk in one of the meeting rooms on Melwood’s ground tier.

 

He appealed to them to change the club’s mind, and while he knew the squad wanted him to stay, he also figured fellow professionals would recognise why he felt this was a ‘dream step’ that was critical to take.

 

For all the chicanery that occurred during the summer window, it was the folding of his teammates into the fuss that most annoyed Klopp.

 

So when the deal was done and Coutinho was off, the manager rounded up the full group in the dressing room at the training complex and delivered an incisive address. 

 

The message was that they'd lost a great player and a friend, but it was no more than that. He told them to not give anyone on the outside a chance to say that Phil going has affected their season.

 

Klopp mentioned that the scrutiny would increase, but he didn't believe it would hamper Liverpool in a negative way. It was important for the team to believe the same, because if they allowed his exit to be an excuse, Liverpool were weak.

 

He reminded his players they could decide whether people said their collective genius had walked out the door with Coutinho.

 

"This is us. On we go."

Liverpool had anticipated a thunderstorm, and when the whistle for the interval went at the Etihad, they were relieved for the respite from Manchester City’s electric onslaught.

 

The scoreline was only 1-0 to Pep Guardiola’s men on the night, and still 3-1 to the visitors on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals, but those first 45 minutes were punishing.

 

Klopp’s half-time routine is consistent home and away. He speeds from the touchline to the dressing room, takes off his jacket and convenes with assistant coach Peter Krawitez, who has selected crucial in-match clips along with analysts Harrison Kingston and Mark Leyland.

 

The footage they slice is never usually of a goal being conceded or scored, but examples of how to avoid the former or ensure the latter by highlighting the positioning of the defensive line or where the best offensive spaces are.

 

At City, there was a deviation. Lovren had been shouting, telling the team to ‘wake up,’ that they weren’t showing enough belief and were allowing Kevin De Bruyne and co to do as they please.

 

Klopp pounced on this as the perfect opening for his own message and so he broke away from his normal process, allowing the centre-back to speak for just under a minute before then commanding the room.

 

He started by agreeing with the Croatian, before pointing at Lovren and Van Dijk, saying they were killing the team by being too deep.

 

He then calmly got his crucial information over: get higher, condense the pitch and stop City playing the passes that feed their strengths.

 

In possession, relax, orientate yourselves better and speed it up. He pointed out spaces available to break City’s press, helping Liverpool retain the ball and thwart the hosts’ constant flow of attacks.

 

Klopp then highlighted Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s chance at the end of the first half as the memory that would be playing on loop in the home dressing room.

 

He stressed that City had just seen what Liverpool were capable of and it would be terrifying them as all it would've taken was one successful attack to scorch Guardiola's charges.

 

There was an element of 'so what the fuck are we doing still sitting here?' as he ordered them to go out and get back on the front foot.

 

While City were engulfed by the emotion of the occasion with Guardiola getting sent off at half-time, Liverpool used the break to reorganise.

 

Klopp’s ability to cut through everything and communicate concisely was visible through the first passage of play in which his side strung five to six consecutive passes together.

 

It culminated in Mohamed Salah’s opener on 56 minutes that effectively ended the tie, after Gini Wijnaldum fed Oxlade-Chamberlain.

 

The England international dissected City to supply the Egyptian, who along with Sadio Mane had worked to isolate and unsettle Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi as per instruction.

 

Klopp is forever examined through his magnetism, but not his methods. People see the cool as fuck figure with his unkept stubble in a hoody and trainers, but not the tactical nerd obsessed with preparation and details.

 

The storyline is dictated by the hugs, fist pumps and rantings, but should be about the composed leader, who is able to read the room and never ducks a big call.

 

Liverpool need only a point to secure Champions League football heading into the final top-flight game of the season against Brighton? Ok then, he'll just pick four attackers.

 

There is a misconception too that Klopp’s management is punctuated by Hollywood moments, that ‘Any Given Sunday’ type zingers are delivered on a daily.

 

To this point, Andy Robertson and Oxlade-Chamberlain are often asked “what did Klopp say to you when things weren’t going well at the start of your Liverpool career?”

 

There is no cinematographic answer as there were no elaborate meetings or ground-shifting discussions.

 

He told them to continue as they were, put in the work, and the time would come, things would align.

Klopp believes there is no point ballooning something beyond what it actually is, and that often, the best decision to take is none at all.

 

He figures having ‘the talk’ can be self-indulgent and self-serving at times. If there is no certain benefit to a player, what exactly is the point?

 

And if there is no massive issue, with the criticism existing externally, why should Klopp feed the notion that there is a problem by formally addressing it?

 

Take Mane for example, who was slightly off colour for a period, snatching a little too much and overthinking every action.

