Former Jurgen Klopp has revealed the two reasons he chose not to return to Liverpool after bringing his impressive tenure at the club to an end.
The German coach was back on Merseyside this weekend for a charity match between Liverpool Legends and Borussia Dortmund Legends, which finished in a 2–2 draw.
Klopp took his place in the dugout once again, serving as assistant manager to club legend Kenny Dalglish for the occasion. Thiago Alcantara and Jay Spearing were on the scoresheet for the Reds.
Speaking after the match, Klopp explained that he had avoided returning earlier because he did not want to jinx Liverpool’s Premier League title push last season.
He also admitted he was keen to avoid any unnecessary pressure that might have come with a premature return.
Speaking about his return to Merseyside at this weekend’s charity match, the 58-year-old explained: “When I left here I didn’t know how often I would come back.
“First year I didn’t want to jinx it, now I didn’t want to create wrong expectations or whatever. There’s always a reason not to, but this was great.
“There was no doubt that I had to come to support the foundation, and that’s why we are here. And the nice thing is that we play a game at Anfield against my other old club, which is really nice.”
He continued: “It’s just nice, being here, having absolutely no pressure, no intensity, just here to enjoy the atmosphere and I can’t wait. More than 60,000 people here this afternoon which is completely ridiculous. And I hope the players can entertain in a different way, a little bit.”
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