5 Reasons Why Jurgen Klopp Is Still the Right Man for Borussia Dortmund
An unfamiliar scene unfolded after Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga match on Saturday after a 2-0 defeat to a smash-and-grab effort from opponents Eintracht Frankfurt at the Commerzbank-Arena.
The travelling support, usually synonymous with vibrant chanting and untested loyalty, had finally given up. Boos and abuse serenaded Jurgen Klopp’s squad at full time for the first time in his six years at the club.
Such a result has since prompted a long, worthwhile discussion that has led to the prospect of the German manager possibly being replaced at Dortmund. What once seemed impossible has finally come to be; this club may be better off without Klopp.
Yet as fickle as football fans tend to be, there is a strong case to suggest that such a decision to change personnel at the top of the club would be too drastic and certainly far too soon.
Here’s why Dortmund must stick with Klopp.
He's Ferociously Loyal
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What many Dortmund fans must consider as they go through these troubling times is just how certain members of the club acted when the going was good a few seasons ago.
One person who never considered leaving was the manager, despite becoming an overnight celebrity within European football.
Suddenly every man and his dog wanted Klopp to be their club’s manager, with some major players undoubtedly coming close to approaching the German. Yet Dortmund’s leader stood strong and remained faithful to his club. He's a loyal servant whose integrity is undoubtedly worth its weight in gold.
He Fosters Youth Players Perfectly
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When you ask football fans of their opinion on Dortmund’s rise to power in recent years, many simply assume the ranks of star players simply sprouted out of the ground.
Jakub Blaszczykowski, Marcel Schmelzer, Ilkay Gundogan and others are all players who arrived at the Westfalenstadion with plenty to prove and a long road of development ahead of them.
Marco Reus was good when he arrived at Dortmund, but now he's a star. Mario Gotze was a prospect in Dortmund's youth team, but he left the club a world-class player. Robert Lewandowski arrived in Germany as a nobody and left the club as one of Europe's most revered strikers.
Yet Klopp took them in and subsequently proved that the top of European football was still a fine place to develop your own prospects.
He Demands Respect from His Players
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Football has become a sport full of pampered egos and celebrities whose every demand is met from one club to the next. We need not look too far to find perfect examples of this at our own clubs.
Yet despite Dortmund’s continued troubles, it’s still hard to find that egomaniac within the black-and-yellow ranks. This is because Klopp is on the case and simply demands the respect of his players.
Whether they still run through walls for him week in, week out or have parted ways—Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze still can’t go 90 minutes against Dortmund without coming to Klopp with a hug—this manager still demands the admiration of his players.
He Can Still Spar with Pep Guardiola Like the Best of Them
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Bayern Munich will always be Dortmund’s primary rivals as long as this side continue to aim for the top of the Bundesliga table.
As such, duels with the Bavarian club will always prove imperative to any season’s performance. Quite simply, Dortmund need a coach that can beat Bayern, and few are better than Klopp.
Since Pep Guardiola arrived in Germany he has conquered all before him, yet Dortmund have constantly proven themselves as a thorn in the Spaniard’s side.
With three wins from six encounters, Klopp continues to trouble Bayern and should definitely be considered as Dortmund’s best chance of overcoming their title rivals.
He Made Dortmund What They Are Today
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Borussia Dortmund are Jurgen Klopp, and Jurgen Klopp is Borussia Dortmund. Such hyperbole may seem cliched and well-used in the world of sports reporting, yet when it comes to this manager and this club, it’s simply a fact.
From the depths of mid-table financial obscurity, Klopp and his two allies in CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and director of sport Michael Zorc have transformed this club from one of the rest to the well-established second-biggest club in Germany and Bayern’s closest regular rivals since Gladbach’s famous Foals side.
Like Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Klopp’s influence runs through the DNA of this club, and he is quite simply one of the most vital members of a team that try so desperately to push it forward.
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