Comedian/newsman, Birmingham native and Liverpool super fan John Oliver summed up Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in the most apt way possible. “Liverpool have one of the most entertaining managers in all of sport,” Oliver said of Klopp last summer.
“Not only is he a sensational tactician, an inspirational figure, he’s also a funny, angry German, and that is the best kind of German there is. So if you want to go and see a guy losing his shit, even in preseason, usually preseason games are boring but that’s not the case here because he’s not having it,” he continued a year ago, while stumping for supporters to show up at LFC’s summer preseason tour in the United States.
“He does not understand not doing things at full pace all the time.”
That’s the key statement made right there by the die hard supporter and funny man.
Jurgen Klopp has no off switch he implies, and that’s why his team will provide a more interesting and meaningful preseason than you might used to be watching.
In an interview with his club’s official website, Jurgen Klopp articulated the significance and importance and of the summer preseason slate.
“Apart from the games during the season, it’s the most important thing and it has a big influence on the games. You create a base for the whole year,” Klopp is quoted on Liverpoolfc.com. “This game is a players’ game and the players’ game means they need to know what the other guy is thinking,” he continues.
“You learn all of this in the pre-season. Of course you learn in the season – you fine-tune – but the better the basis you can create, the better the season will be, 100 per cent.”
“I really love the sessions. There should be a 100 per cent difference between the first day of pre-season and the last day. We really want to see big, big progress.”
Liverpool have eight preseason exhibition matches currently scheduled, as they will travel to Hong Kong, Germany and Ireland this summer. Goal.com has the full slate listed out at this link.
Jurgen Klopp added:
“It’s very important. You can ask each new player who came in last year how he felt on his first day and the day after the camp or day after preseason, that’s a very decisive period.”
“The closer you can get in this period, the better it is.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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