Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke was not only Jurgen Klopp’s former boss, but his very good friend.
The pair did great things in Germany – snaring brilliant footballers for virtually nothing and beating a brilliant Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title on two occasions.
Watzke has released an autobiography and multiple snippets are being picked up by outlets.
And this one, here, shows just how highly Liverpool’s manager was regarded in his homeland by his employers…
“We did not try to change his mind anymore. But that was maybe a mistake. Perhaps it would have been better if we had exchanged the entire team – not the coach,” he said – cited in the Echo.
“This is a bit like when the children move out. You also know that it will happen at some point, but you still miss them.”
“When Klopp left it hurt for weeks. Sometimes when I am on training camps, I go to my room late and sit on my terrace and think of the times when I used to hear Klopp laugh and everything was fine.”
Hearing this, it makes us think that some of the few Liverpool fans who still moan their way throughout the 90 minutes at Anfield, or criticise the manager for not signing players in the summer, need to take a step back and realise how lucky they are.
Where Klopp has taken us in his four years at the helm is more than we could have imagined. We went from doubters to believers in a 19th domestic title – the season after winning a sixth European Cup.
All we need this season from the fanbase is universal, noisy, emphatic, relentless support – and very little else.