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CONTENTS

CoverTitlePageCopyrightDedicationEpigraph

1.TheSurprise–Glatten19672.RoseMonday:ZeroHour–Mainz20013.Revolution09–Dortmund20084.TheRoadtoAnfield–2012–20155.IntheGameoftheFather6.WolfgangFrank:TheMaster7.‘SchönengutenTag.HieristJürgenKlopp’–Dortmund2008–20108.PumpuptheVolume–Liverpool2015–169.StartsandStops–Ergenzingen,Frankfurt,Mainz1983–200110.FireontheRhine–Mainz2001–200611.One,TwoandAlmostThree–Dortmund2010–201312.ChaosandTheory–Liverpool2016–1713.Small-ScreenTriumphs14.60,000Tears–Mainz2007–0815.InTimesofFadingLight–Dortmund2013–201516.LFCandBeyond

PhotosAcknowledgementsAbouttheAuthorListofIllustrationsIndex

ForMamaandPapa

Itain’twhereyoufrom,it’swhereyouat.EricB.andRakim

1.THESURPRISE

Glatten1967

The Black Forest isn’t black. It’s not even a forest. Not any more. Eighteenhundredyearsago,thewildGermanictribesoftheAlemannifirsttorethroughthemassedgloomthathadsoscaredtheRomans,tomakespaceforcattleandvillages. Celtic missionaries from Scotland and Ireland, armed with axes andfaith,keptpushinginwarduntilnaturewasbested,iniquitycontained.Today,theremnantsofthedarknessmostlyserveasrawmaterialforchildren’snightmaresandcuckooclocks,aswellasamagnificenttourismbrand.

Fromalloverthecountryandbeyond,theyflocktothelowmountainrangeinGermany’ssouth-westerlycorner,tocleartheirlungsandheartsofallurbansqualor.After thewar, theBlackForest becamea favourite of a film industrysearchingforanunsoiledbackdrop,anidyllicsettingforhealthclinicsrealandimagined, one of those placeswhere fantasy and reality could blend into oneanothertoenchantingeffect.

Cynicsbeware,becauseitis,ofcourse,alltrue–inthepicture-perfecttownofGlatten. The neat white houses with their gingerbread rooftops and woodenbalconies, unpretentiously pushed up against the hills, keeping watch overendless slopes of green. ‘Others build on top of the hill, to show off theirsplendour.ButSwabiansbuild their houses into thehill, to hidehowbig theytruly are,’ explains former Green party politician Rezzo Schlauch about themodest mindset of the local inhabitants, his kinsmen. ‘They will keep theMercedesinthegarageandputtheVWinthedriveway.’

TheriverGlatt(OldHighGermanforbrightorsmooth)flowsdownfromthenorth into the tiny town thatborrowed itsname,past thesteel-cladJ.SchmalzGmbHvacuumtechnologyfactory.Theriverisadiscreetchaperontothehighstreet (car dealership, bank, bakery, butcher, florist, a doner kebab stand) andhesitant supplier to the natural swimming pool, flowing out again next to thesportsgroundpastBöffingen,avillagethat’sbeenabsorbedbyGlattenproper.

Adifficultclimate–there’salotofrain–makesthisaparadisewon,notgiven.Theygrowgrass,corn,pigletsandpeopleoffearsomeresolveandfrugalityhere;

an extreme type of Germans, harder than hard-working, unwilling to givethemselvesaninch.‘Schaffe,schaffe,Häuslebaue’:youwork,work,thenbuildahouse;that’showthefamoussayinginthisregiongoes.

‘TotoildayandnightisabigpartofbeingSwabian,’saysSchlauch.‘Thathasitsrootsinhistory,ashastheSwabians’reputationforbeinginnovative.Inother regions, the first-bornwould inherit their parents’ farms.But inSwabia,thelandwaspartitionedequitablyamongthechildren.Thefarmlandgotsmallerandsmalleruntilitwasnolongerviable,sothedescendantswereforcedtotakeup other jobs.Many of them became inventors andTüftler, people looking tofindnewsolutionstooldproblems.’

Local custom demands that everythingmust be done studiously, seriously.Includingfun.OneofthefourteenactivesocialclubsinGlattenisdedicatedto‘Carnival’.AnotheronebringstogetherfriendsoftheGermanShepherdDog.

Barnslinealittlestreetdottedwithlumpsofclayleftbehindbytractors,andthen it’s here, right next to a field: Isolde Reich’s ‘Haarstüble’, a petite hairsalon, discreet meeting place, outlet for charity socks hand-knitted by one ofReich’sfriends.Theproceedsgotowardsbuyingshoesforthehomeless.

Isoldewas born inGlatten in 1962, the younger of two sisters.Her fatherNorbert, a talented goalkeeper, was a sport fanatic. Thwarted by a serious-minded father–‘he insistedNorbert should have a proper vocation, not try hishandatbecomingafootballpro,’Reichsays–hiscareerwasoverbeforeithadreally begun.His sporting ambitions, however,were undiminished.He playedamateur football, handball and tennis, and tried to pass on his passion to hisfamily. When his wife Elisabeth and eldest daughter Stefanie showed noinclinationto takeupanygame,Norbert’shopescentredonIsolde.Beforeherbirth (‘Inmyalbumofbabyphotos,hewrote“Isolde,youshouldhavebeenaboy,actually,”’shesmiles),andafter.‘IwasthefirstgirlinallofGlattentogotofootballtraining.’

Norbertwashercoach,hismethodsexactinganddemanding.Hetookfive-year-oldIsoldetopractiseheadingontheRiedwiesenfootballpitchnexttotheriver,whereanoldheavyballonaropehungfromagreenironbar.Ifherbodypositioningwasn’trightorherarmsweretoohigh,Norbertsenthertorunalaparoundthepitchforpunishment.‘Hewastoughbutjust.Amanofprinciple,fullofpassion,’Reichsays.

In the summer of 1967, her mother left the family home for a month.Elisabethwasheavilypregnant,andtheriskofcomplicationsmadeitnecessarytocheckintoaclinicinStuttgart,80minutesawaytothenorth-west.Thelocal

hospital at Freudenstadt, just 8.5km up the road, wasn’t equipped to performcaesareans. Itwas hard for Stefanie and Isolde to bewithout theirmother forsuchalongtime.‘Wewerepromised:“Mumwillbringsomethingamazingforyouwhenshecomesback.”’

WhenNorbertandElisabetharrivedat thehouse,however, theyhada tinybaby in their arms, screaming its head off. After an hour or so, the sisterswondered whether it couldn’t be taken back and exchanged for somethingdifferent. A small, shrieking brother–what a lousy surprise! But Isolde soonrealised that she had been given much more than a second, annoyingly loudsibling thatday. ‘Allofmydad’ssportingfocusshifted immediatelyon to theboy.Iwasrelievedfrompractisingheaderswiththependulum,allowedtotakeupballetandathleticsinstead.Jürgen’sbirthwasmygoodfortunereally.Hesetmefree.’

2.ROSEMONDAY:ZEROHOUR

Mainz2001

Christian Heidel loves the story so much, he’s beginning to wonder if it’sactually true. ‘As a Mainzer, I could say: let’s make this up. But it reallyhappened,’ he insists, readying himself for a mental hyper-jump: from thecorporateblandnessofhisSchalke04officetoacitylustilysinginganddancingin a confetti rain, and a tiny, hopeless second-division team banished to adistinctlyunsexy,provincialexilefortyminutesawaybycar.

Thedaybefore,on25February2001,FSVMainz05hadplayedtheirbogeysideSpvGGGreutherFürthandlost3-1atthePlaymobil-Stadion.‘Kloppwasalittle bit injured and the worst man on the pitch, he had to come off twentyminutesbefore the end,’Heidel says.Thedefeat plungedMainzdeep into therelegationzone.‘WewereamArsch,’theformerFSVgeneralmanagersmiles.Quiteliterallyinthebottomofthetable,withnodiscerniblelightatthe,ahem,end of the tunnel. ‘We had 3,000 people at games on average, nobody caredaboutusanymore.Everybodywassureweweregoingdown.’

HiscolleaguesontheMainzboardwereallinthecitycentre,revellingintheRoseMondaycarnivalfestivitiesforwhichthecapitalofRhineland-PalatinateisfamousinGermany.Halfamillionpeopledressupinsillycostumes,getalittletipsy and a little flirty. State broadcasters ARD and ZDF devote an entireevening to the four-hour meeting of the city’s carnival clubs at the ElectoralPalace,apotpourriofbeer-soakedgagsandpoliticalsatire.

Eckhart Krautzun, the well-travelled Mainz coach (nickname:‘Weltenbummler’,globetrotter),deemedthetemptationsofthecarnivaltoogreatfor the teamaheadofaverybiggameatDuisburgonAshWednesday. ‘AfterlosinginFürth,theshithadhitthefaninMainz.Weknewthattheywouldeitheraxethecoachorsetlighttoourbacksides.WeweresecludedinahotelinBadKreuznachforthreedays,sothatnoonegotoutandabout,’saysFSVmidfielderJürgenKramny,JürgenKlopp’sroommateatthetime.

ChristianHeidel had stayed at home inMainz.Hewasn’t in themood forpartying;theteam’ssituationwastoodiretoactthefool.Itwasobviousthatthe

coachhad togo.Krautzunwasaverypleasantman,nodoubt,anexperiencedoperatorwhohadoncecoachedDiegoMaradona inagame forAl-AhliFC inSaudiArabia,thenationalteamsofKenyaandCanada,aswellasaraftofclubsaround the world, but six points in nine games since he had taken over inNovemberwas thekindof run thatwasheadingstraight for relegation.Heidelalso felt thatKrautzunhadsomewhat trickedhim intogettingappointed in thefirstplace.

His predecessor, the formerBelgian international RenéVandereycken, hadbeen a gruff,monosyllabic coachwhose refusal to communicatewith players,boardmembersandofficialswasmatchedonlybyhisreluctancetoputforwarda coherent playing system. He was fired twelve games and a meagre twelvepoints into the2000–01 season,withMainz in the relegation zoneoncemore.Heidelwantedsomeone inchargenextwhocould re-implement thesuccessfulback four/zonalmarking system that the formerMainz coachWolfgangFrankhadintroducedsixyearsearlier,atacticseenassomodernandadvancedatthetimebyBundesligastandardsthatalmostnooneknewhowtomakeitwork.

Heidel:‘ItoldeverybodythatIwantedacoachwithasenseofunderstandingofabackfour.Somebodywhocouldpractiseit,whocouldteachtheplayers.Allofasudden,IgetacallfromKrautzun.Ihavetobehonest,Ihadn’tthoughtofhim at all.He’d been atKaiserslautern before, it hadn’t reallyworked out forhimthere,andIhadthefeelingtherewasnopoint.Buthekeptontalkingandtalkinguntilheconvincedmetomeethim.SoIwenttoseehiminWiesbaden.HeproceededtoexplaineverythingaboutthebackfouringreatdetailtomeandIthought,“Fuckme,hereallydoesknowhisstuffafterall!”IhadseensomuchofFrank’s training that I knewexactlywhat the specific exercises had lookedlike.So I appointedhimcoach.About twoweeks later,Kloppcameup tomeandsaidthatKrautzunhadcalledhimamonthbefore.“Hewantedtoknowhowthebackfourworks,wespokeforthreehours.”Andthat’swhatitlookedlikeonthepitch.Wewononegameinthebeginningandthenitallwenttitsup.’

