What a week it has been to support Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp devastated an entire fanbase when he announced his departure in January, but he seems determined to make up for it — not that he owed anything — with a last delivery of unadulterated joy.
I’m sure there have been times in the past where I’ve been among those denigrating the Carabao Cup (mostly when Liverpool has been knocked out of it, no doubt). But as Virgil van Dijk’s header flew in, it might as well have been the Champions League final. Celebrating with the strangers around me, united only by love for this team and gratitude for what Klopp has done for it, I felt part of something far bigger than myself.
It was much the same feeling against Nottingham Forest. The cast was slightly altered, with Darwin Núñez the hero instead of Van Dijk, but the elation was familiar when the last-minute winner hit the back of the net. Once more, we are daring to dream of the title, daring to get swept up in it all.
Maybe we value these moments with Klopp even more because we know now they are numbered. Maybe the manner of the accomplishments has something to do with it — the late drama, or the prominent role of the Academy, a feel-good story if ever there was one. But whatever the reason, I have rarely felt so privileged to support this club.
Klopp has reignited a spark I was worried I might have lost forever. Of course I was delighted in 2021/22, when Liverpool won the double and came close to a quadruple, but in the back of my mind I still felt as though something had irreparably changed since the pandemic. That feeling was only enforced by a bleak 2022/23.
That Premier League title was surely Klopp’s biggest achievement in a footballing sense. And there’s no doubt it made me incredibly happy. But the manner of it produced that little bit of a disconnect — it won’t be a universal experience, but having wanted this all of my life, the sanitized nature of it all had a profound effect on me.
I would love it if Klopp could sign off with three more trophies. In fact, I feel more invested now than I have in a very long time. But even if the chase ends in agony, I will welcome that heartbreak, because I’m once again living every kick of the ball along with the team. Something fundamental has been given back to me.
And who else but Klopp could have done that? His tactical mastery is matched only by his way of capturing hearts and minds — the man who arrived at Liverpool to turn doubters into believers will leave having accomplished that mission and then some.
The time will come to reflect on what that means for his successor, who must try to be a custodian of that intangible but powerful feeling. But for now, I feel compelled to just soak up every moment as this incredible era draws to a close, savoring the greatest parting gift Klopp could possibly have given Liverpool fans like me.
Like Bill Shankly before him, Klopp’s biggest legacy, at least from my perspective, will ultimately be a simple one. He made the people happy.
