Jurgen Klopp Aiming for One Final Hurrah

When Jurgen Klopp headed over to the Yellow Wall after Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Werder Bremen, he emotionally bid farewell to the Borussia Dortmund faithful.

He doffed his cap, shed a tear and roused the supporters one last time…for now. There appears to be an acceptance on the part of both Klopp and the club that this is not the last we will see of the charismatic manager in the Borussia Dortmund tracksuit he has donned so proudly over the last seven years.

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Jurgen Klopp just did the Ronny Roar. http://t.co/jTa9F5Gf5E

— Stefan Bienkowski (@SBienkowski) May 23, 2015

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But before Kloppo even begins to think about what the future holds, he will head into Saturday’s DFB-Pokal final determined to experience one final hurrah with a club that has etched its way into his heart.

Ever since the 47-year-old announced he would be leaving at the end of the current campaign, Dortmund have experienced a drastic turn in fortunes. Indeed, such has been the nature of the change in form that Klopp recently stated, via the BBC: "If I’d known before the start of the season that we’d put such a winning run together, I’d have announced my departure back then."

Of course, Klopp’s suggestion is to be taken in a light-hearted manner, but he is not far off the mark with such sentiments. Since announcing his intention to leave in April, Die Schwarzgelben have picked up the pace, losing just once in their final six Bundesliga games.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

It is a stark contrast to where they sat a few months ago. Heading into the winter break, Klopp was staring down the brink of a relegation battle, with Dortmund 17th and repeatedly flirting with bottom spot in the table.

After Saturday’s victory, they finished the season in seventh and are now guaranteed a Europa League spot next season by virtue of Wolfsburg’s (their opponent in the final) finishing position.

The 47-year-old and his side will not be resting on their laurels, however, and will be determined to secure the European spot by tasting triumph in the DFB-Pokal. As well as an upturn in results in the league, BVB have tasted more success in cup competition since their manager’s announcement, with their semi-final victory over Bayern Munich just reward for a magnificent team effort over 120 minutes.

While the likes of Mats Hummels and Marco Reus will be eager to send their manager out on a high, there can be no question that Klopp’s legacy at Dortmund will remain firmly intact. Nothing can alter his already legendary status.

Since being appointed as a fresh-faced, relatively unknown quantity back in 2007, Klopp has led his charges to a number of glories. Indeed at their peak, his Dortmund side were experiencing unprecedented success, the sort that not even their staunchest of supporters would have expected or dreamed of.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

While it took time for his methods to be understood and implemented, once the former Mainz manager’s tactics took hold, Dortmund were unstoppable. Between 2010 and 2012, Klopp led Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles, disrupting what had seemed close to a Bayern Munich monopoly.

The 2011-2012 campaign in particular was staggeringly good. Accruing a total of 81 points, the North Rhine-based team set a then-Bundesliga record, while in the same campaign, BVB celebrated DFB-Pokal glory, completing the side’s first-ever domestic double.

After tasting the titles of Germany, Klopp and his men set about making their mark on Europe in a 2012-2013 Champions League campaign that saw them become the darlings of European football. While they were ultimately defeated by bitter rivals Bayern Munich 2-1 in the 2013 final, Dortmund secured cult status with their performances on the continent.

From their showings in the group stages against Manchester City to their demolition job of Real Madrid in the semi-final, Dortmund’s run was the sort fairytales are based on.

An absolute joy to watch, Dortmund that year were incredibly pleasing on the eye with their aggressive attacking and pressing matched by their swashbuckling counter-attacking style.

At the centre of that side was Jurgen Klopp. If you look up the word "enigma" in the dictionary, there is likely to be a picture of a bearded, friendly, bespectacled face alongside it. Klopp has done so much not just for Dortmund over the past few years but German football as a whole, with his time at the club contributing firmly to placing the Bundesliga back on the European football radar.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

If ever a team carried out on the pitch what their manager was doing on the touchline, then Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund have been that side. The frantic, relentless image on the pitch is just a reflection of what is going on off of it.

