Jurgen Klopp Details 'Emotional' Playing Philosophy in 1st Liverpool Interview

Jurgen Klopp has given his first interview since being officially announced as the Liverpool manager, revealing he intends to bring an “emotional” and “very fast, very direct” playing philosophy to Anfield.

The German spoke to the club’s official website about his appointment, saying he was hugely excited about taking over the Reds. However, Klopp did reveal he’s expecting this particular role to be a challenging one, per Tom Williams of Agence France-Presse:

He also offered a small insight into the way he’s going to get his new team to play, insisting there is more to football than winning games:

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I am very excited by the challenge we face and eager to start the job and begin implementing our ideas and ways of working with this team. This is a talented group of players and there is still much to compete for this season.

Winning is important but so is how you win and how you play the game. I believe in a playing philosophy that is very emotional, very fast and very strong. My teams must play at full throttle and take it to the limit every single game.

It is important to have a playing philosophy that reflects your own mentality, reflects the club and gives you a clear direction to follow. Tactical of course, but tactical with a big heart.

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He also had this message for the club’s supporters, who are excited by the appointment, per the official Liverpool Twitter feed:

Here's another snippet from his first interview as the Liverpool boss:

Klopp’s style of football won him many plaudits during his previous managerial stint with Borussia Dortmund. His players were well drilled, reacting faster than any team in Europe when possession broke down. They were also incisive moving the ball through the lines and relentless in the manner in which they pressed the opposition.

It was an ethos that resulted in plenty of thrilling goals on the counter-attack, and as we can see here, courtesy of Squawka Football, it worked well at the very highest level:

Klopp’s management style also centres around uniting everyone at a football club, and in the interview, he spoke of the role the supporters can play in helping Liverpool back to the summit of English football.

“Liverpool has extraordinary supporters, and Anfield is a world-renowned home with an incredible atmosphere,” said Klopp. “I want to build a great relationship with these supporters and give them memories to cherish. I hope we can feed off each other's energy and that we take this journey together.”

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The fans are already on board, it would seem. While there has been a lot of revisionism about the credentials of previous boss Brendan Rodgers, Klopp brings a renewed sense of hope to Anfield. For Liverpool fans, going to games had almost become a chore. Now, you suspect they can’t wait to see their players in action with their new boss barking orders from the sidelines.

As Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez noted, it’s an appointment that has got other football supporters excited too:

There’s no denying Klopp is one of the smoothest operators in world football, and his natural charisma and silver tongue are two key attributes in his popularity. But it’s clear from these early words that he’s hugely passionate about the game and a man who is as straightforward as they come. It’s definitely going to be exciting to see how things go at Liverpool under his tutelage.

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Getting him is a huge show of ambition from the Reds that was long overdue, and expectations are likely to inflate. There’s little doubt Klopp will need time to implement his unique methods and become acclimatised to fresh challenges, both on and off the field. But he already seems to have jolted this football club back into life.