Getting rid of Krautzun was the sensible, easy decision. Finding the rightsuccessor proved much harder. Heidel tore through a mountain of Kickeryearbooks,hopingtoexcavateasuitablecandidate.‘TherewasnoWorldWideWebthen.Youdidn’tknowwhocoachedatBrugge,forexample.Inanycase,thesetypesofteamswerefivetimesoursize.Differenttimes.TherewerealmostnoforeigncoachesintheBundesligaeither.Youwerefishinginthesamepondthewholetime.’Afterawhile,Heidelclosedallthebooksandadmitteddefeat:‘Ithoughttheonlychanceleftforuswastosomehowgettothepointwherewe

playedlikewehadunderWolfgangFrank.ButIcouldn’tfindanyone.Ihadnoideawhocoulddothisjob.’

Maybe Heidel found inspiration in the jesters parading through theMainzstreets on the day when normal rules didn’t apply. He was out of sensibleanswers.Theonly logicalmoveleftwas toplumpfor thedownrightabsurd.Iftherewas no right coach to be found,maybe the answer…was to gowithoutone?

‘I thought “Let’s do something spectacular.We should coach ourselves.”’Therewere ‘enough really goodguys and intelligent players in the squad’, hesays,tomakethatcrazyideawork,theycouldteachthosewhohadarrivedafterFrank’stimeattheBruchwegstadion.Butfootballbeingfootball,someonestillhadtobeincharge.Heidelchewedoverputtinghimselfup.‘IcouldhavetoldthemhowthesystemworksafterattendingsomanyofWolfgang’ssessions,butI had never played a single game in theBundesliga, not even in theOberliga[fourthdivision].Thatwouldhavelookedstupid.That’swhyIgaveKloppacallinhishotelroominBadKreuznach.Hehadnocluewhatwascoming.’

Heidel informed the veteran right-back that they couldn’t carry on withKrautzun, that they had to make a change. ‘I said to him: “I think you areuncoachable.Thestuffweplayhere–orwanttoplay–tobesuccessful,nobodyinGermanyunderstands.You,theteam,understandit.Butitdoesn’tworkoutwithanyofthecoaches.”Kloppstilldidn’tknowwhatIwasgettingat.ThenIsaid:“Whatdoyouthinkaboutuscoachingourselves?Someonehastofrontit,andthatshouldbeyou.”Therewassilenceontheothersideoftheline,formaybethree,fourseconds.Thenhesaid:“Greatidea.Let’sdoit.”’

Heidel called captain DimoWache, the goalkeeper. ‘Kloppo was the realcaptain, but Dimo had the armband. Dietmar Constantini [the coach prior toKrautzun]had takenitoffKlopp,becausehealwayscomplainedabout tactics.Hewasintotacticsunlikeanyotherplayer,hespentalotoftimethinkingaboutit. Constantini had also taken him out of the team for a spell. Kloppo on thebench, that doesn’t work at all. It’s funny when he complains about playerscomplainingtoday,youshouldhaveseenhimthen…

HaraldStrutz,thedebonairMainzpresident,wasbusyfulfillingcarnivalisticdutiesasa leadingmemberof theRanzengarde, anineteenth-centuryguardoffaux soldiers mocking Prussian militarism. ‘Heidel called me and said: “Wehave to sack themanager, urgently,”’ Strutz says, sitting in his neat office atMainz’sadministrativeheadquartersinacorporateblockoutsidethecity.Inthelobby,there’saglasscabinetwithFSVmerchandise,includingaspecialversion

ofMonopolywithKloppandHeidelon thecover. ‘Krautzunwasveryproper.He wanted to stay in the job but we told him it’s over. So I took off myRanzengarde uniform and drove to Bad Kreuznach. Everyone’s partying onRoseMondayinMainzbutthatdoesn’tmeaneveryone’sdrunk.Well,Iwasn’t,otherwiseIwouldn’thavedriventhere.WeaskedKloppo:“Doyouthinkyou’reuptoit?”Hedidn’thesitateforasecond:“Yes,absolutely.Yes,ofcourse.”’

Strutz pauses for a moment, taken aback by the incongruity of the mostimportantdecisionhe’severpresidedoveratMainz.He’salocalpoliticianfortheLiberalDemocratsandworksasalawyer,there’sacopyoftheBürgerlichesGesetzbuch, the German civil code, on his conference table. Strutz is, insummary, apretty seriousman.Not thekindof clubbossyou’d expect togetsweptupbytheSchnapsidee(flightoffancy)ofhisgeneralmanager.‘It’saveryspecial story,’ he continues. ‘Thatwas the beginning.Why shouldwe changethat? If you knew what it looked like here then… It was an extraordinaryachievement tokeep thewhole team together.Anextraordinarystart tosuchacoachingcareer.Thisextraordinarinessstillfizzesinthemind.’

The ten local journalistswho arrived for the FSV press conference at BadKreuznach the next day weren’t as elated. Heidel: ‘They already knew thatKrautzun was gone. We confirmed it. Then this one journalist, ReinhardRehberg, who still works today, said, “What is Klopp doing here?” They allthoughtwewouldappoint theassistantcoachascaretakermanagerbut Idon’tthinkweevenhadanassistantmanageratthetime.SoIsaid,“Kloppowillbethecoachhere.”Thewholetableroaredwithlaughter.Theyallcrackedup.Theytookthepissoutofusthenextdayinthepapers.PeoplebelievethateverybodycheersKloppallthetimebuthewasn’ttheKloppoftoday,hewastheKloppofthen. He was a player, he didn’t have a professional coaching badge, he hadstudiedsportscience.’

Kloppknewthatthereportersdidn’tbelievehewasinanywayqualifiedtosave Mainz from the drop. He made a joke about his own inexperience,pretendinghedidn’tknow the script. ‘Youhave to tellmewhat Ihave to sayhere,’hecommandedthepresscorpswithabroadsmile.

‘Thenextthing,I’llneverforgetthis,’Heidelsays.‘ThejournalistsleftandKloppsaid:“We’reofftotrainnow.”WeboardedacoupleofbusesanddrovetoFriedrich-Moebus-Stadion.AndIgotthereandIsawsomethingthatmademethink:“Ah, there’s lifehere.”Therewere thesepoleson thepitcheverywhere.Theteamwerepractisingmovingsidetosideinformationagain.That’swhenIknew:wehadreturnedtothetimesofWolfgangFrank.’

Thesquadwasassurprisedas the journalists thatKloppwas thenewboss.‘Allofasudden, there’sKloppo in themeetingroomaddressingusascoach,’former FSV midfielder Sandro Schwarz remembers. ‘He was still one of us,really,youdidn’thavetoaddresshimformallyorkeepyourdistance.Hehadanaturalauthoritybutwewerestillclose,andhefollowedthroughonthings.Theteam didn’tmind becausewewere in such difficulties in the relegation fight.Nobody believed in us any more. The boys who had been there for a whilelongedtoplaythe4-4-2systemagain,thesystemthathadmadeusstrong.Withhis positive demeanour, he got us to adopt the old behavioural patterns oncemore.’

The first-ever team meeting left a lasting impression on Heidel. ‘I stillrememberhowthatroomlooked.Thisguyhadneveraddressedateambefore.Never.Iwasabitleanerthen,fitter.Ifsomebodyhadgivenmeapairofbootsright then,Iwouldhavedashedout toplayagainstDuisburgafterhearinghimtalk. I had witnessed ten, eleven coaches before. But nothing like that. Youwantedtogooutandplaystraightaway.Ilefttheroomandencounteredmanydoubters.Theysaid,“He’sonlyaplayer…”ItoldStrutzandmycolleaguesontheboardthatwewouldwin,100percent.IftheteamwereassureasIwas,wehadtowin,wewouldwin.Ican’ttellyoutheexactwordsbutitwasamixtureoftacticsandmotivation,moreofalecture.Wecouldhaveplayedimmediately.Hetalkedandtalkeduntiltheteambelievedtheyweregood.’

‘Takingthejobfeltlikeakamikazemission,’Kloppadmittedtospox.comadecade later. ‘Therewasonlyonequestion Iaskedmyself:whatcanwedo tostoplosing?Ididn’t thinkaboutwinningthegameatall.Thefirstsessionwasallaboutrunningacrossthepitchtactically.IputupthesepolesandwonderedwhattherightdistancesbetweenthelineshadbeenunderWolfgangFrank.Mostplayersstillhadtherightmoveslodgedintheirlong-termmemoryfromthedaystheyhadpractiseditunderhimuntiltheyhadbeenblueintheface.Wewantedto play a game that was independent of the opposition.’ As far as themotivational part of his pep talkwas concerned, it too echoed one of Frank’sthemes:that‘investingthefinal5percent’(Klopp)wouldmakethedifference.

Kloppmade‘simpledecisions’,Kramnysays.‘Imovedfromrightmidfieldintothecentre.Oneortwomorechanges.Heideltoldusthatweallhadtopulltogetheraftergivingpreviouscoachessuchahardtime.Weallfeltresponsible.Therewasn’tmuch time to do a lot, so the ideawas to inject a bit of fun, topractiseourshapeanddeadballs.And thenwesaid:Okay, let’sgo.Run, run,run.Itwaspissingdownonmatchday.’

Heidel:‘Therewere4,500peopleintheground.PlayingonAshWednesdayis something special in Mainz. Duisburg were the much better side, a hotcontenderforpromotion.Ihavetohonestlysayweplayedthemoffthepark.Wewon1-0buttheynevergotnearourgoal.Theycouldn’tdealwithoursystematall.Thepeopleinthestadiumwentberserk.’

Those in the main stand had a particularly good time. They saw aMainzcoach ‘behaving like the twelfth man, effectively playing the game on thetouchline’,Heideladds.‘Thestandonlyheld1,000peopleatthetimebuttheywereinstitcheslaughingaboutthatguydownbelow.Idon’tevenknowwherehe ran towhenwe scored.Maybe hewas even sent off by the referee?’ (Hewasn’t,onthisoccasion.)‘Itwasallvery,veryspecial.Butyouhavetosaythis:thatwashisbirth.Andthenhewasonhisway.’

3.REVOLUTION09

Dortmund2008

It’sasharpwinter’snightinMarbellainJanuary2017,andtheDonPepeGranMeliáHotel lobbyisaDynastysetdesigner’sdream:whitemarble,gold-casedpillars,pottedpalmtrees.Andamanplayingthesaxophone.

BorussiaDortmundstaffersinshortsarepushingcratesofdirtyapparelfromthe evening’s training session past the vacant hotel bar. Sitting on a cream-coloured sofa,Hans-JoachimWatzke takes in the scenewith a contented nod.The58-year-oldBVBCEOisasuccessfulentrepreneur;hisworkwearcompany,Watex, turns over €250m annually. He’s the man who saved the club frombankruptcyin2005,themanwhobroughtbackthegoodfootball,theexcitementand the trophies to theWestfalenstadionbyhiring JürgenKlopp in2008.But,like any true supporter, he seems to find themost happiness and pride in justbeing here, on a ten-day winter break trip to Andalusia with the team. He’swearingatrainingsuitwithhisinitialsonthechest.

‘Why Klopp? It’s an easy question to answer,’ he says, setting down hisespresso cup. ‘In 2007, itwas clear thatwewould survive as a club, but alsoclearthatwehadnomoneytoputintotheteam.’

Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e.VDortmund, Bundesliga champions in 1995and 1996, Champions Leaguewinners in 1997 and champions again in 2002,had done a ‘Leeds’.A cash injection of €130m from floating the club on theFrankfurtstockexchangein2000hadbeenspentonhugelyexpensiveplayersinanunsustainablearmsracewithBayernMunich.WhentheteamfailedtoqualifyfortheChampionsLeaguein2005forthesecondtimeinarow,theclubalmostcollapsedunder theweightof€240mworthofdebt. ‘Wewereat theclubHQand didn’t know whether we would still have a job the next day,’ stadiumannouncerandformerBVBstrikerNorbert‘Nobby’Dickelsays.‘Awfultimes.’

‘Dortmundisacitythatliveswiththeclub,thatlivesfortheclub,’SebastianKehl says. The former captain remembers the whole town being on edge,extremelyworriedthatBorussiacouldbewoundup.‘Taxidrivers,bakers,hotelemployees–everybodyfearedfortheirlivelihood.Itwasverytoughtodealwith

for us players, knowing that winning or losing won’t make much of adifference.’

ItwasWatzke,theformertreasureroftheclub(nottheplc),whosavedBVB,bywrestingcontrol fromthequite literallydiscreditedduoofsportingdirectorMichaelMeierandpresidentGerdNiebaum.HenegotiatedaloanfromMorganStanleyandacapitalincrease,enablingDortmundtobuybacktheirstadiumandendacripplinglease-backarrangement.Buttheradicalcost-cuttingplanleftnofundstobuystarnames.

Watzke:‘[Sportingdirector]MichaelZorcandIhadagreedthatwewantedto build a young team. [Left-back]Marcel Schmelzer was already there, and[midfielder Kevin] Großkreutz.We wanted to play different football as well.UnderBertvanMarwijkandThomasDoll, theballwouldgofromoneendofthebackfourtotheotherandbackagain,tentimesinarow.Wehad57percentpossessionbut therewasnoaction.Youcan’tplay like that inDortmund.Wewanted to promise people a team that ran so hard that bits would come off.That’swhatwehadencounteredatMainzwhenweplayedthereinthepriortwoyears. You always felt they weren’t that good but somehow made it verydifficult for you and beat you sometimes. Because they had the mentality ofmurderers. And a very good set-up, tactically. That had to be down to theircoach.TakingsomeonefromtheseconddivisionwouldhavebeendifficultforDortmundnow.Butbackthen,itwaspossible.’

Borussiaweren’tentirelysureKloppcouldmake the transitionfrompatronsaint at Mainz to reviving a Bundesliga giant that had fallen on hard times,ChristianHeidelreveals.‘Theyhadconcerns,’hesays.WatzkefirstapproachedtheMainz generalmanager inOctober 2007, aheadof theGermanFAannualgeneralmeeting.Heidel: ‘Hephoned and asked ifwe could go for a coffee. Ididn’tknowhimthen.WesatdownandthetalkquicklyturnedtoJürgenKlopp.His contract was up at the end of the season. Watzke asked: “How good isKlopp?”Isaid:“If Inowsay thathe’sgood,you’llpinchhimoffme. Icouldalsolieandtellyouthathe’suseless.Butthenyou’lltellthattoKloppoandhe’llbe upset with me.” Then I said: “This guy is a Bundesliga coach.”’ Watzkeprobed further, without explicitly mentioning Dortmund. Was Klopp able tocoachabigBundesligaclub?‘ItoldhimthatKloppocouldcoachanyclubintheworld,’Heidelsays.‘That’sbecausehe’sgotanadvantage[overhispeers]:he’sreallyintelligent.Hewilladjustatabigclub.Ifyouneedsomeoneinasuitandinatie,don’tgetJürgenKlopp.Butifyouwantatopcoach,you’llhavetogethim. It wasn’t a case of making an immediate decision but I know that

Dortmundwerelookingathimabitmorecloselyfromthatdayon.Buttheystillweren’tentirelyconvinced.Watzkekeptoncallingme,Idon’tknowhowmanytimes.Ialwayssaid:“Goforit,goforit.YouwillneverregretthedayyousignJürgenKlopp.”’

Regrets over the hiring of Thomas Doll were growing all the time atStrobelallee. The former Germany midfielder, in the job since March 2007,failedtoinspiretheplayersorthepublicwiththepainfullydullbrandoffootballhisteamplayed.Dortmundwereclosertorelegationthantothetopofthetableandendedupinthirteenthplace,theirworstleaguepositionintwentyyears.AgoodrunintheDFBPokal,whereinthefinalinApriltheywerebeatenonlybyBayern Munich in extra-time (2-1), couldn’t deflect from the shortcomings.‘Perhaps it was the most valuable final defeat in the club’s history,’ SaschaFligge and Frank Fligge wrote in Echte Liebe, a chronicle of Dortmund’scomeback over the past decade. ‘In the case of a cup triumph, the club’sleadership would have had a hard time firing coach Thomas Doll, in whosequalities they had stopped believing. Jürgen Kloppmight never have gone toDortmund. History would have taken a very different turn.’ ‘The defeat [inBerlin]waspartofthestrategicplantoclearthepathforJürgenKlopp,’Watzkejokedlater.Klopp,incidentally,hadfollowedthematchinBerlinasaTVpunditforstatebroadcasterZDFandconfidedinprogrammeeditorJanDoehling thathe wanted to be ‘down there on the touchline one day’. Back at their Berlinhotel,Dortmundfanswereserenadinghimwith‘JürgenKlopp,youarethebestman’inthelobby.Theywantedhimtotakeover.

Watzkesayshealwaysfelt thatKlopp’spersonalitywasbigenoughfortheHerculean task: ‘We had a sense fromhisTVwork that he had the ability topresent[abigproject].Wedidn’ttalkaboutanyothermanager.WeonlywantedKlopp.’AclandestinemeetingattheofficesofoneofWatzke’sfriendsnotfarfromMainzbrought further certainty followingDoll’s resignationon19May.‘Once the employeeswere all gone,we got together,’ saysWatzke. ‘Itwas afantasticconversation.Wetoldhimourvisionfortheclub,anditcorrespondedwith his. Michael Zorc had gone to meet him separately the day before.Wewanted to form an opinion independently of each other. We’re often inagreement, but we were completely in agreement here. The chemistry wasimmediatelyverystrong.’

Chemistryof amore synthetickindexertedapullonKlopp, too,however.Bayer04Leverkusen,ownedby theeponymouspharmaceuticalcompany,hadalso set their eye on the coach. They didn’t have the cachet of theBlack and

Yellows, butwere free frommoney problems aswell as possessing a decent,well-balancedsquadcapableofchallengingforChampionsLeaguequalification.‘Kloppodidn’twanttogotoDortmundatfirst,hewantedtogotoLeverkusen,’saysHeidel.‘IsaidtohimhehadtogotoDortmund,becauseoftheemotionsthere, and so on. He had a conversation with [Leverkusen CEO] WolfgangHolzhäuser. They couldn’t make up their minds… Then Dortmund’s interestgrewmoreconcrete.ButKloppwasn’tsureinitially.’

His remuneration was another sticking point, Heidel adds, with a smallchuckle.‘Afunnystory.Dortmund’sfirstoffercameinlowerthanhisexistingwages atMainz inBundesliga 2. Theyweren’t that flush at the time.Klopposaid: “Listen, they offeredme less than I’mmaking atMainz.” I said: “Don’tworry, I’ll helpyou.”Dortmundcouldn’tget theirhead round the facthewasmaking thatmuch already.Watzke called again: “Howmuch does he earn atyours?” “He earns goodmoney here, he’s themost importantman, I’d rathersavemoney on a player,” I told him. “I don’t believe it,”Watzke said. Theyrevised his salary upwards.’ Klopp signed a two-year deal at Dortmund’sLennhofhotelonthemorningofFriday23Mayandwasunveiledat11a.m.atthestadium.

Borussia, in truth, had more than pecuniary rewards to offer. In JosefSchneck,theyemployedapressofficerthatKloppreallyliked,forstarters.‘WefirstmetinApril2004,ataneventinCologne,’Schneck,akind,jovialmaninhismid-sixties,says.Thatnight,KloppwasreceivingaFairPlayawardfromtheassociation of German sports journalists for the way he had dealt with theheartbreaking finishes to the previous two Bundesliga 2 seasons. MatthiasSammer, then theBorussiaDortmundcoach,was invited togive the laudatoryspeech. ‘We went there with Matthias, and Karin, his wife, and we sat withKlopp at the same table. It was a very nice evening,’ Schneck recalls. It’s atouching little anecdote, considering that Sammer and Klopp would fall outspectacularlyafewyearslater,attheheightoftheBayern–Dortmundrivalry.

‘IalsoknewJürgenfrompressconferences[whenMainzhadplayedin theBundesligabetween2004and2007],’Schneckcontinues.‘Once,Mainzdrew1-1withus,inDortmund,andIcongratulatedhimonwinningapoint.TodrawatDortmundwasasuccessforMainz,wasn’tit?Buthejustlookedatmeandsaid:“Congratulationstoyoutoo.”ThatwasclassicKlopp.Andafterhecamehere,inhis first fewweeks at the club, he joked toMichael Zorc: “I couldn’t decidewhetherornotIshouldsignforDortmund.ButIknewyouhadadecentpressofficer,soyoucan’thavebeentoobadaclub.”’

What’s more, few clubs could count on such fervent support. The SignalIduna Park’s famous ‘Yellow Wall’, Europe’s biggest terrace with 25,000standingplaces,appealedto‘thefootballpassionthatburnsinsideofme’,Klopptoldreportersathisunveiling.‘Whoeverhasbeendownonthepitchhereknowsthe[YellowWall]issomethingextra-special,oneofthemostimpressivethingsyoucanfindinfootball.It’sanhonourformetobethecoachofBVBandtobeabletogettheclubbackintothegroove.It’sawonderfulstory.I’mincrediblyexcitedtogettoworkhere.’Wasitabigstepupforhim,fromthecarnivalclubMainz to one of the league’s traditional heavyweights?, somebody enquired.‘Wedidn’tstaggerfromonegalasessiontothenextinMainz,’hesmiled.‘Weworkedwithgreatdiscipline.Ifeelwellprepared.’

There were rumours in the city that some of the sponsors and companiesinvolvedinDortmund’sdebtrestructuringhadhopedforamoreurbanecoach,abignamewithinternationalpullingpower.

Klopp,perhapsawareof thesemisgivings,worea jacket in thepressroom.Butnotie.‘Secretly,quietly,hehasworkedonthegentrificationofhiswardrobeoverthelastfewmonths,’FrankfurterAllgemeineSonntags-Zeitungnoted.Hisfieryrhetoric,however,paidhomagetotheworking-classregion’sdeep-rootedloveoffootballaswildentertainment,asourceofidentityandaquasi-religiousexperience.

‘It’salwaysaboutmakingthecrowdhappy,it’saboutproducinggameswitha recognisable style,’ he vowed. ‘When matches are boring, they lose theirrationale.Myteamshaveneverplayedchessonthepitch.Ihopewewillwitnesstheoddfull-throttleoccasionhere.Thesunwon’tshineeverydayinDortmund,butwehaveachancetomakeitshinemoreoften.’SüddeutscheZeitung’sBVBreporterFreddieRöckenhauswas very impressedwith somuch solar-poweredoptimism. ‘IfKlopp trains the teamaswell ashedoespunch lines,Dortmundwill soonbe ready for theChampionsLeague,’hewrote. ‘It’sonly takenhimforty-five minutes to sweep BVB supporters off their feet with his infectioussparkleandeloquence.Ifeveracoach’smentalityfitrightintothefootball-madRuhrarea,thenKlopp’sdoes.’

