Jurgen Klopp leaves incredible legacy and ‘seismic’ exit has even left rivals devastated

In his nine seasons at the club, Klopp has won eight trophies - but his enthusiasm and skill have brought the fans and the city so much more besides.

Although few could have predicted just how remarkable he would become when he joined from Borussia Dortmund all those years ago, none will now forget him.

A nine-year journey

When Klopp took the reins in October 2015, his first match in charge saw him oversee a goalless draw away to Tottenham - an indifferent result which obscured the revolution he was about to embark on.

Since his first season in charge, Liverpool have not finished below fifth in the Premier League.

The side that would go on to win the Champions League just four seasons after Klopp joined had absolutely no players in common with the side who started his first ever game in charge.

The starting XI he picked to face Spurs in his first match contained: Simon Mignolet, Nathaniel Clyne, Alberto Moreno, Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho, Adam Lallana, Lucas Leiva, Emre Can, Philippe Coutinho, James Milner, and Divock Origi.

The German then transitioned from the 4-2-3-1 system of his first season into a 4-3-3 formation which better facilitated fantastic new signings like Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

His eventual front three of Mane, Roberto Firmino and Salah would become a formidable prospect, with the trio currently having a combined total of more than 400 Liverpool goals.

And it was not just in attack that Klopp masterminded huge improvement.

Liverpool conceded 50 goals in his first season, only the eighth best figure in the league.

Bringing in the likes of left-back Andy Robertson in 2017 and centre-back Virgil Van Dijk in 2018, as well as elevating right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold through the ranks and into the first team in 2016, meant that Liverpool’s defensive record improved rapidly under Klopp.

They conceded 42 goals in his second season in charge, before reducing that to 38 and 22 in the following ones.

Their title-winning campaign saw them concede 33 goals - the lowest tally of any team.

Klopp’s Kings of Europe

When Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019, it was hard to believe that just one year earlier it had been that same team who had suffered such a heart-breaking 3-1 final defeat to Real Madrid.

The 2018 loss hit the side hard - but in the aftermath, there were no tears in Klopp’s eyes.

Instead, it was a video of Klopp chanting: ‘We swear we’ll keep on being cool, we’ll bring it back to Liverpool!‘ which best summed up the manager’s response to their defeat.

Klopp said at the time: “I know I will be there again. I will try to go to the next final again and then we will turn it.“

And turn it they did.

Liverpool’s European triumph was the culmination of a remarkable campaign which had seen them narrowly make it out of their group.

The highlight was their semi-final against Barcelona - the Spanish side were 3-0 up after the first leg, but a brace each from Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum saw the Reds complete one of histories greatest comebacks.

Their 2-0 win in the final over Tottenham was a clear demonstration that Klopp’s genius simply could not be suppressed.

30-years later: Klopp’s Premier League victory

There was much about Klopp’s 2020 Premier League victory with Liverpool that may have seemed a little anticlimactic.

Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City ultimately being the result that sealed the win for them or the club asking fans to stay home and watch the trophy lift from home as the COVID pandemic restrictions continued to limit the world.

But what wasn’t anticlimactic was Liverpool’s play.

They picked up 99 points from their 38 games - only Man City have scored more points in a single season, when they amassed 100 points in 2017/18.

Liverpool’s glory was inevitable, finishing the season 18 points ahead of Man City, setting a record which saw them go 44 games without defeat in the season.

At the helm was Klopp, the man who finally ended the club’s wait for the Premier League, bringing the 30-year-curtain of hurt and longing crashing down.

‘A huge loss’

Klopp has garnered the respect and admiration of many across big names in football and his leaving announcement sparked an outpouring of emotion.

His rival on the pitch, but his friend off it, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was among those to pay tribute to Klopp’s legacy when his exit was announced.

He told ITV: “I was shocked by the news and I felt a part of Man City would lose something. We cannot define our period here without him and Liverpool, it is impossible.”

And talkSPORT’s pundits have also joined the ranks of those praising the work Klopp has done for the club.

Simon Jordan reflected on just how monumental a loss this would be for the club.

He said: “This is as seismic as Shankly leaving, Paisley [departing] and the changes of direction. Because the culture of the dressing room has really inherently been built around Jurgen Klopp now and his ability to relate to the fans and build a side that plays in a unique fashion. It’s a huge loss to the Premier League.”

And Liverpool legend-turned-pundit Graeme Souness also showed his respect to the manager who leaves the club with such fond memories.

He said: “When I look at Jurgen Klopp, he’s such a perfect fit for Liverpool, because he’s on it, at it, he’s aggressive, very emotional, confrontational - he’s everything Liverpool supporters love.

Even Klopp’s sworn enemies cannot help but praise him.

Former boxer and lifelong Everton fan Tony Bellew has begrudgingly expressed his respect for the German on more than one occasion.

He told talkSPORT in 2019: “You’ve got to be happy mate, you can’t hate against someone like Liverpool because you look at what they’re doing.“

He added: “I’d love to hate (Klopp), but you can’t even hate him as well because every time you look at him, he makes you smile.“

-- talkSPORT