Jurgen Klopp of Red Bull looks on during the J.LEAGUE MEIJI YASUDA J2 1st Sec. match between Omiya Ardija and Montedio Yamagata at NACK5 Stadium Omiya on February 15, 2025 in Saitama, Japan.
Jurgen Klopp is no longer working in the dugout
Arne Slot's Liverpool schedule for the next eight days is Southampton away in the Premier League, a must-not-lose Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain and a League Cup final against Newcastle United - Jurgen Klopp's new life is a lot less strenuous.
While the German may miss the buzz of the dressing room and the elation of winning football matches, he is savouring the taste of newfound liberty. Had Klopp opted to prolong his impressive nine-year tenure at Anfield, it would be him lining up the Reds for this pivotal week ahead.
Instead, Klopp, who captured the Champions League, the Premier League, a pair of League Cups, and the FA Cup, oversees Red Bull's global soccer operations. He has swapped the day-to-day coaching grind for an advisory role, guiding strategy from a loftier position.
When he hung his favourite Liverpool hat on the peg for the last time, Klopp confessed that the constant pressure and intensity of management had worn him down. A sneak peek into his current lifestyle sheds light on why he felt compelled to step back from the touchline.
The former Borussia Dortmund coach, who had pledged his future to Liverpool until 2026 with a contract extension in April 2022, unpacked his departure by admitting: "My managerial skills are based on energy and emotion and that takes all of you.
"If I cannot do it anymore, stop it. It was not my idea when I signed the new contract. I was 100 per cent convinced at that moment we would go until 2026. But I realise my resources are not endless. I'm not a young rabbit anymore."
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Jurgen Klopp appears to be enjoying his new role ( Image: Photo by Marcel Engelbrecht - firo sportphoto/Getty Images)
Seven months after announcing his departure, Klopp was revealed as the new guru of global soccer for Red Bull. Explaining his role, he said: "Basically, I'm an advisor. Hopefully, I can bring calm in different ways and, in other situations, assess things correctly and help the coaches. But I just want to support, not interfere, because I know how disruptive that is. Instead, I want to pass on my experience and work in the world that I know best."
While Klopp's role involves guiding the growth of eight clubs within the expansive Red Bull network, he's not the hands-on commander but rather the sage giving directions. Not just stuck behind a desk, Klopp has been sharing snippets of his globe-trotting lifestyle on social media – from adventures in New York to cultural sojourns in Japan and festive times in Brazil.
On Instagram Klopp uploaded a video of him riding a ski lift with his trademark grin on his face, something he would not have been able to do as manager of Liverpool. He loves his newfound freedom, but speaking to Sky News, Klopp confessed he's equally excited by the everyday learning curve awaiting him post-Liverpool management.
With his wife Ulla in mind, Klopp laughed: "I said, 'You don't want me to have a break because if I do that I will start working after four weeks again!' I should learn cooking probably so I can at least make some breakfast or whatever.
Klopp is also enjoying spending more time with wife Ulla Sandrock
(
Image:
Gisela Schober, Getty Images)
"During COVID I did scrambled eggs but after that I forgot it again. I was raised in the Black Forest with two sisters, the only reason I knew where the kitchen was because the smell came from there. I'm pretty useless in private life."
If Slot were to triumph in the League Cup, the Premier League and perhaps even the Champions League, Klopp might yearn for the excitement of clinching major silverware and the electric atmosphere of the changing room. Yet he seems well-adjusted to a simpler existence, and there's no sign of regret from the former Reds' boss.
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