JUGREN KLOPP fought back the tears as Anfield began its long goodbye to their manager.
Then he pleaded with the Kop to forget about him and concentrate their emotions on the players.
You'll Never Walk Alone
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 28, 2024#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/o6EOxJCf3T
Klopp announced on Friday he was quitting Liverpool at the end of the season after nine years and got a rousing reception today before his side ran out 5-2 winners over Norwich City in the FA Cup.
Klopp said: “The atmosphere and people showing everything to me was wonderful, I loved it, great.
“I am not saying don’t do it anymore, people can do what they want but we need the atmosphere on the pitch.
“For that we need the crowd not to think about the manager.
“We have to forget about it for a while and go for each opponent like crazy and the next chance to do that comes on Wednesday against Chelsea.”
Klopp, 56, did admit that he had to “pull himself together” after an outpouring of emotion from the stands that firstly saw him sit taking in the scene of the Kop belting out ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before the game, with that followed by a rendition of ‘I’m so glad that Jurgen is a Red’.
He said: “It’s emotional but I have to pull myself together. I received all the messages. I’m not made of wood.”
While the manager wants it to be about the players it is clear the players want success this season to be for the manager.
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They are still in four competitions. They lead the Premier League, are in the final of the Carabao Cup and now have a home tie against either Watford or Southampton in the last eight of the FA Cup as well as the Europa League knockout stages to look forward to.
Liverpool’s fit again Andy Robertson said the players were in shock when Klopp announced his decision to quit at the end of the season and now they want to make sure he has a fitting send off.
And it was a tremendous way to start his farewell tour with a convincing thumping of Norwich.
Klopp said: “Norwich scored some wonderful goals and our goals were wonderful too. We played good from the beginning and obviously were in charge.
“I think four of our five goals were set up by players from the academy so that is cool, so there were a lot of positives about the game.”
Of those, Klopp made a special mention of Curtis Jones.
The 22-year-old has come through the ranks to establish himself as a first team player and opened the scoring with a well placed header.
Klopp said: “He is super important in different departments. He is a very good player and a role model for our academy players.
“All the players who come through the academy are good players. But if Curtis Jones can defend, everyone can learn defending and I mean with the high press and his intensity which sets the rhythm for us.”