 

In general, though, the speedster was still a threat, still being decisive and still ensuring that the front three functioned exceptionally while adding to his defensive duties.

 

There was never a big sit down with the Senegal international, simply a brief sort of ‘What’s up? Stop beating yourself up about any mistakes, I am very happy with you.’

 

Mane found his own way through his stifled spell, aided by a sprinkling of encouragement rather than a lengthy tactical dissection.

 

Klopp doesn’t hesitate to assume control when a situation demands it - see Mamadou Sakho as a reference - but he dictates when necessary, not out of ego nor as an act.

October 8, 2015

At Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool’s city centre, those who would now work closely with the club’s new manager were offered insight into the character behind the established caricature.

 

After Klopp signed a three-year deal worth an estimated £7m per season in the Sixth Boardroom, where Rafa Benitez had also ratified a contract with the club in 2004, he gathered the football staff for dinner.

 

Some expected a rousing speech from the German, others assumed it would be the introduction to Jurgen’s Law.

 

Instead, Klopp spoke very little, inviting everyone to tell him about themselves, their roles and how things worked at Liverpool - from training schedules to the matchday routine. He wanted to absorb as much information as possible.

 

When it was time to talk through the media plan for his unveiling, Klopp was asked about his preferences when dealing with press. “No, no,” he responded, underlining that this was the communication team's field and they were the experts.

 

They had to tell him how it should be. They had to teach him.

 

One of the Stuttgart native’s gifts is trusting and turning to the people he works with, previously stating “I’m not a one-man show. I was never that in my life, and I never want to be that. The best lesson you can get in a day - to speak to smart people about things they know about much more about than you do.”

 

It is why when recruitment continuously pushed Salah to the forefront of the agenda for Liverpool’s incomings, Klopp co-signed their expertise.

 

He is across everything, but respects staff who take responsibility for their spheres of influence and are bold enough to settle on important decisions without informing him of each small detail.

 

Klopp surrounds himself with strong personalities, and as such, perhaps that partly explains why his long-time assistant and friend, Zeljko Buvac, is expected to leave the club at the end of the season.

 

The Bosnian-Serb has been missing from the first-team fold since the end of April due to ‘personal reasons,’ and while no clarity has been offered on the situation, there is thought to be an element of discontent for Buvac over his standing in football.

 

That his absence has not affected Liverpool behind the scenes is a nod to the strength of the individuals in the backroom team.

 

It is a strand that runs through the playing personnel as well, with proof in the non-upheaval following Coutinho’s winter departure.

 

Just as the footballers have happily assumed more responsibility, so too have the coaching and support staff.

 

“Incredibly healthy” has been a label used to describe the overall set-up at Melwood and when you consider the seamless adjustment of Van Dijk and Salah, it seems an accurate assessment.

 

Meanwhile, players that took a while to find their stride, like Robertson and Oxlade-Chamberlain, never felt walled off.

 

Klopp empowered Henderson to cultivate the dressing room culture and the captain has promoted a togetherness many within the West Derby facility say they haven’t encountered before.

 

The bond extends beyond the team to the non-football staff, who are part of the fabric of the place too. This is so much so, that even when players leave the fondness lingers.

 

When Liverpool travelled to Rome for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, Lucas Leiva sent back a surprise for popular canteen pairing Carol Farrell and Caroline Guest - signed Lazio shirts with a personal message for both.

 

Meanwhile, it is in their domain - the dinning room - where Klopp and Edwards often strategise over breakfast or lunch beyond the more in-depth presentations on players. The duo, who both employ an open-door policy, enjoy an effortless relationship underpinned by mutual respect.

 

And while the sporting director keeps a low profile as he prefers to do his job rather than talk about it, allowing him to make moves under the radar at times, Klopp appreciates that he is distinguished in his field and very decisive.

 

The Reds boss is never shy to talk up the brilliance of the recruitment group, who are backed by a stellar research team run by Ian Graham.

 

And while Edwards is not the type to seek credit, Liverpool’s forward line - the most devastating in Europe this season - is largely his sketch.

 

Gordon assesses the dovetailing between the pair as a core canon for the club’s success. Klopp appreciates Edwards’ intelligence in assembling a team to effectively implement his aggressive blueprint, while the transfer chief is aware that signing a top player is purposeless without a top manager to extract every inch of their talent.

 

The way the Reds have vaporised teams on the continent this season with their attacking venom has seen a spike in agents calling up to ascertain if there’d be any interest in their exciting clients.

 

Liverpool are now the running train.

'I could see myself here for the rest of my career'

FSG were convinced, but how could they not have been? For nearly five years, he was the one: the ownership’s ideal manager, who remained just out of reach.

