Departing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp took to the microphone to address an emotional Anfield crowd following the Reds’ comfortable 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon.
After calling time on his tenure earlier this year, a new era dawns for Liverpool, and whilst there will be a change in the dugout, Klopp recognises that there are bright days ahead for the club.
“For whatever reason, it doesn’t feel like an end, it just feels like the start. Because I saw today a football team playing full of talent, full of youth, full of creativity, full of desire, full of greed. That’s one part of development, that’s what you need.
“In this time, I realised a lot of things. People told me that I turned them from doubter into believer. That’s not true. Believing is an active act; you have to do it yourself. I just said we have to, you did it.
“Nobody tells you now to stop believing because this club is in a better moment than - maybe ever - I’d have to ask Kenny [Dalglish]. Since a long time.
“We have this wonderful stadium, we have this wonderful training centre. We have you [the fans] – the superpower of world football.”
Discussing the upcoming period of adaptation and the feeling of apprehension amongst supporters of what the next chapter holds, Klopp was quick to reassure that the future success of the club is in the collective hands of supporters.
“We decide if we are worried or excited. We decide if we believe or don’t believe. We decide if we trust or don’t trust. And since today I am one of you, and I keep believing in you. I stay a believer, 100 per cent.
“I saw a lot of people crying, and it will happen to me tonight because I will miss people, that’s clear, but change is good. You never know what to expect, but if you go into it with the right energy then everything will be fine.”
In an interview with Sky Sports, Klopp said: "If I carry on, these guys and others will say 'he's been there too long.' You have to be the spark. I love the squad. There is so much potential.
“When you are in it, you forget sometimes how great it is. You take it for granted. Now I stand here, I'm just so happy that I'm a part of the club's history. It's wonderful.”
Liverpool defender, Andrew Robertson, who Klopp signed from a relegated Hull City in 2017, lauded his outgoing manager after the match, emphasising the remarkable impact he has on, not only him, but all of the players, both on and off the pitch.
"We can't thank Jurgen Klopp enough and all the players could do today was try to win for him and we managed that to send him off on a high.
"Every time he stood up, he would have got a massive cheer. He tried to take the limelight off him, and it just wasn't possible. He will have to suck it up today. What he's done for the club is magnificent. We have a lot to be grateful for and thankful for.
"On the pitch it's clear to see. He gave me a chance at Liverpool, signed me, made me the player I am and helped me win trophies. I came here as a relatively young man. I'm a lot older and wiser now, and a lot of characteristics have been down to him,” Robertson credited. “He texts me in good moments and in bad. He's improved all of us as people.”
