Gary Neville has heaped praise on Jurgen Klopp this week, particularly for one ‘menacing’ trait of the Liverpool boss. Klopp will leave the Reds at the end of the season.
The Jurgen Klopp farewell tour is underway – it’ll be an emotional one, bringing an end to one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
Of course, Klopp has also led one of the great English sides full-stop. Liverpool have won every major trophy since he took over, generating some of the highest point tallies we’ve ever seen.
Thus, there’s a lot of respect for the man. Even Gary Neville, a former Manchester United captain, doesn’t shy away from his respect for Klopp.
He showed it once again on the Overlap this week as he talked about one of Klopp’s traits that he loves to see.
“One of the best things I think he does is standing during the [opposition] warmup,” said Neville.
“He stands there, 6ft 3, and just literally stares at them – at the closest point to them, where the team are warming up and he’s looking at them, right in the eye.
“It’s intimidation, I think. He literally stands there, menacing.”
It’s become a common sight on matchdays. Klopp will move into the centre circle and simply stare at the opposition warming up. While it certainly will allow him to judge the opponents, there’s no question that it’s a display of intimidation.
And every great manager has those little mind games that they turn to. Klopp’s has become common place and it’s something every fan will miss after this season – along with a thousand other things the German does.
There’s only one Jurgen Klopp and his replacement has an incredible job to do to match him.
