Jurgen Klopp has spoken about how he gets the best out of his Liverpool players.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been able to inspire a higher level of performance from his players at Anfield and at previous club Borussia Dortmund.
He told the Duffle Bag podcast, via Daily Mail about his relationships with his Reds players, which has taken the club to the brink of winning the Premier League.
He said: “I trust them. have a lot of faith in them. It’s easy because they are wonderful human beings, sensationally skilled boys. I’m the boss. I say who plays, when we train, what we do in training. In between these decisions, I can be their friend. I’m a friend of my players, but I’m not their best friend. I’m not the guy who understands everything but I try to.
“I don’t pretend I’m interested, I am interested. It’s important to know who you are working with and why somebody is motivated. Are you there to earn money, which is fine, or are you here to make your family proud, to make a whole country proud? I need to know. That makes a relationship. They can talk to me and it’s always important.”
It must be tough for managers these days to form those bonds with players because they generally get such a short amount of time in their job.
But Klopp has had seven years in his previous two jobs and looks set to reach that with Liverpool, perhaps going on even longer.
That helps build up those relationships he talks about and while some may debate their importance, few can doubt the results on the pitch this season.
Klopp’s comments show his man-management goes beyond just hugs and passion on the sidelines. He genuinely cares and his players seem to respond to his methods.
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