- Title: SOCCER-LIV/KLOPP-UPDATED Juergen Klopp presented as manager of Liverpool
- Date: 10th October 2015
- Summary: LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, UK (OCTOBER 9, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** NEW MANAGER JUERGEN KLOPP SITS FOR QUESTIONS MEDIA AT NEWS CONFERENCE LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB LOGO (SOUNDBITE)(English) LIVERPOOL MANAGER JUERGEN KLOPP SAYS: "The greatest honour I can imagine to be here. For me it is one of the biggest clubs in the world and give me this opportuni
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- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVADWMLJ588QZ0NFUQ7M20150DN9
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- Story Text: NOTE: THIS STORY IS IMPROVED VIDEO QUALITY OF ELEMENTS FROM STORY 5111-SOCCER-ENGLAND-LIV/KLOPP WITH ADDITION OF ONE ANSWER IN GERMAN AND PICTURES OF KLOPP ON ANFIELD PITCH
Liverpool's new manager Juergen Klopp says being called to work for the club is "the biggest honour I can imagine."
The German was presented as the Merseyside's club new manager on Friday (October 9) and gave an assured performance in front of reporters.
"The greatest honour I can imagine to be here," he began. "For me it is one of the biggest clubs in the world and give me this opportunity, yes, to try to help in a situation that is not so difficult like all the people in the room feel, I think. It is not the perfect moment of course but I feel it is a good moment to come here and I feel really proud."
Asked what attracted him to the club, Klopp said: "The intensity of the football, of football. How the people live football in Liverpool and around Liverpool, all Liverpool fans all over the world. So it is not a normal or usual club, it's a special club and I had two very very special clubs with Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund, and this now, it is a perfect next step for me to be here."
The club's American owners, Fenway Sports Group, signed the former Borussia Dortmund manager on what is reported to be a three-year contract, after sacking Northern Irishman Brendan Rodgers on Sunday.
One of the most coveted managers in world football, Klopp has been out of work since May when he finished a seven-year reign at Dortmund to take a sabbatical.
He praised the players and said what was needed was a new way of playing to motivate the team.
"This is a great club with a big team, great potential, fast players, strong players, good defenders, flexible, creative, everything is there," he said. "So some players are injured, that is normal. Let us try to start a new way. I think this is the perfect moment to do this because now everything is different. Here is a German guy, first time, let's try to use him. Because I don't know all but I am a pretty good listener and I want to listen now what happens until now and then I go to Melwood (training ground) and see what will work, what doesn't work, all these things, then we think about it and then we play football, it is a good moment now."
Klopp also requested the press and fans to give the team time to change direction.
"It's not so important what people think when you come in. It is much more important what people think when you leave. And please give us the time to work on it. You need to think much more positive than today about me and all the people at LFC. If we want this could be a real special day. If we want, and we are prepared to work for it, if you are patient, all these things, if we want. Then we can start in a very difficult league. There are opponents - they are big, bigger and bigger maybe but in a special Liverpool way we can be successful," he said.
Invited to emulate Jose Mourinho's claim on arrival at Chelsea to be "the special one", however, he insisted Liverpool Football Club was special and he was "normal one."
"Does anybody in this room think I can do wonders? No? Let me work, I am a totally normal guy," he said. "I come from the Black Forest. My mother may be sitting in front of the television and watch this press conference and has said no word until now. But she is very proud. So I am a totally normal guy, I am the normal one, may be if you want this."
Klopp said he was expecting to deliver results and joked that otherwise he could move on to the next job, maybe coaching Switzerland.
"I don't want to say we can wait the next 20 years and I am sitting here again," he said. "I know if I am sitting here in four years I think we won one title in this time, I am pretty sure. If not, the next one - maybe Switzerland."
He told a German reporter that the similarities between Liverpool and Dortmund were not the reason he had accepted the job.
"I am not here because Liverpool is similar to Dortmund. I am here, because Liverpool is a awesome club and I am really keen to manage this club, that is the reason. I am not looking for the most emotional club of the world and say, that's were I belong to. This is a cool club and they were looking for a manager and they were thinking of me. That is the reason I am here." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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