Juergen Klopp managed his 491st and final game as Liverpool manager on Sunday, as his team defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at Anfield, finishing third in the Premier League. The 56-year-old German bid farewell to the Anfield fans after winning 305 games (including penalty shootouts) during his nearly nine-year stint with the Merseyside club.
After winning the League Cup in February, Liverpool appeared to be on track to give their beloved manager a fairytale ending. However, a string of poor losses last month ruined their title hopes, and they were also ousted from the FA Cup and the Europa League
Liverpool's 2023-24 season:
Points total: 82
Goals scored: 86
Goals conceded: 41
Top scorer: Mohamed Salah - 18 goals
Liverpool have scored 142 goals across all competitions this campaign, the second-highest total in the club's history after the 2021-22 season (147).
MAJOR TROPHIES WON BY KLOPP AT LIVERPOOL
* Won the 2018-19 Champions League by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the final. Liverpool finished runners-up to Real Madrid in the 2018 and 2022 finals.
* Won the Premier League in the 2019-20 season, ending the club's 30-year wait for a top-flight English league title. Liverpool finished the season with 99 points, 18 clear of second-placed Manchester City.
* Won the Club World Cup in 2019, beating Brazilian side Flamengo 1-0 in the final.
* Won the UEFA Super Cup in 2019, beating Chelsea 5-4 on penalties.
* Won the League Cup in 2021-22 and 2023-24.
* Won the FA Cup in 2021-22, securing a domestic cup double.
COMPARISON OF TROPHIES WON WITH OTHER LIVERPOOL MANAGERS
D1/PL= First Division/ Premier League, FA=FA Cup, LC=League Cup, EC/CL= European Cup/ Champions League, UC/EL= UEFA Cup/ Europa League, USC= UEFA Super Cup, CWC= Club World Cup.
MANAGER | D1/PL | FA | LC | EC/CL | UC/EL | USC | CWC | TOTAL |
Bob Paisley | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
Juergen Klopp | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
Bill Shankly | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Kenny Dalglish | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Gerard Houllier | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
Joe Fagan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Rafa Benitez | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
None of Liverpool's previous six managers, Brendan Rodgers(2012–2015), Kenny Dalglish (2011–2012), Roy Hodgson (2010–2011), Rafa Benitez (2004–2010), Gerard Houllier (1998–2004) or Roy Evans (1994–1998) won their final league match.
* Klopp has the highest win percentage of any Liverpool manager at 60.9% (299 wins in 491 matches).
* Dalglish had a slightly better win rate than Klopp at 60.91% for the 1985–1991 term, but his combined win rate, including the 2011–2012 season, comes down to 58.27% (222 wins in 381 matches).
* Klopp's team also scored 900 goals in the fewest number of games, achieving the mark in 440 matches, 55 fewer than former boss Bill Shankly.
* The only Liverpool manager to win six different major trophies (Paisley did not win the FA cup).
* OFF-FIELD ACHIEVEMENTS AND COMMUNITY IMPACT
After moving to the city with his family in 2015, Klopp often attended community events. As a figurehead, Klopp oversaw the club's participation in several memorials for the Hillsborough disaster.
The German was awarded Freedom of the City status in 2022, marking the bond between him and Liverpool.
"The families have had a lot of sadness. But the joy he has brought us, the excitement he gives you, you forget all your sadness, that's what's he does," Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said of Klopp.
Founder of LGBT+ Liverpool fan group Kop Outs, Paul Amann, told British media of how his meeting with Klopp in 2021 helped put an end to homophobic chants.
Klopp urged fans to stop using a homophobic chant against Norwich's on-loan Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour during Liverpool's first game of the 2021-2022 season.
"When a sporadic idiot chants now, the vast majority of decent fans shout them down," Amann told ESPN ahead of Klopp's last match. "Juergen unquestionably helped rid Anfield of the chant."
"He really is the very best of us. He has supported our campaign, local hospitals, the Hillsborough families. He spent time making Teams calls to supporters who were isolating during the pandemic -- none of that is in his job description.
In an open letter to the city, Klopp stated, "On and off the pitch, we have created memories that will live with me forever.
"Sharing moments of triumph with the fans is always fantastic, regardless of the team, but Liverpool's approach elevates it to a whole new level."
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