Klopp dedicates win to Liverpool fans, legends

Jurgen Klopp has dedicated Liverpool’s Premier League title to everyone associated with the club – from fans, “legends” and staff, to the owners and directors.

When asked if he could sum up his emotions soon after the club became champions, Klopp said,

“No, unfortunately not because if I tried to start talking about it again I will start crying again and that doesn’t work really well! I am completely overwhelmed; I don’t know, it’s a mix of everything – I am relieved, I am happy, I am proud. I couldn’t be more proud of the boys. How we watched the game tonight together, we knew it could happen, it couldn’t not happen, we didn’t know. We want to play football and we are really happy that we are allowed to play again – then when it happened in that moment, it was a pure explosion.”

Klopp and all his players had gathered to watch the Chelsea v Manchester City game.

“When we counted down the last five seconds of the game, the ref counted down a little bit longer than us so we had to look at two or three more passes! Then it was pure… I cannot describe it. It was a really, really nice moment. Directly after it, I felt so empty inside – I cannot believe it, I am really not happy with myself in the moment that I feel like I feel, but it’s just a little bit too much in the moment. I will be fine, nobody has to worry.”

“I actually couldn’t be happier; I couldn’t have dreamed of something like that and I never did before last year, honestly. We were not close enough three years ago, a year ago we were really close… what the boys have done in the last two-and-a-half years, the consistency they show is absolutely incredible and second to none. Honestly, I have no idea how we do that all the time. Last night, a very good example – we played a game like the stadium is fully packed and everybody is shouting ‘Liverpool’ or whatever, constantly. It is a wonderful moment, that’s what I can say.”

Klopp said he had insisted that no-one be left to watch the game at home to ensure that the winning moment was one that the players would always treasure.

“There was no alternative. This morning we thought about it, shall we do something and then we thought maybe not compulsory, the boys have to drive a little bit… and then I said, ‘No, we have to make it compulsory, everybody has to be there’ because I am more experienced and I know who will stay at home and watch it alone will regret it for the rest of his life.”

With the team being tested twice a week for Covid-19, Klopp also said he felt the gathering was acceptable.

“It is our bubble, it is the people who are with us every day, we are all twice-a-week tested so we are fine since we can train again and it’s a nice moment. It is wonderful to share it.”

Klopp kept some of his most effusive praise for the fans and for the list of legendary players who helped make Liverpool one of the most recognised and keenly supported football teams in the world – despite an agonising 30 years without a league title.

“My message is: it is for you out there. It is really for you. I hope you feel it. I hope you saw it last night, not only last night but after a long time, last night again. It is for so many people. Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness spoke to me on another interview and they were obviously very positive about us. That’s nice, thanks to them because this club is built on what they did. It is built, of course, on Shankly and Paisley and Fagan and all the others, but on these players… Steven Gerrard – this club is built on, in the last 20 years, on Stevie’s legs. He had to carry all of the pressure on his shoulders and he did that exceptionally. I am really happy that we can deliver this title to him as well. The boys love being part of this club, they love being part of the story of this club and the history. It is so nice how we learned how to deal with the history, how we learned to use the history in the last two years. It is just amazing.”