The excitement was not confined to followers of Borussia. On Klopp’spersonalhomepage,auserstatedhisapproval. ‘It’sgreat thatyou’regoing toBVB,’hewrote.‘Thatclubisn’tmyteamatallbutIownplentyoftheirshares.SinceIhavegreatconfidenceinyouandamawareofyourabilities,I’malreadylooking forward to having more money in my pocket.’ The anonymousinvestor’s trustwouldprove justified.Dortmund’s shareprice roseby132per

cent: from €1.59 on 23May 2008 to €3.70 on the day of Klopp’s departure,preciselysevenyearslater.

4.THEROADTOANFIELD

2012–2015

On 11 April 2014 at 10 p.m., Jürgen Kloppmet Hans-JoachimWatzke for adrinkatMunich’sParkHiltonHotelandtoldhimthathehadmadeuphismind.Hewasstayingput.

Earlierthatday,aheadoftheteam’sdepartureforanawaygameatBayern’sAllianz Arena, the Borussia Dortmund coach had still been undecided. He’dreceived a tempting, hugely lucrative offer from the north-west of England, achancetotakeoverandrevolutioniseoneofthebiggestclubsintheworld.‘Wefirst met in my kitchen,’ saysWatzke. ‘Without going into details, it was aninterestingtalk.Ithinkitmadeadifferencebecausehesaidtomeontheplanethatweneeded to talkagain in theevening. Iwasdue tohavedinnerwithmydaughter, who lived in Munich, so I could only see him at 10 p.m. Hestraightaway said: “I can’t dealwith this pressure anymore. I’ve turned themdown.”’

Notlongbefore,ManchesterUnitedexecutivevicechairmanEdWoodwardhad flown out to see Klopp in Germany. David Moyes’ short tenure at OldTrafford was coming to an end, andKloppwas United’s favourite to replacehim,tobringbackasenseofadventuretotheRedDevils’game.WoodwardtoldKlopp that theTheatreofDreamswas ‘likeanadultversionofDisneyland’,amythical place where, as the nickname suggested, the entertainment on showwasworld-classanddreamscametrue.Kloppwasn’tentirelyconvincedbythatsalespitch–hefounditabit‘unsexy’,hetoldafriend–buthedidn’tdismisstheproposition out of hand either.After almost six years in the job atDortmund,perhapsthetimewasripeforachangeofscenery.

AwareofUnited’sinterest,WatzkehadintendedtoinsistthatKlopphonourhis contract, which had been extended to 2018 only the preceding autumn.Sensing that the 46-year-old was quite conflicted, Watzke changed tack andoptedforaveryriskystrategy.IfKloppwantedtogotoManUtd,hewouldn’tstandinhisway,hetoldhim,playingontheirmutualtrustandaconnectionthathadlongsincecrossedfrombusinessintotheterritoryoffriendship.Aftersome

deliberation–and theconversationatWatzke’skitchen table–theBVBmanagercametotheconclusionthathisworkattheSignalIdunaParkwasnotyetdone.

United,however,felttherewasstillapossibilityofluringhimaway.WhenMoyesreceivedhisinevitablemarchingorderson22April,Kloppwasquicklyinstalled as the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed the Scot. Incessant mediaspeculation in the UK prompted the Swabian to release a statement via theGuardian thenextday, tokill the rumour. ‘ManUtd isagreatcluband I feelvery familiar with their wonderful fans,’ it read, ‘but my commitment toBorussiaDortmundandthepeopleisunbreakable.’

KloppcontinuedtoattractinterestfromthePremierLeague,regardless.Sixmonthsafterhehad turneddownWoodward,ManchesterUnited’s local rivalsManchesterCitymadeanapproach.TottenhamHotspur,too,enquiredabouthisservices. At the same time, Klopp used an interviewwith BT Sport ahead ofDortmund’s Champions League game at Arsenal to make his long-termintentionsknown.AskedwhetherhewouldbecomingtoEnglandoncehistimeatBorussiawasover,theanswerwasunequivocal.‘It’stheonlycountry,Ithink,whereIshouldwork,really,[after]Germany,’henodded,‘becauseit’stheonlycountryIknowthelanguagealittlebit.AndIneedthelanguageformywork.Sowewillsee.Ifsomebodywillcallme,thenwewilltalkaboutit.’

Thewritingwasverymuchon thewall then,Watzkesays.Dortmundwerehavingtheirfirst–andonly–poordomesticcampaignwithKloppincharge,andan escape to rainier climes all of a sudden held more attraction than before.Watzke:‘Ourseasonwasalreadyinthetoilet,andyougotthatdistinctfeeling…For me it was clear that he wouldn’t go anywhere else in Germany afterBorussia,hewouldn’thavebeenabletodothat.Healwayssaidhedidn’tstudyEnglishbutI’mprettysurehepolisheditalittlebit.Icouldobservethathehad.Itwasobviousthathe’dgotothePremierLeague.That’shisgame.’

Afootball romanticist,Klopphad longbeenanavowedfanof thereal,no-holds-barredversionofthesportplayedacrossthechannel.AtaSpanishwintertrainingcampasMainzcoach in2007,hehaddevouredNickHornby’sFeverPitch(andchasedalizardaroundhishotelroomwithhistoothbrushinfrontofaTVcrew);muchoftheinspirationforhisbrandofmuscular,passionatefootball,as well as the idea that his teams could feed off the electricity of a fanaticalcrowd,derivedfromthesport’smotherland.BothatMainzandatDortmund,thecrowdsbeltedoutpassableversionsof‘You’llNeverWalkAlone’,conjuringupfervent atmospheres that took conscious inspiration from (idealised) Englishtraditions. ‘I like what we in Germany call “Englischer Fußball”: rainy day,

heavypitch,everybodyisdirtyinthefaceandtheygohomeandcan’tplayforthe next four weeks,’ he said to theGuardian in 2013. That year, his youngDortmundteamhadgatecrashedEurope’selitecompetition,burstingallthewaytothefinaloftheChampionsLeague,whilehewaswearingabaseballcapthathad the word ‘Pöhler’ imprinted on it–Ruhr area slang for somebody playingfootball the old-fashioned way, ‘on a Sundaymorning on a lawn, the basics,lovingthegame’.

Almost exactly one year afterKlopp had said no toUnited, his bondwithDortmundturnedouttobebreakableafterall.Heannouncedhewouldresignattheendofthe2014–15season,makingsuretoaddthathedidn’tintendtotakeasabbatical.

InanartnouveauvillainBremen’sleafySchwachhausenquarter,thephonestarted ringing a fewweeks into the newPremierLeague season.AsBrendanRodgers’ time atAnfield came to a slow, drawn-out end, a number of peoplecontactedKlopp’s agentMarcKosicke, promising tomake an introduction toLiverpool.One, aGerman football agent, said he knewKennyDalglish reallywell. Kosicke preferred to wait. Eventually, somebody purporting to beLiverpoolFCchief executive IanAyrecalled.Could theyhaveaconversationabout Klopp coming to Anfield? They could, Kosicke replied, but only via avideo Skype call. While Ayre hung up, ahead of calling again over the app,KosickedidaquickimagesearchoftheLiverpoolofficial.Justtobesure.Toomanyprankstersandtimewastersoutthere.

‘Once you’ve been at Dortmund, where can you go as a coach?’ MartinQuast,afriendofKloppsincetheearlynineties,asks.‘InGermany,there’sonlythenational team left forKloppo,everythingelsewouldbea stepdown,evenBayern. Kloppo gets off on emotions, on empathy, on rocking the house, onbeingapartofsomethingreallybig.ComparedwithDortmund,Bayerndoesn’treallygiveyou that. Icouldonly imaginehim takingonaclubabroad,aclublikeLiverpool.’

Christian Heidel says Klopp had only one reservation: his English. ‘Wetalked about it for a long time. He askedme: “Should I do it?” I said: “Thespokenwordisyourweapon,youknowthat.Youhavetodecideifyoucangetacrosswhat’simportantinEnglish.Ifyouletotherstalkforyou,itwon’twork.You’reonly70per centKlopp then.Youneed tobe sure.”And thenhe said:“I’ll manage it. I’ll study now, and I’ll get there.” And since he’s veryintelligent,hegotthere,veryquickly.Ithinkatthetime[ofLFC’sapproach],nootherclubwouldhavestoodachancewithhim.He’dalwaysbeenkeenonthem,

hewasexcitedby theemotionaldimensionof the job. Idon’t thinkhe’dhavegone to Manchester City or a club like that–even though they really wantedhim.’

Klopp’s name had first cropped up at Anfield in the spring of 2012, aspossible successors toKennyDalglishwerebeingsoundedout.Amiddle-mangot in touchwith theDortmundcoachbutwas told innouncertain terms thatKlopp had no intention of leaving. He was on the way to winning a historicdouble.

InSeptember2015,thingsgotmuchmoreserious,rapidly.BrendanRodgers’poor start to the season had prompted Boston-based Fenway Sports Group(FSG),LiverpoolFC’sowners, toscour themarket for thenextmanager. ‘Wewere thinking about someone who had experience and success at the highestlevel,’ FSGpresidentMikeGordon, fifty-two, explains. ‘Jürgen had done thatdomestically,obviously in theBundesliga.He reallyhaddone that,apart frommaybeoneortwokicks,intheChampionsLeague,too.Ithinkhiscredentialsasoneofthebestmanagers,ifnotthebest,wereapparentforall.Andwelikedthetypeoffootballheplayed.Boththeenergyandtheemphasisonattacking:high-electricity,high-wattagefootballwithanappeal.Sofromafootballsenseitwasarelativelyeasyandstraightforwarddecision.’

Whiletherewere‘obviousgroundsforsupport’forKlopp,asGordonputsit,FSG’spointman forLiverpoolconductedduediligenceon theGerman to seewhetherthehypewasborneoutbyreality.‘Itriedtosetasidehispopularityinthe footballworldandhischarisma, foranunbiasedanalysis,’ says the formerhedgefundmanager,whostartedoutsellingpopcornatbaseballgamesasakid.‘I did a fair amount of research along with the people inside the club,determining how he should be evaluated, purely in an analytical and footballsense. The processwasmuch the same youwould undergo in the investmentbusinessbeforetakingabigposition.Iamhappytosay–anditisself-evidentatthis point–that however high and elevated his reputation was in the footballworld,thefactswereactuallymorecompellingandmorepersuasivestill.’

Gordon’sresearchpointedtoKlopphavinghad‘adecidedlypositiveeffect,inaquantifiablesense, relative towhatyoumightotherwiseexpect’onMainzandDortmund.Putmoresimply,theSwabianhadoutperformed.TheappealtoLiverpool,whosestrategyisbasedonasmarteruseofresources,incomparisonwith some of their more financially potent rivals in the Premier League, wasclear. ‘Ina football sense, itwaspretty straightforward,’ saysGordon. ‘Butofcourse, I didn’t know if philosophies and personalities, that of the club and

Jürgen’s,wouldmesh.Ithadtobeamutualfit.WealsoneededtoknowwhetherJürgenwanted to lead the footballprogrammeandprojectofLiverpool.Thosewereveryimportantpiecesthatneededtobedetermined.’