 

In October 2015, however, he had finally become their one - Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp.

 

But it was only on a three-year deal. He had never lived outside of Germany, let alone managed in a different country, and while there were no doubts over his status as The Perfect Fit on the club’s end, Klopp was mindful of the adaptation both he and his family would have to undertake.

 

The contract represented a realistic scenario rather than a romantic one. During a relaxed conversation in June 2016, however, he remarked that he could imagine being at Liverpool for the rest of his managerial career to Gordon.

 

That put in motion an instant process to lock Klopp in after a quick discussion with principle owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner.

 

Within a matter of hours, fresh terms had been thrashed out with the manager’s agent, Marc Kosicke, and a new six-year deal was agreed.

 

Klopp had been on holiday in Ibiza before ferrying over to Formentera, the smallest of Spain’s Balearic islands in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

And on June 16, as he celebrated his 49th birthday, he also toasted signing on until 2022, with the news only being announced at the start of pre-season the following month.

 

"When you have an individual of Jurgen's quality in the building it makes perfect sense to secure that person for the long term. To not do so would be irresponsible."

Long before Henry, Werner and Gordon had first met with Klopp on October 1 2015 at the New York law offices of Shearman & Sterling, they had done extensive homework on his credentials.

 

It was obvious that he was charming and a unifying figure, but they sharply realised there was endless substance beyond the soundbites and mad-scientist smile.

 

Liverpool had craved a recognisable identity and here was a bonafide architect; a man worshipped in Mainz and Dortmund for his remarkable design work.

 

They spoke for hours at the high-rise building on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, chewing over everything from playing style to reawakening the fan base and reconvened the following day for further talks.

 

Klopp had made one particular point with regularity: Liverpool should be a force in Europe. And they could be. He would work to get them back amongst Europe’s elite, and moreover, as being the kind of team no-one wanted to face in the Champions League.

 

In a matter of months after arriving in Liverpool, he had guided the club to the Europa League final eliminating Manchester United, Dortmund and Villarreal en route before falling short against Sevilla at the showpiece in Basel.

 

In his first full season at the helm, Klopp’s side secured a fourth-place finish and a crack at Champions League football for only the second time in eight seasons.

 

And having navigated a tricky qualifier against Hoffenheim last August to enter the group phase of the tournament, Liverpool are in now in its final and will be at the continent’s top table again next season.

 

Whatever happens against Real Madrid in Kiev, Liverpool’s advancement is unarguable.

 

Rewinding to Hong Kong, that they have made it here - one objective boxed off, one well surpassed - through the disruption, the injuries and the sale of Coutinho mid-season, is masterful.

 

Liverpool have the opportunity to be the ultimate conquerers of Europe this season having already dispatched Porto, Manchester City and Roma, smashing scoring records en route to the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium.

 

Most significantly though, there is a wealth of confidence within the club that this will not be a rarity, that spellbinding nights under Anfield’s lights will become a divine right again.

 

They believe Liverpool will not just be fine, Liverpool will be fucking flying.

 

 

I read that this morning while I was waiting at the doctor's office. He deserves a ton of credit for holding it together this season. It really could've gone off the rails with Coutinho's act in August. He's an utter badass. We're lucky to have him. Hope he stays for 10 more years. 

[Firemans4Horn 18023]

1 hour ago, C-Man said:

Still chasing Pulisic?

 

 

Just an FYI,

duncan castles is knob end and any story he’s involved with can go in the garbage. 

[406W30th 1111]

Agreed that Duncan Castles is a doofus but that doesn't mean he's wrong about Pulisic becoming a Liverpool player. I just think the stated reason – basically saying solely because he's an American – is a bit exaggerated.

 

[maninblack 7974]

8 hours ago, Firemans4Horn said:

Just an FYI,

duncan castles is knob end and any story he’s involved with can go in the garbage. 

Totally agree but that Manc cunt waffle beat every Liverpool journo to the punch on Buvac. Not sure how he did that.

[maninblack 7974]

TAA and He do make England squad. Luckily Southgate can't injure any other LFC players.

[Jograves 357]

Good for TAA. Don't see him getting much PT, but he's worked hard this year and deserved a callup. 

[DeadSalamander 111]

22 hours ago, maninblack said:

Holy hell. Grab a drink, preferably whiskey, and settle in for this one.

The inside story of how Jurgen Klopp weathered the worst to lead Liverpool into the Champions League final

  Reveal hidden contents

"And now, we will go to Kiev. It sounds crazy, but it's true."

The downpours, pelting over Kowloon as though they were bullets from above, had finally subsided. For Liverpool, however, this was the inception of the storm. 

