It was always going to be a difficult period adjusting from having Jurgen Klopp at the helm. I suppose this would be true for most leaders with the type of charisma and success that the German brings into the room with him. But in an industry where the idea of someone holding on as a manager for a club as significant to the game as Liverpool Football Club over the course of a decade looks increasingly fleeting, it’s still rather meaningful that Klopp remains beloved at all of the clubs he’s led.
This weekend, with the International Break in full swing, Liverpool Legends faced off against the Borussia Dortmund Legends in a charity match benefitting the LFC Foundation. And so, Reds faithful got the rather sweet treat of welcoming back the gregarious architect of full-metal football to Anfield. And, perhaps at a time where the end of the Klopp Era feels that much more fresh given the announcement of Mohamed Salah’s impending departure at the end of the year, I can’t imagine a moment where the fandom might have welcomed it more.
The match over-all was rather enjoyable given it ended with four goals split among the teams. And, on the Liverpool side, it’s pretty fun to see Thiago Alcantara and Jay Spearing (!) on the scoresheet. If one wanted to gripe about a charity result, though, one could pick at the fact that Liverpool were up 2-nil before conceding two to Dortmund in what can only be described as a fair impression of what the current first team’s modus operandi is. But we won’t do that because it’s the break and we should do all we can to avoid thinking of the things that Liverpool do to make the football less enjoyable.
In all seriousness, it seemed like a real heartwarming experience that those in attendance seemed to appreciate. Here’s hoping the first team can bring us similar joy when they return next week – ideally doing the Legends one better by nabbing a full three points.
