Jurgen Klopp will celebrate his 1,000th match as a home coach against Chelsea, but admits that his coaching career has almost never moved from a dead point.
The 55-year-old German started his career at Mainz in 2001, where he first took charge on February 28, 2001, just a day after he was promoted to the team.
His team beat MSV Duisburg 1-0 and then won six of their first seven games as the club avoided relegation from the second tier.
But Klopp believes that his career could have taken a different path if one of these matches had turned out differently.
“I think we won six of the first seven games, and if we had lost another one, I think we would have been relegated,” he said.
“To win five of the first seven would be an outstanding number, and no one would admit it, you just go down to the third league, and a promising coaching career ends before it has even begun.
“I’m lucky it didn’t happen. This is a crazy figure, to be honest, 1000.
“I never thought about these numbers and never thought that I would be allowed to do this for so long, but everything went very quickly.
“The problems I had at that time are completely different from the ones I have today.
“The beard is completely gray now, it wasn’t like that when I came here. I’m not sure if it’s because of age or because of Liverpool.
“It wasn’t boring for a second, it’s the best thing you can say about your working life, and the best I can imagine.
“I absolutely agree with the excitement, the pressure, the outstanding moments and the less pleasant moments. It’s part of the deal.
“Nobody wins all the time, and I knew it beforehand, so I don’t expect it, but I still try to do it as often as possible.”
Klopp spent seven years at Mainz, where he rose to the top division, and then moved to Borussia Dortmund, where he broke the stranglehold of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, winning consecutive titles in 2011 and 2012.
He played his 500th managerial match, defeating Freiburg 5-0 on 28 September 2013, but eventually left Dortmund after three years.
After a short sabbatical, he replaced Brendan Rodgers at Anfield, where he won all the major club awards, including a sixth Champions League title and a first Premier League title, and also led them to two other Champions League finals and two second places in the league. finishes alone with a record 97 points.
His Liverpool team has won the title against Manchester City twice (in 2019 and 2022), but Klopp holds the record for the most wins in competitive games against Pep Guardiola (11) than any other coach.
Klopp’s overall winning percentage for his entire career is 53.9%, and his record at Liverpool is 60.7%.
The League Managers Association Committee and 1,000 club members Sir Alex Ferguson, a staunch supporter of arch-rival Manchester United, paid tribute to Klopp.
The LMA congratulates Jürgen Klopp on his induction into the LMA Hall of Fame 1000 Club.
Jürgen reaches this milestone this weekend when Liverpool face Chelsea in the Premier League.
Congratulations Jürgen👏🏼
➡️https://t.co/fQKRI0jQVa pic.twitter.com/J2zOeliG6R
— LMA (@LMA_Managers) January 20, 2023
“Jurgen is undoubtedly one of the most gifted managers in world football, and the dedication and passion that Jurgen brings to his role inspires everyone who aspires to a career as a football manager,” he said.
“Many trophies that he has already won in his career, including in recent seasons of the Champions League and the Premier League with Liverpool, confirm his status among the football elite.
“I’m sure Jurgen will continue on his path to success and add many more matches to the 1,000 he scored this weekend.”
