It was a truly momentous end to Liverpool’s season.
Monday’s announcement that Arne Slot had signed a three-year contract to take over as manager marked an emotional farewell to Jurgen Klopp, as well as farewells to two senior players and the start of a new era.
This is your inside look at the final week, complete with laughter, tears, dinner with Sir Alex Ferguson, and an explosive Taylor Swift appearance.
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Jurgen Klopp took to the stage as Liverpool legend John Barnes delighted the crowd with his flawless rendition of Sugar Hill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight.
As Barnes sang, they formed an impromptu double act, and Klopp, wearing a black baseball cap back and forth, danced. The Titanic Hotel, close to Liverpool’s iconic waterfront, was the venue for a lavish farewell party on Sunday night.
Klopp tore into John Barnes’ Anfield rap on the dance floor last night. pic.twitter.com/uzte7OE02x
— Watch LFC (@Watch_LFC) May 20, 2024
After all the emotions about the Anfield exit a few hours earlier, it was time to relax. It was around 9.30pm when Klopp led his squad into the lavish event venue to be joined by his family, friends and club staff, as Dua Lipa’s One Kiss rang out.
The guest list included UFC fighter Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett, and Barnes joined fellow Anfield greats Sir Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush in celebrations that continued past 4am. I did.
Champagne flowed and an orchestral band played before DJ Twotone took over. Every member of the squad was in attendance, with Darwin Nunez being one of the last players to leave.
There was a lot of talk about the Uruguayan striker’s failure to applaud during Klopp’s honor on the pitch, but he was in good spirits during the party. On one stage, South America’s Nuñez Trio, Colombia’s Luis Diaz, and Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister participated in a dance-off.
A little after 10 p.m., Klopp, the players, and the coaching staff came up on stage. The big screen displayed a collection of video messages from current and former stars thanking Klopp for the influence he had on their careers.
Klopp, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson took the microphone to say a few words. As well as the outgoing coach, there were tributes to Joel Matip and Thiago, who are both leaving as free agents this summer.
Trophies won during Germany’s nearly nine-year reign were on display, with Klopp first showing off a miniature version on the Anfield pitch after the Wolves match. There was a children’s play area for the players’ families and a photo booth for guests featuring prints with the caption ‘Danke Jurgen’.
Klopp’s farewell gift from FSG executives John W Henry Mike Gordon, Tom Warner and Billy Hogan (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
Back on Tuesday, Klopp, who had given his players a day off following their 3-3 draw away to Aston Villa the night before, attended a special event at Anfield attended by around 700 club staff from various departments. He stood on the steps of the main stand with his silverware underneath for a photo. Everyone was sitting on either side.
An in-house LFCTV crew filmed a 20-minute video of Klopp saying farewell to supporters. A drone was used to film Klopp in the center circle and then he was filmed on the Kop with the club’s scarf wrapped around his neck.
Red forever❤️ pic.twitter.com/4teP4vCJUk
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 17, 2024
Tours of the stadium were halted to keep the moment private, but some French students were still in the upper echelons and photos they took soon appeared on social media.
Klopp then moved to the Carlsberg Dugout Executive Lounge in the main stand, where staff from across the club sat down for an hour-long Q&A. Klopp spoke candidly and got emotional at times as he spoke about becoming part of the “LFC family”.
What advice would you give someone about building a great team? “Build around Bobby Firmino.”
What’s your favorite movie? “Forrest Gump – and I can’t believe Tom Hanks was just a few yards away from me last night (at Villa Park).”
Actor Hanks attends Liverpool match at Villa but fails to get Klopp’s autograph (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Asked what music he listens to, Klopp revealed that his wife Ulla had gotten him tickets to see Taylor Swift at Anfield next month and started singing her hit song Shake It Off.
Despite spending the better part of a decade in England, he admits cricket still baffles him. “I heard the scores announced, but I still don’t know who won.”
Klopp said his favorite Scouse word was ‘luv’ and that it took him years to understand why the women in the training ground canteen would say to him every morning: “Would you like a coffee, darling?”
It was Klopp’s idea to have ‘Thank you luv’ emblazoned on the front of t-shirts and hoodies worn by departing staff after the final game against Wolves on Sunday. On the back was written, ‘I will never walk alone again.’
Jurgen Klopp helped design the farewell hoodie. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
At the end of the Q&A, Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan presented Klopp with a book filled with heartfelt messages handwritten by the staff. Klopp explained that he was unable to go out for a drink during the event because he was going out for dinner with Sir Alex Ferguson, which he later described as “brilliant”.