 

Before the sun could fully crack through the scattered clouds that Friday morning in Hong Kong last July 21st, Jurgen Klopp’s phone screen was crowded with notifications from sporting director, Michael Edwards, and Fenway Sports Group president, Mike Gordon.

 

The news being broken to the manager - the club had instantly rejected a £72 million bid from Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho - was yesterday’s back-page buffet in the United Kingdom courtesy of the seven-hour time difference. 

 

Klopp’s designs for the pre-season tour had already been scaled back due to monsoon conditions that prompted cancelled training sessions and improvised workouts.

 

It was this development, though, which had the potential to cyclone through their preparations for 2017-18.

 

Liverpool could not have been more unambiguous in their response to the offer: there would be no summer sale, regardless of how much the fee shot up.

 

Undisguised, too, was the fact La Liga’s giants would return armed with a traditional media offensive that would pack more of a punch than their improved proposals.

 

The only variable surrounded the focal point. What was Coutinho, who had signed a new five-year deal without a release clause that January, thinking? 

 

As Klopp entered the private assembly room for breakfast at the palatial Ritz-Carlton, the answer immediately presented itself. The 25-year-old, inner turmoil tinting his facial features, was on edge with “an instant difference in his body language,” according to observers.

 

So this was a problem. Klopp walked over to Coutinho to schedule a talk for that evening, when they had an honest and respectful exchange.

 

Liverpool could not simply delete their plans for the season on account of Barcelona being unprepared for the loss of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, the Reds boss explained.

 

It was a point he circled back to, while also emphasising that the timing was wrong, as was the message it would send about the club.

 

Coutinho understood that, but highlighted the sacrifices his wife, Aine, and parents had made for his career. The future revolved around them as much as it did his own ambitions.

 

He was happy at Liverpool, he loved the club, he was full of gratitude… But this was Barcelona. And beyond that, it represented a lifestyle change for his family, who could function within a culture so much closer to their own.

 

Klopp acknowledged Coutinho’s thought process, but repeated that it was about Liverpool and this was not the right thing for the club, for his teammates, or for their season ambitions.

 

The message was reinforced privately by Edwards and the ownership before a public declaration.  

 

“We wish to offer clarity as regards our position on a possible transfer of Philippe Coutinho,” read a statement on the club’s official website on August 11 2017, which highlighted their “definitive stance is that no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool FC when the summer window closes.”

Through the clinking glasses and guffaws, there is thick blend of relief and defiance daubing the atmosphere in the Freshfield area of Formby.

 

It is Saturday, January 6 2018, where a long-scheduled New Year’s celebration for Liverpool’s staff at the Klopp residence has coincided with the £142m sale of Coutinho to Barcelona. 

 

The news had been released shortly before the flow of Monkey 47 gin and a catalogue of German lager at the gathering, with the message following the announcement on the club’s official website entirely scripted by the manager. 

 

“Players will come and players will go, that is football, but as a club we are big enough and strong enough to continue with our aggressive progression on the pitch, even when we lose an important player. We have never been in a better position in recent times, as a club, to react in the right way. We will use our size and strength to absorb moments like this and still move forward.”

 

That night, as the spine of the football staff and their partners made his home their own, Klopp may as well have had the words inked on his appearance.

 

The party, defined as “symbolic” and “powerful” had an element of toasting to Coutinho’s contribution at Liverpool, but at the same time, there was a sense of middle fingers flying in the direction of the doom decorating his departure.

 

Whatever followed, those present felt they were in this together. They believed in each other, in the roster, that the addition of Virgil van Dijk would make Liverpool stronger, that there was more than enough snarl as a collective to continue on an upward trajectory. 

 

That Klopp, above all, subscribed so religiously to this thinking translated into others sharing his conviction.

 

Liverpool would not just be fine, Liverpool would be fucking flying.

 

Klopp was a portrait of confidence and composure, but the previous five months had been stressful for the former Borussia Dortmund trainer.

 

It went against his entire nature, heavily built around empathy, to see a player so sewn in distress. He treasured Coutinho professionally as well as personally and agonised over what the saga was doing to the Brazil international.

 

Klopp imagined what it was like for him at home. He was torn by the impact it was potentially having on his wife and young daughter.

 

The manager knew how he'd feel if one of his own kids were going through that situation, or if his partner was being affected by it.

 

Part of Klopp’s weaponry is sagacity, drilling deep to appreciate what drives those that line up under him or work alongside him.

 

That he knew Coutinho, who is quite sensitive and counts his family as his axis, was cheerless made him so too.

 

The 50-year-old is often cast as the centrepiece, revelling in attention. He is charismatic, and so is more than comfortable getting on the dance floor or grabbing the mic to create a rhapsodic environment.

