Jamie Carragher has compared Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to the legendary Bill Shankly, in that supporters hang on his every word.
The defender-turned-pundit claims the German has a ‘special quality’ to say the right thing and fans look to the boss in every situation.
“Like Shankly, the supporters look to what Klopp says about every situation – and he always finds the right words,” Carra is quoted as saying by the Mirror.
“Jurgen claims he doesn’t prepare what he’s going to say, but I don’t know if I believe him. He has a great ability to communicate, he has this special quality to say the right thing.
“He brings people with him – and makes people believe in him. Throughout the pandemic, he didn’t ever say anything that crossed the line.
MORE: Jurgen Klopp slates Boris Johnson’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic
“It wasn’t ever about wanting Liverpool to win the league and not being worried about what the world was going through, although he was so close.
“He always said the right words – not only for Liverpool fans, but for football. Klopp can be very funny, but, on the flipside, when something serious happens, it feels like he is the go-to manager for the league.
“He always nails what needs to be said and how people are feeling.”
We at EOTK are inclined to agree with Carra, in that Klopp typically finds himself on the right side of the argument for the majority of Liverpool supporters.
Recently, the boss criticised the UK Government for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic and many fans of the Reds were in agreement with him.
Klopp: “You can argue about whether it makes sense to wear them, but all countries who started wearing face masks earlier have smaller casualty numbers than England."
— Ste Carson 🌱🦣 (@sjrcarson) June 20, 2020
Shankly, like Klopp, was a proud socialist – aligned with civic views held at the core of Liverpool FC – and this resonated with supporters in the 1960s and 70s.
And now in 2020, when football has a wider reach and Reds can be found in all corners of the world, we have another manager whose political beliefs are inline with the club.