Jurgen Klopp will forever be a beloved figure at Liverpool.
The German coach brought the glory days back to Anfield which had not been seen for many years and Gary Lineker has praised Klopp for the team he left behind for Arne Slot, which has continued to deliver Liverpool success as they sit top of the Premier League.
Klopp delivered every trophy to the fans of the Merseyside club during his reign and many players won all of them on that journey.
Harvey Elliott has called for Liverpool to build Klopp a statue at Anfield as a result, while someone like Trent Alexander-Arnold also owes the legendary coach a lot.
The full-back wouldn’t be where he is today without Klopp but the 26-year-old thought he was ‘strange’ when he first arrived.
Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Trent Alexander-Arnold shares first thoughts on Jurgen Klopp
Klopp announced that he would be leaving his Liverpool contract early last year, which caught everyone associated with the Merseyside club by surprise.
However, this allowed the club to prepare to give the German the send-off he deserved, which is also time Sky Sports used very well.
The British broadcaster created a short film for Klopp to react to which contained many faces he would have encountered on his Liverpool journey.
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The footage revealed what Alexander-Arnold first thought about the 57-year-old and he detailed why the legendary coach was a ‘strange’ character.
“A strange blend of intimidating and very welcoming,” Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports about his first impressions of Klopp. “Very friendly, very smiley, very happy, and he loved to see young players around and create a really good vibe.
“But actually watching him and watching him on the touchline, seeing how he is, and seeing how demanding and kind of emotional and sometimes angry he got was intimidating.
“The size and stature of him. He’s a lot taller than what people think. I think any manager for young players is intimidating but with the boss, it’s probably a couple of notches higher.”
How Jurgen Klopp developed Trent Alexander-Arnold
Klopp handed Alexander-Arnold his debut in 2016, starting the youngster in a 2–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
This was the start of an incredible journey for the right-back who would go on to become the best in the world in his position, hence why Alexander-Arnold is now linked to Real Madrid.
Klopp has always defended the full-back’s skillset and first used him as an overlapping defender. Seeing how Pep Guardiola was having success by allowing his full-backs to move into midfield to create overloads at Man City, the German would soon follow with the English international.
Games Goals Assists Minutes Trophies
310 19 80 25112 7
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s record under Jurgen Klopp
Alexander-Arnold thrived in the role and Slot has continued to use the 26-year-old in this way throughout the current campaign.
Alexander-Arnold owes a lot to Klopp for the way his career has panned out and that is something the Liverpool defender will not forget anytime soon.