Klopp barks like a dog, he throws himself around pitchside, he jumps in anger, he jumps for joy. Many people would be willing to part with hard-earned cash just to watch Klopp for 90 minutes each week. He is pure theatre.

But as well as impressing with his tactics and style, he has impressed with his heart and passion, as well as the bonds he holds with his players. Perhaps the best example of this came with the departure of Shinji Kagawa.

Speaking to the Guardian in 2013, Klopp reflected on how the two "cried for 20 minutes, in each others’ arms, when he left" for Manchester United. Those well-versed in the Klopp-Kagawa love story will not need reminding of the joyous scenes that greeted the midfielder’s return to the club.

Thus it is clear that it’s not just the tactics and style that make Klopp the successful manager he is. It is also the Jose Mourinho-esque manner of treating players like sons and brothers that develops bonds so strong that all around are willing to lay their bodies on the line for each other.

After 317 games at the club, Klopp’s win percentage is a very impressive 57 percent, all the more credible when their woes of 2014 are considered, as well as the initial teething problems experienced. How he would love to boost that percentage just a little higher with a win in Berlin on Saturday.

But that will not be an easy task. Especially with a pack of hungry Wolves in the way. Wolfsburg have enjoyed an excellent season, taking up the place many expected Dortmund to be sitting in, as the leaders of the chasing pack behind Bayern Munich. Dieter Hecking and company, though, will be well aware of the fact there are no trophies or medals for being second best.

That makes winning Saturday’s DFB-Pokal showdown all the more important. Securing the triumph in Berlin will be a physical illustration of a successful season, instead of reflecting on being close but not close enough.

If the game was decided on which side had shown more quality this campaign, then it would be no contest. With the exception of a few careless lapses towards the end of the season, once their fate had already been secured, Wolfsburg have been excellent.

Indeed, anyone looking for evidence of just how savage the Wolves can be need only look back to January of this year when Wolfsburg ruthlessly tore apart Bayern Munich. They destroyed a terrific side who had no answers to the onslaught that faced them.

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Chief instigator on that night, and also for the majority of the campaign, has been Kevin De Bruyne. At just 23 and with a face that looks no older than a young boy, the Belgian is an indication that looks can be deceiving.

The midfielder has been in devastating form throughout the 2014-2015 campaign and will be the key figure for Wolfsburg. With 15 goals and 28 assists in all competitions this term, it is easy to see why De Bruyne will be earmarked as the man to watch, and much of Dortmund’s success in the game will be down to how well they marshal the record-breaking Belgian.

Just as Dortmund will be desperate to win the game for Klopp, Wolfsburg too will be driven by emotion when they take to the field on Saturday. Sporting a green heart with the number 19 inside it on their shirts, Wolfsburg’s players will be doing everything they can to secure the triumph in the name of Junior Malanda, a player who was very much a star in the making before his untimely death earlier on in the year.

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In memory of @JuniorMalanda, the Wolves will don a green heart with the number 19 in Saturday's cup final against BVBpic.twitter.com/w3DBWJc4Nj

— VfL Wolfsburg EN (@VfLWolfsburg_EN) May 27, 2015

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If this game was to be decided by form, then there would be no question over who the favourites would be to lift the cup. Wolfsburg have enjoyed by far the better season, while in the two games between the sides in the league, Wolfsburg secured a 2-2 draw away and a 2-1 win at home, the latter being Dortmund’s only defeat since Klopp announced his imminent departure.

But, as all football fans will appreciate, in a cup final, anything can happen. Form goes out of the window, and often the game is decided by a piece of brilliance or a mistake or sometimes just simple passion—who wants it more.

Both sides will undoubtedly be desperate to taste success on Saturday. Will Jurgen Klopp experience one last hurrah? Only time will tell.