He also had the best part of 60,000 in the palm of his hand, as he demonstrated on his farewell to Anfield. Getting them to sing the name of his successor, Arne Slot, constituted a seal of approval for Liverpool’s next manager, an attempt to smooth his welcome with popularity.
For some, it may have had echoes of Sir Alex Ferguson’s words to supporters on the Old Trafford pitch 11 years ago: “Your job now is to stand by our new manager.” David Moyes lasted 10 months at Manchester United.
It isn’t always easy to follow an iconic manager; Unai Emery, doing outstanding work at Aston Villa, floundered when following Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Slot has Klopp’s blessing and prepared for life on Merseyside by joining in a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at a party as he bade farewell to Feyenoord. The more pertinent part of his new job, however, does not concern the soundtrack.
Klopp’s words on the Anfield pitch were a further indication of his theory that Liverpool 2.0 will not end with his departure. “It’s not an overhaul needed,” he said. Speaking before his valedictory victory against Wolves, he said: “We all agree four weeks ago it was a super squad.”
He has demonstrated loyalty to his players; Slot does not need to show it, but part of Klopp’s skill set was to get footballers to deliver more for him than they had for anyone else. That becomes a challenge for whoever takes over from him.
This story is from the May 22, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the May 22, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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