AmeetingwasscheduledinNewYorkon1October.Klopp’sandKosicke’sattemptatsecrecygotofftoaverybadstart,however.IntheLufthansaloungeatMunichairport,oneofthestaffaskedKlopp–whosebaseballcapdidn’tmakeformuchofadisguise–whyhewasgoingtoJFK.‘We’rewatchingabasketballgame,’hereplied.Aplausibleexplanation,exceptforthefactthatthestartoftheNBAseasonwasanotherfourweeksaway.

An hour after their arrival in Manhattan, the two Germans were rumbledagain.Asluckwouldhaveit,thereceptionistatthePlazaHotelon5thAvenuehailed from the coach’s footballing hometown. ‘My word, it’s Kloppo!’ heexclaimedinbroadMainzdialect.Somehow,newsoftheclandestinetripneverleaked.

FSG’s principal owner John W. Henry, LFC chairman Tom Werner, andGordonmetwithKlopp and his agent at the offices of law firmShearman&Sterling on LexingtonAvenue, a few blocks to the east. ‘My first impressionwasthathewasverytall.AndIamnot,’Gordonlaughs.‘Itwasverylatebutwehadthisverylengthyandsubstantivetalk,andthenweadjourneduntilthenextday and met for more lengthy and substantive talks at the hotel. I want toemphasise:thesewereverymuchtwo-wayconversations.ThiswasaboutJürgenbeing right for Liverpool FC andLiverpool FC, us as owners, being right forJürgen.’Klopp’scharisma,assuspected,wasofasimilarsizetohisframe(‘heuses his personal skills, and his way of relating to people, to get across hismessage’)butwhatGordonwasstruckbymostwas‘theenormityofsubstance’he detected behind the toothy smile and super-sized persona. ‘Itwasn’t about“boy, this guy is really charming, he is going to do wonderfully at pressconferencesandasarepresentativeofaclub”.Veryquickly,whatcameacrosswashisbreadthoftalent:notjustthepersonalside,butthelevelofintelligence,thekindofanalytical thinking, the logic, theclarityandhonesty,hisability tocommunicatesoeffectivelyeventhoughEnglishwasnothisfirstlanguage.ThatsideIthinkhedoesn’talwaysgetfullcreditforbecausepeoplearesotakenwithhimasapersonintheflesh.’

KlopptoldtheFSGexecutivesthatfootballwas‘morethanasystem’,thatitwas‘alsorain,tacklesflyingin,thenoiseinthestadium’.Mostofall,hesaid,theAnfieldcrowdhadtobe‘activated’bythestyleofperformance,tospurontheteamandviceversainaself-amplifyingcycleofexuberance.

Gordon:‘Itwasveryhardtofindanythingthatwasinanywaydeficientandthat is the honest truth. What I am saying is: it was clear that Jürgen, as afootballmanager,reallywasonthesamelevelasacorporateleaderorsomeoneyou would choose to run your company. I say this as someone who’s spenttwenty-sevenyearsasaninvestor,engagingwithsomeoftheverytopCEOsandleadersofbusiness inAmericaandEurope.At thatpoint itwasobvious tomethat he was the right person. So we decided to discuss parameters and that’swhenJürgenexcusedhimself.’

While Kosicke continued to discuss remuneration, Klopp walked aroundCentral Park. The stroll would last longer than anticipated. Both sides wereinitially rather far apart, financially, but the outline for an agreement waseventuallyfound.

After Klopp had returned to Germany, Gordon sent him a text message.‘Words cannot express how excited we are,’ it read. In his reply, Kloppapologisedthathedidn’thavetherightvocabularyeither.Buthedidknowonewordthatsummeduphisfeelings:‘Woooooooooooow!!!’

5.INTHEGAMEOFTHEFATHER

In the summer of 1940, schoolwas out forNorbertKlopp.His fatherKarl, ahiredhandatthefarmsandvineyardssurroundingthecityofKirninRhineland-Palatinate,neededthesix-year-old–theonlysoninafamilyoffourkids–tojoininthework.

Tending the fertile fields of the south-west kept the Klopps alive duringGermany’s darkest years. The region’s most famous football team, 1. FCKaiserslautern,too,reliedonlocalproduceforsustenance,oncethesunstartedto shine again in 1945.The ‘RedDevils’,whose ranks included superstar andrecentlyreleasedPOWFritzWalter,playeddozensoffriendliesagainstvillagesidesinexchangeforpotatoesandonions.

Norbert Klopp wanted to be a footballer.Who didn’t? He had shot up to1.91minhisteenageyears,andgrownintoastrong,agilegoalkeeper.HeplayedforlocalsideVfRKirn,oneofthebestclubsintheregion,andhisearlytalentwas such that he was invited to a trial with Kaiserslautern in 1952. ‘I wasawestruck,’theeighteen-year-oldtoldfamilyfriendUlrichRathlater,‘Iwasonthe pitch with all these legendary players…’ Lautern were royalty. They hadwon theGermanchampionship theprevious season andwouldwin it again in1953. Four of their players–FritzWalter,OttmarWalter,WernerLiebrich andWernerKohlmeyer–wentontolifttheWorldCupinBernein1954.

Klopp, forallhis talent,wasn’tquiteat their level.BackatVfRKirn,whohadbeenpromotedtothe(regionallysegmented)firstdivisionandtookonthelikes of Lautern and Mainz 05, he couldn’t get past Alfred Hettfleisch, thenumberonebetweentheposts.AsKirn’sreservegoalkeeper,KloppwasbrieflyaffordedthenewlyintroducedVertragsamateur(amateurundercontract)statusthatintroducedprofessionalisminallbutnameinWestGermany.Butmonthlywages of DM40 to 75made the players hugely dependent on points bonuses(between DM10 and 40). Klopp had little chance to share in these: since

substitutions weren’t permitted, he never made it into the line-up of the firstteam.Hecontinuedinthereserveteamagainstotheramateurs,forthefunofit.

Karl Klopp insisted the boy took on a ‘proper job’. Norbert started anapprenticeshipatMüller&Meirer,amanufacturerofsmallleathergoods.Abouthalf of Kirn’s population, 5,000 people, worked in the tanning and leatherindustryintheearly1950s,asGermany’seconomicmiraclerapidlyraisedlivingstandards.‘AleathercraftsmanearnedbetweenDM250and300amonth,itwasagoodjobatthetime,’saysHorstDietz,eighty,whoworkedinthesamesectionas Norbert Klopp, sitting in the row behind him. A row consisted of threepeople:anapprentice,a ‘gluer’ (oftenayounggirl)andacraftsman,andeachroom had about twenty rows, supervised by a master at the front. It waspiecework:onerowproducedupto100walletsorsimilargoodsaday,workingfrom7a.m.to5p.m.,withaone-hourlunchbreak.

Theloft inDietz’shouseinKirnresemblesasportspub.FramedshirtsandcupsfromhisplayingdaysforVfRKirnlinethewalls, there’saphotoofhimand FranzBeckenbauer, a huge screen for live football and an actual bar.Heusedtoliveinthecountrysideasayoungster,Klopp’sfamilywereinthetowncentre.Norbertwouldoftentakehimhomeforlunchduringtheworkingweek.‘Hewaslikeabigbrotherforme.TheKloppswereverywellknown,buttheylivedanormal life,’ saysDietz. ‘Workinghardwasoneof theirprinciples.’ Ifarticlesremainedunfinishedattheendofashiftitwasexpectedtheywouldbecompleted at home. ‘We tried togive them toourgrandmas todo, because atfourteen, fifteen,wewere interested ingirls andgoingout in the evening,’ hesmiles.UnlikeKlopp,whowas three years his senior, hemade it intoKirn’sstartingXI as a striker, playing for a few years in the second division beforetakingonajobwithCoca-Cola.‘Norbertwasveryambitious,healwayswantedtogo to thevery top,’Dietz recalls. ‘Hewasadaredevil,notonly in sport.Acharismaticguywho’dgosomewhereand immediatelyowntheroom.Hewasfull of energy and charm. A ladies’ man, one might say.We often spent thewholedaytalkingaboutfootball.’

In1959,NorbertKloppmovedsouthtotheBlackForesttownofDornhan,towork in the nearby Sola leather plant. He joined TSF Dornhan as player-manager,playing inavarietyofpositions.His shots from theedgeof theboxweremuch feared,Rath says.Theneatly turnedout septuagenarian–slickgreyhair,lucideyes–hadbeenapromisingfootballerhimselfinhisyouth,playingforWürttemberg’s regional teambefore a treble leg break put paid to his playingcareer.He’snowSVGlatten’shonorarychairman.

AtaweddinginDornhan–‘theywerepublicaffairsthen,youdidn’thavetohave an invitation,’ Dietz says–Norbert Kloppmet Elisabeth ‘Lisbeth’ Reich.The daughter of a brewery ownerwas considered ‘a good catch’,Dietz adds.Followingtheirweddingintheautumnof1960,NorbertKlopphelpedoutintheSchwanen-Bräu family firm, run by his mother-in-law, Helene Reich.Elisabeth’sfatherhadcomehomefromthewarwithamovingpieceofshrapnelinhisheadanddiedsoonafter.Klopp’sroleatSchwanen-BräuincludedbeingaFestzeltmeister–the person responsible for setting up beer tents for festivals.Elisabeth’sbrotherEugentookoverthecompanyuntilitcloseddownin1992.

Inhisearlythirties,Kloppretrainedasamerchant,takingeveninglessonsinnearby Freudenstadt. His new job, as a sales representative for Fischer, amanufacturerof fixing systems, sawhim travel all over the southofGermanyduring the week. Tall, smooth and handsome, Klopp was ‘born to be a salesperson’,saysRath.‘Hewaslikeable,sociable.Agreatentertainerwhocouldtellthebeststories.HecouldspeakintheSwabiandialecttosomeoneontherightandstandardGermanto the left.’Herhusband,Klopp’smotherElisabethsaid,was a natural orator: ‘He could just go.’ ‘An ace, rhetorically,’ is how IsoldeReichdescribesherfather.

MartinQuast’s father,whoalsohails fromKirn,knewNorbertKloppwell.Theyplayedfieldhandballtogether.‘HetoldmethatNorbertwasalwaysatthecentre of everything. “Where therewasNorbert, therewas laughter.”Anyonewho had the faintest interest in sport in Kirn knew and liked him. Soundsfamiliar,doesn’tit?’

NorbertKloppwasastickler forappearances. ‘Heneededmore timein thebathroom in the morning than us three women,’ Isolde smiles. ‘He alwayslookedhisSundaybest.Joggingtrouserswereconsideredappropriateforsportsbutnotacceptableinsidethehouse.Andundernocircumstancesoutside!’Oneday,sherecalls,Norbertdroveoneofhissons-in-lawandafriendtoseeJürgenplayforMainz05.Heworeawhiteshirt,atieandyellowV-neckjumper,‘abitlike[thethenGermanforeignsecretaryHans-Dietrich]Genscher’.Theystoppedat a service station, and Norbert took the opportunity to lecture the criticallyunderdressedstateofhiscompanions‘ontherightattireforviewingafootballgameinMainz’.Evenatcarnival,adresscodewasstrictlyenforced:thewholefamilywouldgoasclowns,withJürgenridinginahandcartasatoddler.Kloppseniorironedhisownshirtsandcutthekids’hair.Hisson’seyebrowsformedanaturalborderbelowwhichno strandofhairwasallowed to fall.Stubblewasalso strictly verboten. ‘Norbert, who dressed immaculately at all times, and

Jürgensometimesclashedabouthiscasualoutfitsandsportystyle,’saysRath.One of the first things her brother did uponmoving out of the house was to‘throwawaytheshaverandhairbrush’,Isoldeadds.