 

But those who know him best insist Klopp is happiest sitting off and shining the spotlight on the ones he cares about having a good time. 

 

He loves witnessing the initiation tradition of a player singing a song in front of all his teammates.

 

He adores the environment the squad have carved between themselves and the way they have married the serious (a strict fine system) with the humorous - Dejan Lovren’s ‘gaffer’ social media undressing stands out after he revealed his Champions League half-time rallying call at Manchester City. 

 

Klopp can also spend hours on YouTube watching videos of joyous supporters and has noted multiple times this season that watching the crowd develop and truly connect with the team has been special.

 

So to view the opposite - to see sadness plague Coutinho - was piercing.

 

As such, if the decision was solely Klopp’s to make, the No.10’s switch to Spain would have been sanctioned before the start of 2017-18.

 

Never thinking he is always right, and knowing what he personally felt was trivial when juxtaposed with the full picture, the German supported the reasoning of Edwards, Gordon and the ownership in general.

 

It did not make sense then, that when the only route available for Coutinho to secure an exit was to go antagonist, his camp targeted the manager in their press onslaught, which only hardened FSG’s stance.

 

Klopp hid it well, but the falsehoods over his relationship with Liverpool’s “genius,” plus the player’s manufactured unhappiness at the club did hurt - especially as he continued to publicly fight his corner.

 

Coutinho’s performances post the saga, especially on the continent, may have been seen as a fait accompli, but to get him to feature in the Champions League at all was an achievement.

 

When it became apparent there was absolutely no twisting of Liverpool’s arm, the threat of not representing the club in Europe was still strongly being advocated by his advisors.

 

Gordon and Edwards toiled to surgically remove that and Klopp began reintegrating Coutinho, a process made simpler by his protection of the wantaway star. 

 

Despite the heckling and suspicious inverted commas each time the ‘back injury’ that sidelined the midfielder in August was mentioned, Klopp never deviated from his line - even when the issue was “only emotional” according to Brazil’s doctor during an international break.

 

Squad harmony and ensuring there were no further hiccups to the start of the season was paramount for Klopp - he did not mind being the subject of ridicule, which drew mass respect from the dressing room.

 

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… 

Happy New Year!

 

2018 had only just ticked in, but it entered with the same complexity and concern Liverpool had enjoyed a temporary break from. 

 

Barcelona were not so much knocking on the door as they were smashing through it. Coutinho’s desire to leave had not diminished despite his excellence behind a supreme frontline and the club preparing for their first Champions League knockout fixture since 2009. 

 

Liverpool did not want a repeat of the upheaval of the summer, but conversely, neither did they want to cede the Brazilian during such a positive juncture.

 

Against the tide, they attempted to persuade him to stay until the end of the season on very lucrative terms - a deal now effective later. However, there was no budging from Barca’s end nor his: Coutinho had been on Merseyside for five years and he was adamant: it was time to say goodbye.

 

As the days ticked on and the eventuality of a sale became more pronounced, Gordon was hugely concerned that the uplifting tone around the club would morph into one of unrest. He was insistent that any abuse should be funnelled towards him and the ownership, shielding Klopp and the squad from toxicity. 

 

Through this period, though, there was no calmer person at Melwood than the manager and there was no way he wouldn’t front up.

 

Klopp demanded that everyone relax, that this was just a football transfer, and so they should treat it as such and nothing more.

 

If Liverpool did not want any drama around it, then it was imperative that they did not create a spectacle themselves. 

 

It was a transaction, not a tombstone for the Reds’ season.

 

The most significant factor was how the squad would react to the development. The Magician was loved his peers, but additionally, there had been an episode that played on Klopp’s mind.

 

One August afternoon, a desperate Coutinho approached the senior players’ committee and pencilled in a talk in one of the meeting rooms on Melwood’s ground tier.

 

He appealed to them to change the club’s mind, and while he knew the squad wanted him to stay, he also figured fellow professionals would recognise why he felt this was a ‘dream step’ that was critical to take.

 

For all the chicanery that occurred during the summer window, it was the folding of his teammates into the fuss that most annoyed Klopp.

 

So when the deal was done and Coutinho was off, the manager rounded up the full group in the dressing room at the training complex and delivered an incisive address. 

 

The message was that they'd lost a great player and a friend, but it was no more than that. He told them to not give anyone on the outside a chance to say that Phil going has affected their season.

 

Klopp mentioned that the scrutiny would increase, but he didn't believe it would hamper Liverpool in a negative way. It was important for the team to believe the same, because if they allowed his exit to be an excuse, Liverpool were weak.

