Jurgen Klopp and his wife, Ulla
After a long wait of 30 years, Liverpool finally had their grasp over the Premier League title. And their German coach Jurgen Klopp has been deservingly credited for the immense success that the Reds have witnessed over the last few seasons leading up to their ultimate goal and eventual glory. But imagine what would have happened had Klopp walked off towards a different club back in 2015 when he was offered the position of the manager of Liverpool, a club still looking to find its ground, had not won a silverware since the League Cup victory in 2011/12 and still were living off the memories of that glorious night at Istanbul in 2005.
Earlier this week, following Chelsea's 2-1 win against Manchester City, Liverpool were crowned champions with an unassailable 23-point lead with seven games to spare. Klopp has been credited for the Reds' 19th First Division title, as the German finds his name among Anfield managerial greats like Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish. But the story would have been a lot different had it not been for the advice that Klopp received from his wife back in 2013.
After breakin the Nayern Munich monotony in Bundesliga by steering Borussia Dortmund to consecutive league title wins, Klopp was offered to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013.
Rejecting the job, Klopp chose to take the managerial post at Liverpool in 2015 as per the advise given by his wife, Ulla, which was revealed by Reds legend Phil Thompson.
"I interviewed Klopp for Sky, and I asked if he and Liverpool were created for each other. He looked at me and asked 'Why?'.
"Then Klopp told me he could have taken over Manchester United, but his wife said it wasn't right.
"When Liverpool arrived, his wife said it was right. There is something strange there. It is as if he's created for Liverpool," Thompson told TV2 in Norway.
And fate has been completely different for thr two clubs over the same period. After winning 38 trophies which included 13 Premier League titles under Ferguson, United managed only three silverwares since 2013. In the same period, Liverpool, under Klopp, won the Champions League in 2018/19, UEFA Super Cup in 2019 and FIFA Club World Cup in the same year.
“No disrespect to the other managers before him, but I felt it from day one when he came in the door. He just changed everything and everyone followed him,” Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said about Klopp.
Klopp will stay with the Reds until 2022 as per his contract and fans will be hoping for more such trophies over the next two seasons.
"We really have to - and will - stay focused, we see the opportunity... but 'will not stop' doesn't mean we will win everything, we just want to improve," Klopp said.