ItwashugelyimportantforNorbertthatthekidswitnessedhistoricalevents,such as the moon landing or Muhammad Ali’s fights. The family huddledaround a small, black-and-white television in the living room, fortified by teaandsandwiches.Ifoneofthechildrenfellasleep,Norbertwouldpoketheminthesidetowakethemupagain.

WithinafewyearsofcomingtoGlatten,NorbertKlopphadbecomeoneofitsmostimportantsportsmen.HeplayedinSVGlatten’sseniors’footballteamuntilhewasforty(whilehischildrenpickedupemptiesonthetouchlinetoearna few Pfennige), coached the first team for a season and served as a boardmember. As his legs tired, his passion for playing tennis grew. Norbert wasinstrumentalinsettingupSVGlatten’stennissection,andthebuildingofaclaycourt.TheclubhadinitiallyhiredaconcretecourtinanoldquarryinDornhanafterKlopphadpaidthereluctantownerDM50togivetheGlattenersaccess.Inwinter,hewentskiingwithUlrichRath.IsoldewasnamedafterRath’ssister.

EverySaturday,inhonourofthefather’sreturnhome,thehousewastidiedup. Little Jürgen, however, did his best to excuse himself from these chores,tellinghisoldersistersthathehadtostudyforschool.‘Inpractice,hewaslyingcomfortably in bed, his headburied in a book,’ Isolde says.His roguishwaysreminded her of Emil i Lönneberga, the blond, blue-eyed prankster in AstridLindgrenchildren’sbook.

Aphotofromhisfirstdayatschoolshowshimwithabandagedknee.Hehadrunoutofthehouse,traditionalconeofcandyinhand,andstumbled.‘Yousee,’hisfathergentlyadmonishedhim,‘ifyouhadn’trunsofast,youwouldn’thaveaBand-Aid on the picture.’ On other occasions, he fell off his desk chair,laceratinganeyelid,andranintoascooter,cuttinghisnose.

‘Jürgen’sbirthwasahugemomentforNorbert,’saysRath.‘Hefinallyhadarealsportsmantosharehispassionswith.’Pressureonthegirlstoexcelinsportsceasedalmost immediatelyafterJürgen’sarrival.Theywereallowed todevotetime to their own hobbies, like ballet and music. Elisabeth, a loving, even-temperedmum,whodecided that thekids shouldbecomeProtestants, likeher(NorbertwasCatholic),hadahardtimefittinginallthechildren’sactivities.

Norbert was his son’s personal football, tennis and skiing teacher, and hetaughtbysubjectinghimtoanultra-competitiveregime.‘Earlyinthemorning,comerainorshine,hewouldputmeonthetouchlineonthepitch,letmestart

running for a bit and then ran himself, overtaking me,’ Jürgen Klopp toldAbendblattin2009.‘Itwasafarcryfrombeingfun.’Theexercisewasrepeated,weekafterweek,untilKloppwasfasterthanhisdad.Norbertalsoregisteredhimwith theathleticsclub, to improvehispace. Inaddition, Jürgenwouldhave tospendhourspractisingheaders,justlikeIsoldehaddonebeforehim.

Aged six, he joined the ‘E’ youth team (under-11) of SV Glatten, newlyformedbycoachUlrichRathin1973.Inhisfirstgame,Jürgenwastackledanddidaninvoluntarysomersault,breakinghiscollarboneonimpact.‘Theverynextweekhewasback,hisarm inasling, staring longinglyathis teammates fromthesidelinesandrunningtocatchwaywardballs,justtobeinvolvedsomehow,’Rathsays.‘Thatshowedyouwhathewasallabout.’

He takes his visitor down a few steps, deeper into local history. Rath’sbasement is a shrine to all things SV Glatten. Naturally, it’s the team ofyoungstersincludinghistwosonsandJürgenKlopp,histhirdone,thesonofallofGlatten,thattakesprideofplace.RathstillgetsupsetwhenthemediareferstoKloppasaStuttgarter:‘Hewasonlythereforoneweek,inthefirstfewdaysafterhisbirth!’he shakeshisheadand takesout aphoto.Here theyall areasnine-year-olds, celebrating a cup win in a regional tournament played onPfingsten,Pentecost.Klopp,theteam’sstriker,laterself-mockinglyjokedthatitwastheonlytrophyheeverwonasafootballer.HundredsofhobbyfootballershavesincewontheKlopptrophy,butonlyafewofthemknowmuchaboutthatfact. IthadbeenNorbertKlopp’s idea,Rath recalls, tocobble togetheraprizeforthewinnersofGlatten’sinauguralopentournamentin1977:hetookoneofhisson’sfootballboots,spray-painteditgold,andmounteditonawoodenbox.

Thatsameyear,StuttgarterKicker’sunder-11scametoGlattenforafriendlygame.TheboysfromthecapitalofBaden-Württembergarrivedwith tentsandsleptinthenearbywoods,wherepigswereroastedonanopenfire.Theoccasionis fondly remembered for a rafting trip down the Gumpen, where the RiversGlattandLautermeet.ManyoftheKickersladsfellintothewater,amongthemaneventualEuropeanCupwinner.RobertProsinecˇki, thefutureplaymakerofRedStarBelgradeandYugoslavia/Croatia,wasplayingfortheSwabiansatthetime butwas ultimately deemed not good enough.He returned toZagreb twoyearslater,agedten.

Jürgen, like most boys from the region, supported Kickers’ bigger, moresuccessful,rivals,VfBStuttgart.Atrialasayoungsterwasunsuccessfulbuthedid get a red tracksuit, which he proudly wore until Stefanie ruined it in anaccidentwithahotiron.Perhapstomakeupforthattragicloss,hisgrandmother

Anna famously knitted him awhite jumperwith a red hoop and a ‘4’ on theback, the number of his favourite player, West Germany international Karl-HeinzFörster.HeworeitontripstotheNeckarstadionwithfriendsandfamily.

Klopp admired the hard-nosed centre-back’s calmness under pressure andutterdedication.‘Welaterfoundoutthatwehadthesamesportingidols,’saysMartinQuast.‘Förster,amanwithstrategicvision,andBorisBecker,wholivedoffimpulseandemotions.Kloppooncetoldmethathewouldbestandingontheterracesasanultraiffootballhadn’tworkedoutforhim,andthathehadtheredhoop implanted in his chest.’ His love for VfB might have cooled a little insubsequentyears.UlrichRathismovedtotearsrecallingthedaywhenKlopp,ascoachofMainz05, evadedofficious stewards and jumpedover anadvertisingboard in Stuttgart’s stadium to seek out a delegation of his old friends fromGlatten,whoweresittingintheUntertürckheimerKurvesection.‘Isaidtohim,“Jürgen,Ihaveadilemma,twoheartsarebeatinginmychest.OneforVfB,onefor you.”He said: “Ulrich, that can’t be true. Aman only has one heart–andyoursisbeatingforme.”WealllaughedbutIthinkhewasveryserious.’

NorbertKloppwasoneof thosefootballdadswhocouldbarelycontainhispassiononthesidelines.‘Jürgenhashisfather’stemperamentandhismother’scalmness,’IsoldeReichsays.Hefelttheforceofhisfather’suncompromising,exacting standards most acutely when it came to individual sports. MatchesbetweenthetwoKloppswerepainfullyone-sidedaffairs,withNorbertunwillingtocedeasinglepoint.Jürgenwasfrustrated,angryeven,gettingplayedoffthecourt by a father whowas either unable or disinclined to offer any words ofsupport.Neitherpartyenjoyedtheseearlysessions,butKloppseniorconsideredthemanecessarypartofJürgen’ssportingeducation.TheylaterpairedupasadoublesteamforGlatten’stennisclub.Hisfatherwassoobsessedwithwinningthatheoncerefusedtoleavethepitcheventhoughhewassufferingfromabadsunstrokeandwasbesetbyviolentchills.Kloppjuniorstoppedthematchofhisownvolitionandputhisfathertobed.

Onthepiste,Norbertsimplyskieddownhill,expectingtheboytocatchup.‘Nix gschwätzt isch Lob gnuag’–to say nothing is praise enough–a Swabianproverb goes. Norbert Klopp was its living embodiment. ‘It was his way ofgetting me to perform,’ Klopp said in an interview with Der Tagesspiegel.‘WhenI rananddidskips,he’dsay itwasn’thighenough, that therewasstillspace for awhole sheet of paper!He didn’t have the right text available.Histactic was quite obvious, I sussed it out early.’ Klopp had to learn to ‘readbetween the lines’ to discover traces of his father’s contentment, he added;

seamlesscriticismsmotheredaffirmation.‘WhenIscoredfourgoals,hewouldsay that I missed seven other chances, or talk about how well one of myteammates had done.Nevertheless, I knew that hewas secretly very proud ofme.’

Left to his owndevices after school,Kloppwouldplaymore footballwithRath’s sons Hartmut and Ingo. Every patch of grass was transformed into apitch, and after sunset Klopp would continue to play in the living room,throwing himself on a couch to save shots, or shooting at a small goal thatNorbert had put up for him. ‘The house was always full of kids. Jürgen wasspoiltbyourmum.Anythingtomakehimhappy,’sayssisterIsolde.Acoupleofglasspanelsofthecabinethadtobreakbeforetheleatherballwasreplacedbyonemadefromfoam.‘Heplayedandplayeduntilhefellasleepexhaustedunderthediningtable.’UlrichRathlaughs.

In the town’ssportshall,bluematshad toserveasgoals in lieuof therealthing.Rathhadintroducedaweekly‘sportshour’forboysintheseventies.‘Wewere doing gymnastics but the boys alwayswanted to play football,’ he says.JürgenKlopp,nicknamed‘Klopple’(littleKlopp),wasoftensentforwardtoaskHerrRathonbehalfofhisfriends.‘Jürgenwasadecenttennisplayer,butinhisheadhewasalwaysafootballer.Hewasquick,dynamicandexplosive.Hehadtokickeveryball,evenifoneortwoflewwideandhighoverthegoal.Headingwashisspeciality.Forafewgames,Iplayedhimasasweeperbutthatwasn’thisposition.Attackwashiscalling.’

‘Itwastotallyidyllic,’KlopptoldSWRin2005.‘Therewereonlyfiveorsixboys[ofourage]inthatlittlevillage,andwewerethefootballteam,thetennisteamandtheskiteam.Itwaswonderful,Ihadagreatchildhood.’

Jürgenfoundgoingtoschooleasy.Atleastintheliteralsense.HeonlyhadtocrossthestreetfromhisfamilyhometogettoGlatten’sprimaryschool.Forthirdandfourthgrade,theRathbrothersandhimtookabussouthtothevillageofNeuneck. Local legend had it that therewas an illegal brothel there at thetime, run privately in the back room of a pub. All attempts by the curiousschoolboystofindthatsecretiveplaceofruralsinprovedfutile,however.