 

He reminded his players they could decide whether people said their collective genius had walked out the door with Coutinho.

 

"This is us. On we go."

Liverpool had anticipated a thunderstorm, and when the whistle for the interval went at the Etihad, they were relieved for the respite from Manchester City’s electric onslaught.

 

The scoreline was only 1-0 to Pep Guardiola’s men on the night, and still 3-1 to the visitors on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals, but those first 45 minutes were punishing.

 

Klopp’s half-time routine is consistent home and away. He speeds from the touchline to the dressing room, takes off his jacket and convenes with assistant coach Peter Krawitez, who has selected crucial in-match clips along with analysts Harrison Kingston and Mark Leyland.

 

The footage they slice is never usually of a goal being conceded or scored, but examples of how to avoid the former or ensure the latter by highlighting the positioning of the defensive line or where the best offensive spaces are.

 

At City, there was a deviation. Lovren had been shouting, telling the team to ‘wake up,’ that they weren’t showing enough belief and were allowing Kevin De Bruyne and co to do as they please.

 

Klopp pounced on this as the perfect opening for his own message and so he broke away from his normal process, allowing the centre-back to speak for just under a minute before then commanding the room.

 

He started by agreeing with the Croatian, before pointing at Lovren and Van Dijk, saying they were killing the team by being too deep.

 

He then calmly got his crucial information over: get higher, condense the pitch and stop City playing the passes that feed their strengths.

 

In possession, relax, orientate yourselves better and speed it up. He pointed out spaces available to break City’s press, helping Liverpool retain the ball and thwart the hosts’ constant flow of attacks.

 

Klopp then highlighted Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s chance at the end of the first half as the memory that would be playing on loop in the home dressing room.

 

He stressed that City had just seen what Liverpool were capable of and it would be terrifying them as all it would've taken was one successful attack to scorch Guardiola's charges.

 

There was an element of 'so what the fuck are we doing still sitting here?' as he ordered them to go out and get back on the front foot.

 

While City were engulfed by the emotion of the occasion with Guardiola getting sent off at half-time, Liverpool used the break to reorganise.

 

Klopp’s ability to cut through everything and communicate concisely was visible through the first passage of play in which his side strung five to six consecutive passes together.

 

It culminated in Mohamed Salah’s opener on 56 minutes that effectively ended the tie, after Gini Wijnaldum fed Oxlade-Chamberlain.

 

The England international dissected City to supply the Egyptian, who along with Sadio Mane had worked to isolate and unsettle Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi as per instruction.

 

Klopp is forever examined through his magnetism, but not his methods. People see the cool as fuck figure with his unkept stubble in a hoody and trainers, but not the tactical nerd obsessed with preparation and details.

 

The storyline is dictated by the hugs, fist pumps and rantings, but should be about the composed leader, who is able to read the room and never ducks a big call.

 

Liverpool need only a point to secure Champions League football heading into the final top-flight game of the season against Brighton? Ok then, he'll just pick four attackers.

 

There is a misconception too that Klopp’s management is punctuated by Hollywood moments, that ‘Any Given Sunday’ type zingers are delivered on a daily.

 

To this point, Andy Robertson and Oxlade-Chamberlain are often asked “what did Klopp say to you when things weren’t going well at the start of your Liverpool career?”

 

There is no cinematographic answer as there were no elaborate meetings or ground-shifting discussions.

 

He told them to continue as they were, put in the work, and the time would come, things would align.

Klopp believes there is no point ballooning something beyond what it actually is, and that often, the best decision to take is none at all.

 

He figures having ‘the talk’ can be self-indulgent and self-serving at times. If there is no certain benefit to a player, what exactly is the point?

 

And if there is no massive issue, with the criticism existing externally, why should Klopp feed the notion that there is a problem by formally addressing it?

 

Take Mane for example, who was slightly off colour for a period, snatching a little too much and overthinking every action.

 

In general, though, the speedster was still a threat, still being decisive and still ensuring that the front three functioned exceptionally while adding to his defensive duties.

 

There was never a big sit down with the Senegal international, simply a brief sort of ‘What’s up? Stop beating yourself up about any mistakes, I am very happy with you.’

 

Mane found his own way through his stifled spell, aided by a sprinkling of encouragement rather than a lengthy tactical dissection.

 

Klopp doesn’t hesitate to assume control when a situation demands it - see Mamadou Sakho as a reference - but he dictates when necessary, not out of ego nor as an act.

October 8, 2015

At Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool’s city centre, those who would now work closely with the club’s new manager were offered insight into the character behind the established caricature.

 

After Klopp signed a three-year deal worth an estimated £7m per season in the Sixth Boardroom, where Rafa Benitez had also ratified a contract with the club in 2004, he gathered the football staff for dinner.

