Joël Matip and the Heavy Load Off Jürgen Klopp

Winning the Premier League for the first time will be a colossal moment in Liverpool history no matter how far into the future you go. The club has been at it for decades, coming up just short on a number of occasions.

Manager’s have come and gone from Melwood, wishing they’d been the one to return Liverpool to the pinnacle of football. Graeme Souness, Roy Evans, Gérard Houllier, Rafa Benítez, and Brendan Rodgers all had the highest of hopes for winning the league.

There was also Roy Hodgson. I don’t know what Roy was thinking but he didn’t think he was going to win the league. He thought Hodgeball was good. And Kenny’s appointment was more of a special time than a title challenge.

Then Jürgen Klopp accepted the job in 2015 and it seemed like something fun might start brewing again. Liverpool have gone from strength to strength with Klopp in charge. The transfer committee isn’t a whiskey tornado anymore. The togetherness preached by the manager and players is not fabricated for the cameras. There’s real unity in the squad and it’s been creating a lot of winning over the last few seasons.

Joël Matip recently mused on the joyful release of winning the Premier League with Liverpool and spoke highly of Klopp and the efforts the manager puts into this football team.

“I can imagine how liberating it was for him, too,” said Matip. “Everyone can imagine how exhausting so much pressure is for the body and the mind. That is not always easy.

“He also carries a heavy load and protects us from this load from the outside. Internally, he discusses things very clearly, but as I said, he protects us from the outside. We know that. As a player, you like to jump into the breach for such a coach.”

Then, not at all finished praising his manager, Joël kept talking.

“He is known for always making a casual statement but when it comes to work and the team, he is very clear,” Matip said.

“He has his ideas and always tries to get them into the mind of every player. He always tells us how important the team is and how important it is that we stick together.

“He knows that we have quality, but that we can only achieve something if we pull together. He has an incredibly good way of motivating us and arousing the emotions within us.”

Klopp In.