Witness those sprints down the touchlines, puffing cheeks and punches, as his team scores; the boundless candor of his interviews; a sense of humor in press conferences. Jurgen Klopp has football running through his veins.
He took Mainz to the Bundesliga for the first time in 2004 and his Liverpool side in the English Premier League are currently playing one of the most exciting football matches in Europe, but there is little doubt that this was Klopp’s spell at Borussia Dortmund in 2008. and 2015 which made him the man, manager and entertainer he is today.
2008/09 – Sowing
Upon arriving in Dortmund, Klopp was quick to make the club a feared club in the Bundesliga again. BVB went unbeaten at home throughout the entire league campaign, while arguably the finest moment of the season came against Schalke as Dortmund rallied from a 3-0 deficit to draw 3-3. Borussia missed out on qualifying for Europe in the final game of the season on goal difference, but sixth place was proof Klopp’s side were back on track after a tough spell more early.
Want more action in the Bundesliga?
2009/10 – Return to Europe
“I just want to walk on European pitch on a Thursday night instead of sitting on the couch and watching at home,” Klopp said during the 2009/10 season. At the end of the season, his wish would be granted.
As BVB were more accustomed to Klopp’s new style of play with high pressing and quick counterattacks, he climbed higher in the standings. Mats Hummels, Sven Bender, Nuri Sahin, Neven Subotic and Kevin Großkreutz all had excellent seasons, while Lucas Barrios led the charge scoring 19 goals and taking Borussia to Europe for the first time in seven years.
2010/11 – Champions!
The season started poorly for Klopp’s forwards, who lost 2-0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen, but the early season cobwebs were quickly blown away with a six-game winning streak in the autumn, followed by more seven just before the winter break. .
Elimination from cup competitions worked in their favor in the second half of the season, and with the fresh squad of Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski, nothing prevented the Gialloneri from celebrating their first championship. title. since 2002 with two games remaining.
2011-12 – Double winners
Regardless of what else Klopp achieves in his career, there won’t be much to overshadow 2011/2012. Dortmund were beaten three times in their first six league games of the season but used that disappointment as a springboard for what remains the best domestic season in their history. BVB didn’t lose another game all season and won the league eight points clear of Bayern. In doing so, he set a Bundesliga points record and played the most exciting football German fans had ever seen. The end of the season could not have gone better.
Shinji Kagawa scored a second against rivals Munich in the DFB Cup final and Lewandowski netted a hat-trick as Dortmund embarrassed Bayern 5-2 to claim the league cup double for the first and only time in his history. After a remarkable season, the only negative was that Europe was once again lagging behind, but it won’t take long to rectify that…
Prior to the start of the 2012/13 season, Borussia had unfinished business on the continent and from the time they were included in the so-called ‘group of death’ alongside Manchester City, Real Madrid and from Ajax,
he made his mark in the collective. The team’s state of mind just a click away allowed them to achieve their best match in the first European ranking this time around.
Dortmund emerged as group winners in a memorable quarter-final duel against Shakhtar Donetsk and Malaga.
Lewandowski faced Real Madrid again in the semi-finals and made history by scoring four goals in the first leg. After a courageous comeback, Dortmund reached their first Champions League final since 1997.
At Wembley Stadium in London, the two best German clubs served one of the most important finals of the European Cup. Dortmund ended up on the wrong side after an Arjen Robben goal in Bayern’s 2-1 triumph, but BVB are back where Klopp wanted them: one of Europe’s top clubs. Furthermore, Dortmund’s exciting brand of “heavy-metal” and gegen-pressing football was a breath of fresh air after years of possession-based dominance in European football, and Klopp, as conductor, he was established as one of the world’s leading players. greatest players. me most brilliant tactician
Dortmund’s position on the world stage had soared since Klopp’s arrival, but in 2013 a new challenge presented itself.
Pep Guardiola pitched for Bayern Munich and had Klopp’s former favorite Gotze in his star cast. Borussia again competed well in Europe, reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but fell behind Guardiola’s Bayern,
who won the competition by a record 90 points. Klopp’s side reached another DFB Cup final, but were once again unlucky against perennial rivals Munich, who triumphed in Berlin for the second consecutive year.
Klopp was once a brave man, but in his final season with Westphalia, Klopp’s capacity for optimism was put to the test. Things looked to go from bad to worse in the first half of the season as BVB suffered ten Bundesliga defeats and languished second to bottom over the winter.
Spring brought a change of fortune for Klopp and a strong end to the season saw BVB finish in seventh place and qualify for Europe. Under the circumstances, die Rückrunde could be seen as one of his strongest spells in charge, as Dortmund also reached the DFB Cup final for the third consecutive season. However, they were defeated by a Kevin De Bruyne inspired Wolfsbur
