Jurgen Klopp had no plans to call himself 'the Normal One' before Liverpool unveiling
Monday 12 October 2015 15:49, UK
New Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says he had not thought about calling himself ‘The Normal One’ prior to being asked at Friday’s news conference.
Speaking to the media for the first time since taking over at Anfield, Klopp was asked about how he compared himself to Jose Mourinho who labelled himself 'The Special One' when he became Chelsea manager in 2004.
Klopp delighted reporters with his tongue-in-cheek response, saying: "I'm a very normal guy from the Black Forest. I'm the normal one, maybe."
But, speaking to German newspaper Bild, Klopp says it was an unplanned remark.
"No, I hadn't thought about that at all," Klopp said.
"I was asked and simply answered. Sometimes it is better to keep your mouth shut - but that is quite difficult at a press conference."
Developing a recognisable brand of football this season is the only target that Liverpool's owners have set Klopp, the German told Bild over the weekend.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager was unveiled as Brendan Rodgers' successor on Friday and sparked excitement by saying he could win Liverpool the Premier League title in the next four years but, in an interview with the German paper, called for patience because of the enormous challenge he faced.
"There is no doubt, this is a huge challenge, for me and my coaching team," he said.
"Liverpool have not had any success for a long time and they've changed the manager all the time. And now they have appointed a German who is no miracle worker.
"Progress is not possible without a bit of time."
Klopp, who has reportedly signed a three-year contract, also said Fenway Sports Group, the club's owners, did not expect him to deliver either a trophy or Champions League qualification in his first season.
"I spoke to the people in charge of the club at length. (There are no targets for this season), just simply to play football with a recognisable brand.
"Whether there is money to spend in January or not doesn't interest me. We are only in October and I don't even know how many games we've got until the transfer window opens and therefore we will have a look at the players at our disposal first."
Klopp also stated in the interview with Bild that he has no plans to poach any of his former players from Borussia Dortmund.
"I have no intention whatsoever to lure Dortmund's stars to Liverpool," he said.
Dortmund's chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke does not expect his former manager to make a move for either Marco Reus or Ilkay Gundogan.
"Jurgen would never do anything that would damage BVB's interests," Watzke said.
"I am 100 per cent certain about that. He would never approach any players behind our back. We are simply too close for things like that to happen. We have been through too much together."
