December 2015, Liverpool 2-2 West Bromwich Albion, Barclays Premier League
Jurgen Klopp's men were lambasted for months, no, years for 'celebrating a draw' early in his reign at Anfield. In isolation, it is easy to see why this type of gesture would come across as a 'losers' mentality that all but summed up the Premier League's resident nearly men.
James McClean referred to Klopp as "a bit of an idiot" at the time, echoing rival fans on Twitter who crystallised this clip in GIF form.
The English footballing world really couldn't comprehend such 'mediocrity', and on a macro-scale this was broadcasted wildly out of context.
I say English, because it was exactly this show of respect and solidarity to the fans that he had formed the basis for his Dortmund side's unity with their supporters in Germany.
“In football, people always say it – that supporters are important – but then you don’t treat them like that so you have to make sure it’s really a healthy relationship.
“We know without them we wouldn’t play on our highest level, no chance. You have to appreciate that and it’s very easy for me, but it’s still very different routines in England and in Germany.
“There was a big misunderstanding against West Brom. I wanted to say thank you to the supporters after that game so I took my team towards the Kop to do it and there was a discussion everywhere about it. For me, it was ‘why should we even discuss that?" Jurgen explained to JOE.
Little under 4 years later, when Klopp's men stood in front of the kop, having just beating Barcelona 4-0, they bellowed 'you'll never walk alone' back to their fans. The footballing world finally understood the purpose of that celebration.
April 2016, UEFA Europa League, Liverpool 4-3 Borussia Dortmund
This was the rebirth of Liverpool’s famous European nights at Anfield. Resurrecting the ‘never say die’ attitude that had become synonymous with the club in the mid-to-late 2000’s.
In the years proceeding Liverpool’s exit from Champions League football, the club had lost its ability hold its head high amongst Europe’s elite. The Dortmund tie reminded Kopites that Anfield was indeed still a fortress, and we as fans could have a huge impact on the result of any game, even in times of adversity.
For most clubs, this second-half comeback that would be the greatest night in their history. Not for Jurgen, who was about to make a habit of making the impossible, possible.
May 2017, Liverpool 3-0 Middlesborough, Premier League
On the final day of Klopp’s first full season with the club, Liverpool needed to take all three points against already relegated Borough, to secure a lucrative return to the Champions League.
It really was make or break for the club, who had developed a reputation for bottling it on the big occasion, exemplified by Jurgen’s first two cup final losses the season prior.
At the turn of the year (2017) Liverpool sat comfortably 2nd in the league, however a disastrous January and February had left a top 4 finish barely within their grasp.
They were very much seen as a side that could raise their game for the big occasion but falter against lesser opposition that season. In that sense this was a trickier prospect than it looked on paper.
When Gini Wijnaldum settled nerves just before half-time, Kopites could relax and start to trust that Liverpool were about to start rising to and meeting expectations.
At time of publication, Liverpool football club have not lost a home Premier League fixture for a little under 3 years, since April 2017. They have never lost a European two-legged fixture under his tenure.
April 2018, Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool romped to a 3-0 demolition of City, running out 5-1 aggregate winners the next week.
A scintillating first 30-minutes effectively ended any dreams Pep Guardiola had of taking his brilliant side to European glory. Liverpool played with a combative, determined brilliance which thwarted a team that were tipped to win everything that year.
Before the game, though, Liverpool fans greeted the City coach with hatred, as they lined the streets.
In a haze of hissing, chanting and flairs a Kopperberg bottle struck the City bus and left the coach battered by the time it pulled in to the stadium.
"We come here to play football and I don't understand this kind of situation.
"The bus is destroyed but I did not expect a prestigious club like Liverpool doing this kind of thing. It is not Liverpool, it is the people, maybe one, two or three, but hopefully it does not happen again." Guardiola told the BBC after the game.
What happened to the City bus was vandalism and Liverpool rightly came out and condemned this.
What you have to commend though, is the galvanisation between fans and players to create an atmosphere that would intimidate the best team in the country.
Jurgen and his men announced that they were here to compete, and belonged amongst the best in the world.
April 2019, Liverpool 4-0 F.C Barcelona, UEFA Champions League
The best comeback Europe had ever seen (since the last best comeback ever in Istanbul, anyway.) Even ridiculously optimistic of fans couldn’t have predicted this result.
A 3-0 deficit against Barcelona is daunting enough, on top of this the reds were without heavy hitters Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. While the Catalan giants went into the game brimming with confidence and expectation.
"I said to the boys before 'I don't think it's possible but because it's you I think we have a chance' - they are really mentality giants. It's unbelievable.
"After the season we played, the games we had, the injuries we had now in this moment, if you go out there and ask who bet a penny on us, I don't think you would find a lot of people.
"We know this club is the mix of atmosphere, emotion, desire and football quality. Cut off one and it doesn't work." Jurgen eulogised to BT post match.
In many ways Barcelona at home was a culmination of everything Klopp stands for. Which is more than style or theory. He firmly believes that anything is possible and that you always have the ability to be more than the sum of your parts.
In a process comparable to Dortmund and Mainz, Jurgen Klopp has changed the direction and perception of a whole club, through 5 iconic fixtures.
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