Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool manager's five best answers from BBC Radio 5 Live podcast
- Published
Fifa Club World Cup final: Flamengo v Liverpool |
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Venue: Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar Date: Saturday 21 December Kick-off: 17:30 GMT |
Coverage: Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. |
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, reigning European champions and bidding to win the Fifa Club World Cup in Qatar.
The German spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live's At Home With Colin Murray podcast - here's his best five answers.
What part of the job do you not like?
"It is a very intense job but I have done it for 19 years - and if I didn't do it, I would have another intense job.
"It pays my bills but to be constantly under observation is not nice.
"The first sip of a pint and you are live on social media. I have no problem telling people to respect my borders."
How did you prevent inflated egos after Madrid?
"The conscious decision we made with the boys was, as Liverpool players, it was not about winning one thing. It is about winning and there is no limit.
"The moment we did it was important - but it did not give us a feeling it was done.
"We like to think we would meet up in 20 to 30 years, look back and mix up the years. Was it 2019 or 2020?
"So far, so good. We try to squeeze everything we can get from our time together. There is no pressure, it is just opportunity."
How do you maintain respect while making difficult decisions?
"All my former players have my number and we stay in contact.
"I support them still, apart from the moment we play each other. If we win 5-1 I would prefer my former player scores the one. It is like a family and friends forever.
"When I was a very young manager [at Mainz] and I knew my players did not earn very much, I had to tell some of my best friends they would not get another contract and I did not know which way it would go for them.
"Now it is a different level and I do not put the players on the streets, they will find another club.
"I do not push them in a dark room and leave them there. The future is still bright for them, and sometimes it is not the right place in our team any more.
"It is being completely honest in these moments, it is not that I enjoy it. Everything has its time and it's the same with a contract as well. I have never kept a player because I like him so much."
Who is the biggest surprise at Liverpool?
"I have known Trent Alexander-Arnold since he was 17 years old.
"He was a big talent but we were not sure he could do it physically.
"Now he is a machine - so he is a big surprise."
Who is your idol?
"[Tennis great] Boris [Becker] is the same age group as me and he is my hero. When he was 17 in 1985 and won his first Wimbledon, it was one of the biggest days in my life too.
"My wife and his former wife organised a meeting because he was always on my non-existent bucket list. In that moment, I could not speak, which is difficult to believe.
"I always knew we could be really good friends - and for that evening, we behaved as such."