 

Some expected a rousing speech from the German, others assumed it would be the introduction to Jurgen’s Law.

 

Instead, Klopp spoke very little, inviting everyone to tell him about themselves, their roles and how things worked at Liverpool - from training schedules to the matchday routine. He wanted to absorb as much information as possible.

 

When it was time to talk through the media plan for his unveiling, Klopp was asked about his preferences when dealing with press. “No, no,” he responded, underlining that this was the communication team's field and they were the experts.

 

They had to tell him how it should be. They had to teach him.

 

One of the Stuttgart native’s gifts is trusting and turning to the people he works with, previously stating “I’m not a one-man show. I was never that in my life, and I never want to be that. The best lesson you can get in a day - to speak to smart people about things they know about much more about than you do.”

 

It is why when recruitment continuously pushed Salah to the forefront of the agenda for Liverpool’s incomings, Klopp co-signed their expertise.

 

He is across everything, but respects staff who take responsibility for their spheres of influence and are bold enough to settle on important decisions without informing him of each small detail.

 

Klopp surrounds himself with strong personalities, and as such, perhaps that partly explains why his long-time assistant and friend, Zeljko Buvac, is expected to leave the club at the end of the season.

 

The Bosnian-Serb has been missing from the first-team fold since the end of April due to ‘personal reasons,’ and while no clarity has been offered on the situation, there is thought to be an element of discontent for Buvac over his standing in football.

 

That his absence has not affected Liverpool behind the scenes is a nod to the strength of the individuals in the backroom team.

 

It is a strand that runs through the playing personnel as well, with proof in the non-upheaval following Coutinho’s winter departure.

 

Just as the footballers have happily assumed more responsibility, so too have the coaching and support staff.

 

“Incredibly healthy” has been a label used to describe the overall set-up at Melwood and when you consider the seamless adjustment of Van Dijk and Salah, it seems an accurate assessment.

 

Meanwhile, players that took a while to find their stride, like Robertson and Oxlade-Chamberlain, never felt walled off.

 

Klopp empowered Henderson to cultivate the dressing room culture and the captain has promoted a togetherness many within the West Derby facility say they haven’t encountered before.

 

The bond extends beyond the team to the non-football staff, who are part of the fabric of the place too. This is so much so, that even when players leave the fondness lingers.

 

When Liverpool travelled to Rome for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, Lucas Leiva sent back a surprise for popular canteen pairing Carol Farrell and Caroline Guest - signed Lazio shirts with a personal message for both.

 

Meanwhile, it is in their domain - the dinning room - where Klopp and Edwards often strategise over breakfast or lunch beyond the more in-depth presentations on players. The duo, who both employ an open-door policy, enjoy an effortless relationship underpinned by mutual respect.

 

And while the sporting director keeps a low profile as he prefers to do his job rather than talk about it, allowing him to make moves under the radar at times, Klopp appreciates that he is distinguished in his field and very decisive.

 

The Reds boss is never shy to talk up the brilliance of the recruitment group, who are backed by a stellar research team run by Ian Graham.

 

And while Edwards is not the type to seek credit, Liverpool’s forward line - the most devastating in Europe this season - is largely his sketch.

 

Gordon assesses the dovetailing between the pair as a core canon for the club’s success. Klopp appreciates Edwards’ intelligence in assembling a team to effectively implement his aggressive blueprint, while the transfer chief is aware that signing a top player is purposeless without a top manager to extract every inch of their talent.

 

The way the Reds have vaporised teams on the continent this season with their attacking venom has seen a spike in agents calling up to ascertain if there’d be any interest in their exciting clients.

 

Liverpool are now the running train.

'I could see myself here for the rest of my career'

FSG were convinced, but how could they not have been? For nearly five years, he was the one: the ownership’s ideal manager, who remained just out of reach.

 

In October 2015, however, he had finally become their one - Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp.

 

But it was only on a three-year deal. He had never lived outside of Germany, let alone managed in a different country, and while there were no doubts over his status as The Perfect Fit on the club’s end, Klopp was mindful of the adaptation both he and his family would have to undertake.

 

The contract represented a realistic scenario rather than a romantic one. During a relaxed conversation in June 2016, however, he remarked that he could imagine being at Liverpool for the rest of his managerial career to Gordon.

 

That put in motion an instant process to lock Klopp in after a quick discussion with principle owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner.

 

Within a matter of hours, fresh terms had been thrashed out with the manager’s agent, Marc Kosicke, and a new six-year deal was agreed.

 

Klopp had been on holiday in Ibiza before ferrying over to Formentera, the smallest of Spain’s Balearic islands in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

And on June 16, as he celebrated his 49th birthday, he also toasted signing on until 2022, with the news only being announced at the start of pre-season the following month.