‘Jürgenwasnotaguytobe100percentpunctual,butyoucouldrelyonhim1000percentasamate,’saysHartmutRath,thegodfatherofKlopp’ssonMarc,born in1988.When theboysweren’tkickingaball around, theybuiltmodelsandsolvedpuzzles.Klopphadan‘artystreak’,headds.‘Hehadahugeinterestin culture, and listened to many records and tapes of Kabarett artists.’ Hisfavourite was Fips Asmussen, a one-hundred-jokes-a-minute comedian whose

earlyworkwasmorepoliticalandsatirical(andnodoubtfunnier,too).‘Jürgenwasageniusintellingjokes,hemadeeveryoneinclasslaugh.Hewasextremelypopular,thelifeandsouloftheclassroom,’HartmutRathsays.

JürgenKlopphascredited‘Hardy’forhelpinghimpasshisAbitur(Alevels).Thatmightbepushingthetruthalittlebit,butHartmutadmitsthathisfriend–whoexcelledinlanguagesandsportsbutwasratherlessproficientinsciences–didbenefitfromsittingnexttohiminclassduringexams.‘Copyingwaseasierin thosedays,’ theyoungerof theRathbrothers laughs.Theybothwent to theProGymnasium(grammarschool) inDorfstettenandsharedaclassroomfromeighth grade onwards.Klopp had been in a classwith IngoRath the first twoyears but went on ‘a lap of honour’–repeating a year, in German schoolkidparlance–ontheadviceofhisteachers.‘Schoolwasn’tthemostimportantthingtohim,’HartmutRathsmiles.‘Hewasmoreintofootballandgirls.’Buthewasa good kid, somebodywho respected his teachers and rarely got into trouble.‘Hardy’ estimates that the two of themwere only given detention a couple oftimesperyear.

Othertransgressionscamewiththeirown,swift,punishment.Agedfourteen,Kloppandhis friends tookpart in anopen football tournament.Entrantsweresupposed to be at least sixteen but, as one of the organisers, Norbert Klopplookedtheotherway.Theboysplayedbadlybutstilltookhomethefirstprize–abottleofwhisky–whenthevictorioussidedidn’tshowatthewinner’sceremony.Jürgen and the Raths imbibed their ill-gotten spoils outside the marquee andcamehomefeelingmuchtheworseforwear.

The‘Klopple’monikerwassoonditchedfor‘DerLange’,thelongone,ashestartedtoweringoverclassandteammates.Aftertenthgrade,HardyandKloppwent to theEduard-SprangerWirtschaftsgymnasiuminFreudenstadt topreparefortheirAbitur.Jürgenhadascooterfromtheageoffifteen,thendroveacoupleof 2CVs–‘Ente’, duck, Germans called it–one of which was the colour ofBordeaux red.RobertMongiatti,oneofNorbertKlopp’sbest friends, servicedthecaroutsidethefamilyresidence.Jürgenlater inheritedabrightyellowVWGolffromsisterStefanie.

A school friend often invited classmembers to study in a secluded gardenshed.Thecurriculumwasn’talwaysstrictlyadheredto,byanymeans.InRath’sbasementandNorbertKlopp’sgarage,theteenagersthrewparties,playingspinthebottle.Ifsomebody’sparentswereaway,bedroomsweremadeavailabletocouples.Althoughdetailsaresketchy,Frenchkissingwasveryprobablyonthesyllabus:Klopp’sclasswenttothecityofPort-sur-Saôneonaschoolexchange,

speaking exclusively French for two weeks. The boys enjoyed their time inBurgundysomuchtheyreturnedforacampingholidaythefollowingsummer.

‘Jürgenwas the leader as far as social activitieswere concerned,’HartmutRathsays.‘Hewasoutgoing,hewaspartoftheschool’stheatregroup.Hewasinterestedinloadsofdifferentthings,peopleusedtosayhehadaneyeforthebigger picture.’ There were often heated political discussions between Jürgenandhismoreconservativelymindedfather.

In 1998, threeweeks before his planned retirement,NorbertKlopp fell ill.Canceroftheliver.Doctorsgavehimthreeweekstothreemonthstolive.Thediagnosiscameasatotalshocktothefamily.Norberthadledahealthy,sportylife.Hedidn’tsmoke.‘Thecancerwon’tgetme,’hevowed.Heresolvedtostayupbeat and found encouragement in Lance Armstrong’s book on beatingtesticularcancer.Thechildrentookhimtomanydifferentclinics.Hisliverwassurgicallyremoved,frozenandre-implanted.Helivedforovertwomoreyears,determinedtoenjoyeverysingleday.‘Histraditionalviewofmenandwomenchanged,hewasmoreunderstandingofmyrebelliousstreakandmyquest forfreedom,’ IsoldeReichsays.Shortlybeforehisdeath in2000,aweakNorbertpushedhimself to the limitandbeyond tooncemoreplaya tennismatchwiththe club. His testimonial. His victory. The Klopps found solace in Norbertfulfillinghisverylastwish.

Forthelasttwoweeksofhislife,thefamilytookhimhometoGlatten.Thetwosisterswerebyhisside,takingturnstoholdhishanddayandnight.Jürgensuffered a lot, Isolde says, being unable to be with his father as much as hewanteddue tohisplayingcommitmentswithMainz.HecamehomeonenightafteragameandspentthenightinNorbert’sroom,thendroveofftotrainwith05,havingsleptverylittle.

‘Itwas the first great fortune ofmy life to do exactlywhatmy father hadwantedtodo,’JürgenKloppsaidlater.‘Ilivethelifehehaddreamtabout.Anyotherjob[forme]wouldhavecausedfriction,Ithink.Myfatherwouldn’thaveunderstood if I wanted to become–let’s say–a florist. He wouldn’t have said:“No problem, I’ll buy the first bouquet.” No, he would have thought I wascrazy.’

AfterNorbert’sdeathJürgenwantedanswers,buteventuallydeterminedthat‘somebodyuptheresurelyhadaplan’.ThesadnessKloppfeelsabouthisfatherhavingnot lived longenoughtowitnesshissuccessasacoach is temperedbyhisreligiousoutlook.‘I’mprettycertain–orIatleastbelieveverystrongly–thathecanseeme,lookingdowninarelaxedmanner,’hesaid.

Beingconstantlytoldtodobetteronthepitch,onthecourt,onthepiste,wasperhapsnotayoungboy’sideaofpaternaldevotion.Fortyyearslater,however,Jürgen Klopp has certainly come to realise that spending all those weekendspushinghissonfurtheralonganinfinitelydemandingscalewasNorbert’s‘wayofbeingaffectionate’.Forafather’sloveisnotmeasuredinwords,norkisses,butintime.

6.WOLFGANGFRANK:THEMASTER

‘Our father was brutally self-disciplined, some might say he was a littleobsessed,’ says Benjamin Frank, thirty-six, sitting alongside his older brotherSebastian,thirty-nine,overalunchofpastaandbittersweetmemoriesinaMainzhotel.

TheFranksworkasagentsandasscouts forJürgenKlopp’sLiverpoolFC.Beforethat,theywereconsultingforLeicesterCity,thesurprisePremierLeaguechampionsof2015–16.TheygrewupinGlarus,aslow-pacedSwissvalleytownof 12,000 people who revered their father Wolfgang as a hero. The formerBundesliga striker (215 games, 89 goals for VfB Stuttgart, EintrachtBraunschweig, Borussia Dortmund and 1. FC Nürnberg) had taken localminnowsFCGlarus toNationalligaB, theSwiss seconddivision, for the firsttimeintheirhistoryasplayer-managerin1988.

Frank senior, the brothers recall, saw no difference between being a coachandbeingafather.Bothrolescamedowntothesamething:adutytoeducate.‘Hewas a freak, in a positive sense,’ says Sebastian–an immensely ambitiousmanforwhomfootballwasn’tjustgamesandtactics,buteverything.Aschooloflife.

Duringhis lastseasonasapro,WolfgangFrankhadqualifiedasa teacher,specialising in sport and religion.Both subjects instilled in him thebelief thatthere was ‘no such thing as coincidence, that everything–injuries, defeats–happenedforareason,’BenjaminFranksays.Hewasconsumedwithpassingonthatone,centralarticleoffaithtoanyonewhowouldlisten.

Theyoungboyshad togoonregularenduranceruns through iceandsnowaround the town.A few years later inGreece, on one of the very few familyholidaysWolfgang’sbusyscheduleallowed,theteenagebrotherswokeupat5a.m. every day for a run along the beach, followed by breakfastwith vitaminpills.Thenasecondsessionwithweightsbeforelunch.

Lateatnightorearlyinthemorning,thefaxmachineintheirhomeinGlaruswould start bleeping. Frank was sending through pages with motivationalphrasesandadvice,or intricate trainingschedules,pairedwithbestwishesandgreetings, from hundreds of kilometres away, at one of the fifteen clubs hecoachedduringhiscareer.‘Everytimewehadaprobleminschoolorinsport,alongfaxwouldarrive,cheeringusupandshowingusthathehadthoughtlongandhardabouttheproblem,fromadistance,inhisownway,’saysBenjamin.

As a player,Wolfgang had been fascinated by the playing style of ArrigoSacchi’sACMilan,a teamthatdominatedEuropeanfootball in the late1980sandearlyninetiesthankstotheirrevolutionarycollectivetactics,asynchronicityofmovementthatsuffocatedopponentsbydeprivingthemofspaceandtime.Hewouldstudytheplayers’unifiedmanoeuvresonvideos late into thenight,andalsomullovertheimportanceofregeneration,nutritionandmentaltrainingatatimewhensuchtopicswereconsideredesotericinGermany.InSwitzerland,bycontrast,alackoffundsandthemuchsmallerplayerpoolhadfacilitatedamoreopen-minded approach. Zonal marking, a system that replaced the defendingteam’s focuson theopposition forwardswith aprimaryconcern todefend thespace in front of goal and attack the ball, had been adopted as early as 1986,under the auspices of Swiss national coach Daniel Jeandupeux. Internationalsbroughtknowledgeofthesystembacktotheirclubs,wheresomecontinuedtowork on it of their own volition, as former defender Andy Egli recalled.Jeandupeux,Eglibelieved,hadfirstencounteredtheplayingstyleasaproandcoachinFrance.

Frankunderstoodthattacticalinnovationcouldbeasmallclub’sweaponintheir battle with bigger and better sides; that the right ideas could markedlyincreasethequalityofyourownperformances.

Hismiraculous successwithFCGlarus sawhim appointed at FCAarau, aprovincial first division side that had experienced unexpected triumphsthemselvesundertheguidanceofGermancoachOttmarHitzfeld.Hitzfeld,whowouldgoontowintheChampionsLeaguewithBorussiaDortmundandBayernMunich, had done sowell at the unfashionable club that his side had becomeknown as ‘FC Wunder’ in the media in 1985. They were runners-up in theleagueandwontheSwissCup.

Frank, too, tookAarauall theway to theSwissCup final, inhis firsthalf-season in charge (1989–90) but the miracle ran short. The Argovians werebeaten2-1byHitzfeld’sGrasshoppersZürich inBerne;Frankdeparted ayearlater.Hesubsequently failed tomakeamark inpositionsat relegationbattlers

FCWettingen (1991–92) and second division FCWinterthur (1992–93). (ThekeyplayerandcaptainatWinterthur,incidentally,wasaveteranGermanstrikercalled Joachim Löw. The Germany manager, then in his early thirties, oncestoodupinthedressingroomtodefendtheteamagainstFrank’scriticism.Löwalso tried his hand at fashion: he sold novelty ties out of his car boot toWinterthurteammates.)

