Jurgen Klopp has revealed he had a touchline bust-up with the Mainz bench in an early “reunion” with the club where he cut his managerial teeth.
The Liverpool manager recalled the story to emphasise how – once the action starts on Saturday – there will be no room for sentiment about Steve Gerrard’s emotion-charged first return to Anfield.
Klopp spent 18 years as a player and manager at Mainz but when he faced them after taking charge of Borussia Dortmund he was “full throttle” on winning – just as he and Gerrard will be this afternoon.
Asked how he felt about returning to his spiritual home during his time in the Bundesliga he said: “It is strange but it doesn’t change how you feel during the 95 minutes. That is completely normal. In this, you have a fight – I actually had a fight with the Mainz bench, not in the first game but another one, and my old physio had to hold me back! During the 95 minutes of the game you are in it. I’ve had some fights when I was young!
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“My first trip back to Mainz we lost 1-0 and they celebrated like crazy. And I remember when Dortmund scored at Mainz I forgot all about my story there and I celebrated like a crazy devil. Stevie is allowed to do that as well – I just hope he has no reason for it.
“Stevie is friends with 99.9 per cent of the people working at Liverpool and the other 0.1 per cent never met him as they arrived after him. I’ve never heard a negative world about him since I was here.
“But he will come here and want to win the football game and after I shake hands with him we will go full throttle. It is his club but not for 95 minutes. It will be strange for him but he will fight with all that he has.”
Klopp has no doubts that Gerrard will one day become Liverpool manager – the only question being when.
“I think it will definitely happen – and it will be good for everybody,” he added. “Everything he did so far looks good and he’s going in absolutely the right direction. The only problem is when is the right moment for that. We saw it with Frank [Lampard] at Chelsea. Stevie is doing really well but is very young from a manager’s point of view.
“When is the right moment to take the manager’s job here? Not because he’s not able to do it but how long do you want to do it? Is it the last job you want to do? The second job? Those are questions I can’t answer.”
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Klopp will recall most of his regulars after rotating his squad and making eight changes in the San Siro but Divock Origi – who has scored the winner in the last two games – is set to keep his place because Diogo Jota picked up a knock at Wolves last Saturday and hasn’t trained all week.
Predicted Liverpool XI (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Origi, Mane.
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