 

"When you have an individual of Jurgen's quality in the building it makes perfect sense to secure that person for the long term. To not do so would be irresponsible."

Long before Henry, Werner and Gordon had first met with Klopp on October 1 2015 at the New York law offices of Shearman & Sterling, they had done extensive homework on his credentials.

 

It was obvious that he was charming and a unifying figure, but they sharply realised there was endless substance beyond the soundbites and mad-scientist smile.

 

Liverpool had craved a recognisable identity and here was a bonafide architect; a man worshipped in Mainz and Dortmund for his remarkable design work.

 

They spoke for hours at the high-rise building on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, chewing over everything from playing style to reawakening the fan base and reconvened the following day for further talks.

 

Klopp had made one particular point with regularity: Liverpool should be a force in Europe. And they could be. He would work to get them back amongst Europe’s elite, and moreover, as being the kind of team no-one wanted to face in the Champions League.

 

In a matter of months after arriving in Liverpool, he had guided the club to the Europa League final eliminating Manchester United, Dortmund and Villarreal en route before falling short against Sevilla at the showpiece in Basel.

 

In his first full season at the helm, Klopp’s side secured a fourth-place finish and a crack at Champions League football for only the second time in eight seasons.

 

And having navigated a tricky qualifier against Hoffenheim last August to enter the group phase of the tournament, Liverpool are in now in its final and will be at the continent’s top table again next season.

 

Whatever happens against Real Madrid in Kiev, Liverpool’s advancement is unarguable.

 

Rewinding to Hong Kong, that they have made it here - one objective boxed off, one well surpassed - through the disruption, the injuries and the sale of Coutinho mid-season, is masterful.

 

Liverpool have the opportunity to be the ultimate conquerers of Europe this season having already dispatched Porto, Manchester City and Roma, smashing scoring records en route to the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium.

 

Most significantly though, there is a wealth of confidence within the club that this will not be a rarity, that spellbinding nights under Anfield’s lights will become a divine right again.

 

They believe Liverpool will not just be fine, Liverpool will be fucking flying.

 

 

Besides having a bit of a crush on her (something about that South African accent), Mel Reddy is the best journo covering LFC by some distance.  I have no idea how Goal let her go.

[TKS 66]

Pics from Marbella. Can is there.

 

[JimmyHoffa 1188]

 VVD put your damn helmet on!!!!! 

[DeadSalamander 111]

1 hour ago, JimmyHoffa said:

 VVD put your damn helmet on!!!!! 

Beat me to it.  WTF man - we've invested 75 million in you! (and worth every shilling)

[DeadSalamander 111]

In all seriousness, are people in Spain stupid?  Do they believe the stupid shit their press puts out?

Real Madrid ‘house hunting’ for Mohamed Salah ahead of ‘imminent arrival’ - Spanish press

[DeadSalamander 111]

How TAA found out he made England Squad.  Great story:

"I found out this morning, just before we came out to Marbella. The manager came and spoke to me just as we were getting on the plane.

"He asked me if I knew anything about the squad or anything yet. I said, 'no' and he said, 'Have you got anything planned around the time of the World Cup?' I was like, 'No, no holidays or anything...'.

"He said to me, 'OK, good... You're in the squad!' It was a really proud moment. On England's behalf, it was nice of them to let the manager tell me.''

 

[Jograves 357]

18 hours ago, DeadSalamander said:

Besides having a bit of a crush on her (something about that South African accent), Mel Reddy is the best journo covering LFC by some distance.  I have no idea how Goal let her go.

Her writing is typically pretty good but she's brutal to listen to on podcasts. It's something about her speech pattern or something that just drives me insane. She talks like she's writing a column in her head. I swerve the podcasts she's on because I can't take it anymore. 

[406W30th 1111]

On 5/17/2018 at 8:01 AM, Jograves said:

Her writing is typically pretty good but she's brutal to listen to on podcasts. It's something about her speech pattern or something that just drives me insane. She talks like she's writing a column in her head. I swerve the podcasts she's on because I can't take it anymore. 

South African accents in general are pretty hard to listen to but hers is basically nails on a chalkboard.

Still listen to what she has to say though – she's pretty much the best journo when it comes to LFC these days.

 

[Tall Dark And Texan 29]

Anyone want to watch the final with me at Valentina's? Their pitmaster Miguel is an avid Real Madrid supporter, and said he'd put it on. I would like a few more of y'all there in case Liverpool goes up 5-0 at the half and he starts getting stabby after I make one too many jokes about Ronaldo worrying more about his hairstyle than the match.