Liverpool cult icon admitted Jurgen Klopp played big role in retirement decision

Jurgen Klopp was a huge inspiration for all his players, but the German is still inspiring many Liverpool stars, past and present, outside of Anfield.

Former Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara has revealed Jurgen Klopp played a huge role in his post-retirement decision to pursue coaching. The Spaniard played under the former Merseysiders boss for four seasons.

While his time at Anfield was hampered by injuries, he still managed to win the FA Cup and the League Cup, while also coming within a whisker of winning the Premier League. He left Liverpool in the same summer as Klopp before announcing his retirement from football.

The ex-Bayern Munich midfielder returned to former club Barcelona, where he is now working under Hansi Flick as an assistant manager. Speaking about his new role in Catalunya, Thiago has revealed that Klopp played a major part in convincing him to go into coaching after retirement.

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Speaking to the Coaches’ Voice, Thiago said: “My time at Liverpool encompassed everything I look for in a club and everything I’d always loved. The feeling of competing for every trophy, of being dominant on the pitch, yet giving off that sense of being a fighting club where every day you have to battle for a goal.

“It wasn’t that we fell short of anything in particular, you just had to really work for it. At Liverpool I found that blend of being and feeling dominant, while also working hard to make it happen.

“The intensity of English football makes it closer to the football played in South America. At Liverpool, we went through a very nice period of adaptation, learning and growth.

“It was where I worked with Jurgen Klopp – someone who exudes energy on a daily basis. I was fortunate to be with a manager capable of adapting every possible situation to the team’s favour.”

When asked what traits he inherited from Klopp will be used in his coaching career, the two-time Champions League winner said: “With Klopp, there are no bad situations, just moments that need to be channelled in a way that makes them favourable to your team and he achieved this through energy, calmness, or even laughter at moments that aren’t expected to be funny.

“He managed to instil that flow of energy, that direction, so everyone followed him. Apart from the intensity of the training sessions, the best thing I could pass on from Jurgen to my team is the idea that, even if you only want to focus on working on a specific move, the play never stops – it stays alive.

“You can’t run a finishing drill without having an extra ball in case of a rebound, a loss of possession, or if you need to make a transition.

“What I took from Jurgen is the intensity that derives from running, passing and being well positioned.

“I could make a long list of all the coaches who have been beneficial throughout my life: Pep Guardiola, Hansi Flick, Luis Enrique, Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klopp, Jupp Heynckes.

“I felt the benefit particularly towards the end of my playing days. I don’t know if it was because Jurgen had seen my grey hairs, or because we used part of the time we had on the pitch to talk and lead, but it was Jurgen who told me I was going to be a coach.”

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