There is a long-standing mutual respect between them. Klopp once said that meeting legendary Manchester United manager Ferguson for the first time was “like meeting the Pope.” After Liverpool won the Premier League title in 2020, Manager Ferguson sent a congratulatory message to Klopp, saying, “The team’s level of performance was outstanding. “I’ll forgive you for waking me up at 3:30 in the morning to tell me you won the league.”
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A group of Norwegian Liverpool supporters were sitting in Formby Town’s Freshfield pub last Wednesday evening chatting with former Liverpool striker David Fairclough when, to their surprise, Klopp walked in.
He, along with assistant Peter Krawietz, enjoyed drinks and signed autographs with members of the club’s media department.
The next day, a players’ barbecue was held at the club’s Kirkby base after training, where captain Virgil van Dijk paid a touching tribute to Klopp and his backroom staff. They each received a Rolex watch as a retirement gift from the team.
The Freshfield pub, a local for Jurgen Klopp (Simon Hughes/The Athletic)
From there, assistants Pep Lijnders and Krawietz drove to the Hotel Anfield near the stadium for a special reception with elite development coach Vitor Matos, goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, head of fitness Andreas Kornmayer and head of recovery and performance Andreas Schlumberger. Supporter group.
“These guys made us champions of the f***ing world,” declared musician Jamie Webster, who performed terrace anthems Allez Allez Allez and You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Each coach was awarded an LFC shirt with their name on the back and signed by hundreds of fans. A microphone was passed around for supporters to share their favorite memories and thanks.
“Imagine it’s us.” Lijnders said, nodding at the Kop’s banner. “Name one club in world football that has organized an event like this for its behind-the-scenes staff. “It’s truly amazing.”
The final training session took place on Saturday as Klopp packed up his office and left the AXA Training Center for the final time. In an open letter to the Liverpool Echo newspaper, he described his adopted home as “a city with open arms”.
Looking to the future, a man who previously warned about the dangers of social media has started his own Instagram account. In just 48 hours, @Kloppo had amassed over 2 million followers.
Klopp, who broke down earlier in the week while reading a fan’s letter while filming for LFCTV, desperately needed a celebratory rather than sad mood at Anfield on Sunday. He got his wish.
His speech on the pitch after the game included telling the fans “From today onwards I am one of you” before returning to the dressing room and telling the players: “I love you. That’s all I have.” can say
“The football you can play is absolutely ridiculous. I can’t wait to watch you progress and take the next steps. Thanks for the ride. I’m so proud of you, and I’m so proud to be a part of this. The sky is the limit for you guys.”
Klopp finally entered the final press conference at 8pm, about two hours after the final whistle, took out his phone and took a picture of the reporters sitting in front of him, which was soon uploaded to his Instagram account. . “I might miss you if I did,” he joked.
Klopp stressed that he might take at least a year off and never get back to the job. He will attend the Champions League final between his former team Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid at Wembley in London on June 1, and will also be a spectator at the Paris Paralympic Games in August.
There may not have been any silverware up for grabs at Anfield on Sunday, but data from Blinkfire Analytics has highlighted the scale of interest. The biggest UK TV audience for the Wolves game was 1.2 million, with 70% more people watching Klopp’s post-match farewell than Manchester City’s title celebrations taking place simultaneously on other Sky Sports channels. On YouTube, Anfield videos received 44% more views than Etihad Stadium videos.
In terms of the number of fan engagements with all content posted on the club’s social media platforms, Liverpool had the highest total of 26 million per Sunday match across the Premier League in 2023-24, followed by City with 19.4 million.
Linda Pizzuti, wife of Liverpool owner John W Henry, reacted to X’s post on Instagram congratulating City on winning their fourth successive title. ‘This Means Four’ is a variation of Liverpool’s old marketing slogan ‘This Means More’.
“I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Premier League champions Manchester City. I express my deepest respect for this tremendous achievement. “Thank you for thinking of us on our special day.”
Slot’s appointment was finally confirmed officially on Monday afternoon, but Klopp had already announced it for Liverpool with a chant from the center circle on Sunday evening.
“It is certainly not an easy decision to close the door on a club where I have experienced many great moments and worked successfully with great people,” Slot told Feyenoord’s website after his move to the Netherlands became official. “But as a sportsman, the opportunity to become manager of one of the biggest clubs in the world, the Premier League, is hard to ignore.”
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The pre-season begins in early July with the squad depleted due to the European Championship and Copa America being held in Germany and the United States this summer. Slot’s number two, Sipke Hulshoff, will be there to focus on his duties on Merseyside after resigning from the Netherlands squad ahead of the Euros.
It proved to be quite a week. The baton has been passed.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
