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Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has asserted that Jurgen Klopp wouldn’t have succeeded at Real Madrid. He claimed that Los Blancos would’ve dismissed the German tactician after a trophyless season.
The Reds boss is one of the best in the business, but he did not exactly get off to a flying start at Anfield. Liverpool finished eighth in Klopp's first season at the club (not a full season as he took charge in October 2015) and lost both the League Cup and the Europa League finals.
The Merseyside giants did not win a trophy in the next couple of seasons either, finishing fourth in the Premier League on both occasions. But they did reach the 2017-18 Champions League final, losing 3-1 to Real Madrid.
Liverpool finally won silverware under Klopp in the 2018-19 campaign, bagging the Champions League trophy after beating Tottenham Hotspur in the final. The following season, they ended their 30-year-long English title drought by heroically clinching the Premier League.
The Reds believed in Klopp’s vision and afforded him the time and resources to realize it. Carragher doesn't think Real Madrid would have been as gracious. Backing Jurgen Klopp’s decision to snub Real Madrid in the past, the Englishman wrote in the Telegraph (via Rousing the Kop):
“The Real Madrid job is never a ‘project’ for a coach who wants time to rebuild or evolve new systems. That is why Klopp turned down the chance to go there. He could never have created a team like Liverpool in Madrid. They would have sacked him after 12 months without a trophy, regardless of how much progress was being made.”
Liverpool have a chance of securing an unprecedented quadruple at the end of the season. They are only a point behind Manchester City in the Premier League and have already bagged the League club.
The Anfield outfit have also reached the FA Cup and Champions League finals. The Reds will face Chelsea in the domestic cup final on May 14 before taking on Madrid in the European final a fortnight later (May 28).
Liverpool will be out for blood against Real Madrid in Champions League final
In the 2017-18 campaign, Jurgen Klopp’s side took on Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid in the Champions League final. The cagey affair saw Liverpool star Mohamed Salah leave the field injured in the first half, following a Sergio Ramos challenge. Reds keeper Loris Karius made two absolute blunders to cap off a horrific outing for the Premier League giants.
The 3-1 defeat is still fresh in the minds of the Merseysiders, who are gearing up to avenge the loss later this month. The 19-time English champions are in considerably better shape and boast a team that can outclass any side in the world. Real Madrid, on the other hand, do not have Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos at their disposal anymore. Their squad is weaker than what it was four years ago and is full of players who are on the wrong side of 30.
On paper, the Reds come off as undisputed favorites, but Klopp most certainly won’t make the mistake of taking the 13-time European champions lightly. Not after seeing the Whites beat Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Manchester City in three consecutive knockout rounds.
The Champions League final in Paris cannot come soon enough!