At last Frank got a chance, of sorts, to prove himself back in his homecountry, in January 1994. Rot-Weiss Essen, a well-supported second divisionsidefromGermany’s industrialandfootballheartland, theRuhr,neededanewmanager after Jürgen Röber had been poached by VfB Stuttgart during thewinter break. However, before he’d even taken charge at Georg-Melches-Stadion, Frank and his team had been doomed to relegation. TheGerman FAhad withdrawn the club’s professional licence in the wake of financialirregularities.Ontopofthat,Frankhadadressing-roomrevoltonhishandsonhisfirstdayinthejob:captainIngoPickenäckerandhisdeputyFrankKurthhadresigned in protest as they had not been consulted about Röber’s successordespiteapromisefromtheboard.

RWEwere hopeful theGerman FAmight show some leniency on appeal.The club’s astute lawyer, Reinhard Rauball (now president of BorussiaDortmund), unearthedmany proceduralmistakes on the behalf of the footballauthority. Sensationally, Frank’s men won the DFB Pokal semi-final againstTennisBorussia(2-0)inMarchtoreachthecupfinalinBerlin,buttheenforceddroptodivisionthreewasconfirmedbyanarbitrationpanelafewdayslater.Alloftheirgoalsandpointswerechalkedoff.

InMay35,000EssensupporterstravelledtotheGermancapitalinamoodofdefiance.ThereweremanybannersdecryingtheunfairnessoftheGermanFA’sdecision. ‘If there’s justice in theheavens,wewillwin,’ saidFrank.Downonthe Olympic stadium pitch, however, odds-on favourites Werder Bremen,coachedbyOttoRehhagel,wereindifferenttotheprospectofdivineretribution.Thenortherners,whohadliftedtheCupWinners’Cupcourtesyofa2-0defeatof Arsène Wenger’s AS Monaco two years earlier, ran out easy winners inBerlin.Finalscore:3-1.

Decadeslater,itemergedthatanuglypoliticalintriguehadplayeditspartinthe defeat. RWE’s Frank Kontny still hesitates to reveal a story he calls the‘darkestmomentofmyplayingcareer’.The52-year-oldwascaptainatthetimeanddestinedtostartthefinalindefence.‘Butonthemorningofthegame,FranktoldmethatIwasoutof thesquad,andthatIhadtofindanewemployer ifI

wanted to play again,’ he says. ‘Myworld came crashing down that day.Thegreatest-evergamewastakenawayfromme.’

LikemostRWEplayers,Kontnywasworkingpart-timeawayfromfootballto support his family during the club’s insolvency. Board memberWolfgangThulius had arranged a job for him as a property agent. After the club hadreachedtheDFBPokalfinalinMarch,newpeoplehadcomeinandwoncontrolof theboard.TheyseemedtoputpressureonFranktocutall tieswith theoldregime.Kontny:‘IwasonthewrongsideofthedivideandunfortunatelyFranktook a decision that had no basis in football.’ InKontny’s place, themanagerstartedPickenäcker,who had suffered a serious groin injury just a fewweeksbeforeandwasn’tquite ready.Pickenäckerwasat fault forWerder’s first twogoalsandwassubbedoffsevenminutesbeforehalf-time.Essenralliedafterthebreak, pulled one back through Daoud Bangoura but Wynton Rufer securedWerder’s 3-1 win with a late penalty. ‘I’m convinced it would have been adifferent gamewithmeon the pitch,’ saysKontnywith a heavyheart. ‘IwasverydisappointedinFrank,Icursedhim.Hewasagoodcoach–healwayssaidwehad tokeep learningandexpandourhorizons, training sessions lasted twohours–butIthinktodayhewouldrecognisethathemadeabigmistake.’

Threeweeksafterthefinal,Rot-WeisstravelledtoMainzforthepenultimategameoftheseason.AtumultuousmatchatBruchwegstadion(attendance:3,000)with three red cards, two for the away team, ended with a ninetieth-minuteequaliser by 05midfielder ZeljkoBuvac thatmade it 1-1 andmathematicallyconfirmedthehomeside’ssafetyfromrelegation.

In September 1995, perennial strugglersMainzwere once again bottom ofthe table in Bundesliga 2 and on the lookout for a new man on the bench.GeneralmanagerChristianHeidelcontactedFrank.‘Thelast-strawman,’Rhein-Zeitungcalledhim.

‘Hecameandsaidalotofthingsthatsoundedveryniceandlovely,’Heidelsayswithplayfulirony.‘Hehadthedemeanourofateacher.I’malwayscarefulwithteachertypes,they’resometimesnoteasytodealwith.Butafterawhile,Isaid:“Okay,whydon’tyoudoit.”Inhindsight,thatwasamomentousdayforMainz05.I’dliketotellyouthatIknewstraightawaythathewasagoodcoach.Butthetruthis,nobodyelsewantedtocoachus.’

The team were impressed by training methods they perceived as ‘quitesophisticated’(Heidel),buttheykeptlosingtheirgamesregardless.Mainzwentintothewinterbreakastheworstteaminthedivision,withtwelvepointsontheboard,fiveadriftofsafety.Heidel:‘Kickermagazinewrote:“Mainz’schanceof

relegation:100percent.”Not99percent,100percent.I’llneverforgetthat.’FrankknockedonHeidel’sdoor. ‘Hesaid:“Wehave tomakeachange.” I

thought,yes,youcansaythatagain.Hetoldmehehadthoughtthingsthroughanddecidedthatwewouldgointothewintertrainingcampandplaywithoutasweeperinfuture.Isaidtomyself:“What?Hecan’tbeserious.”’

Aprofessionalfootballteamwithoutaliberoorsweeper,a‘lastman’behindthedefence,waslargelyinconceivableinmid-ninetiesGermany.Theclubsandthe national team had won all their big trophies with a libero since FranzBeckenbauer’sheydayinthe1970s.‘Weallbelievedthatyouneededsomebodyasasafeguardincasetheoppositiongotbehindyourlines,’saysHeidel.‘Howcouldyougetridofthesweeper?Impossible.Ihadplayedasasweepermyself,soitfelttomeasifhewasattemptingtogetridofmeaswell,inaway.’

FormerGermany internationalHansBongartzhademployedaversionof asweeper-lessflatbackfourasearlyas1986at1.FCKaiserslautern–hehadbeeninspiredbyadefeatat thehandsofSven-GöranEriksson’s tacticallyahead-of-the-curve team IFK Göteborg in the 1982 UEFA Cup semi-final–but hadn’tmade a lasting impression in the German top flight with his innovation. Aspresident at FC Bayern, Beckenbauer expressly forbade Erich Ribbeck fromcontinuinghis(admittedlyratheramateurish)experimentswithfouratthebackin 1993–94. A few weeks after Frank’s appointment atMainz, national teammanagerBertiVogts toldSwiss tabloidBlick that a systemwithout a sweeperwas‘fundamentallydestructive’andthusnotdestinedtofindacceptanceintheBundesliga.

Heidel:‘Ithoughtwe’dbealaughingstock,Iwasveryfatalistic.Duringthetraining camp, I vowed that I would take a closer look. There were all thesepoles on the pitch.And the players thought “this guy has lost hismind”. Forhours,theyranaroundwithouttheball,theypractisedmovingfromsidetosidein formation. Today, it’s obvious that one flank is left open as the back fourmove towards the sideof thepitchwhere theball is.Butwhenweplayed thefirst game at home that way, the whole stadium was shouting at us. Anopposition strikerwas by himself all theway to the left but thewhole of ourteamwasontheright.Nobodyrealisedthenthattheballcouldn’tgettotheleftthatquickly,thatthedefencehadenoughtimetoshiftbackover.Ball-orientatedzonalmarking,thatwascalled,anditwasacompletelynewthinginGermany.Witchcraft,basically.Sowetrainedand trainedand trained.AndIwascertainwe’dgetrelegated.’

Inthemidnineties,practicesessionsessentiallycameintwoflavours.There

waswork(lotsofrunning),andtherewasfun(playing).Exercisesincollectivemovement or theoretical study were unheard of. Frank, by contrast, was‘possessedbytactics’.Heidelsays.‘Ihadneverseenanythinglikethatbefore.’Thecoachspenthourswatchingfootball,especiallyItalianfootball.AndSacchiwasstillhisidol.‘Heshowedusallofhismatchesonvideotapes,Iwasalwaysthere.“Ageneralmanagerhastobethere,”Franksaid.SoIhadtowatchallthatcrap, too.Therewasnoeditingthen.Hewouldpausethepicture,rewind,playandrewindagain,forhoursonend.HewascrazyforSacchi’stactics.’

Frank also travelled to Italy to see themaster’s training in person. ‘Sacchididn’ttakehimseriously,buthewasallowedtowatchfromthesidelines,’saysHeidel.‘That’swherehegothisideasfrom.Weweren’tnearlyasadvancedinGermany.’

In sports science professor Dr Dieter Augustin from Mainz University,locatedashortwalkfromthestadium,Frankhadmetafellowfootballtheorist.Augustin preferred acutely structured positional play to FSV’s verticality butdifferencesintastenotwithstanding,theybothagreedthatplayersneededvisualaides to further their footballing education. Students from Augustin’s coursewereaskedtoputtogethershortvideoclipsofMainzandtheiropponentstohelpwithmatchpreparation.Asimplebutoriginal idea:German teamshadneitherthestaffnor theknowhowtoworkwithvideoanalysts then.Oneof theyoungsports scientists who volunteered for the experiment was Peter Krawietz. HewouldlaterbecomeMainzchiefscoutandKlopp’strustedassistant.

‘Frank’svideosessionsat7.30inthemorningweremuchfeared,’former05player Torsten Lieberknecht said. ‘We sat on these garden chairs made fromsteel in a tiny room and had breakfast, while Wolfgang Frank was pushingbuttonsonthevideoplayer.Ittookforever.’

Frankalsofoundinspirationfromhisplayingdays.AyearatAZofAlkmaarintheDutchEredivisiein1973–74hadseenhimmarvelatAjax’stotalfootball.Upon his return toGermany, the slender forward nicknamed ‘Floh’ (flea) hadreunited with his former Stuttgart coach Branco Zebec at newly promotedEintrachtBraunschweig.Zebec,aYugoslavianwhohad ledBayernMunich totheir first-ever Bundesliga title in 1969 with a punishing fitness regime andstrong tactical discipline, was the first manager to experiment with zonalmarking in the German top flight in the mid-seventies. Everybody was stillstrictly man-marking then. ‘We no longer stupidly ran after our [individual]opponentsunderZebec,hewasaheadofhistime,’Franklaterrecalled.

Twenty-one years later, Mainz were craving similarly futuristic impulses.

‘Wewerepracticallydeadasa teamduring thewinterbreak,’MainzdefenderKlopp told Süddeutsche Zeitung in 1999. ‘We were open for new ideas. Wewouldhaveevenclimbedupatreefifteentimesforthepromiseofsomepointsin return.’Frankestimated that it took150hoursof theoretical trainingbeforethe new system was internalised. Instead of the usual fun-packed trainingGermanproswereaccustomedto, theyspententiredayswithout theball. ‘Butwethought:ifGullitandVanBastenhadtolearnthatatMilan,wecouldputupwith it as well,’ Klopp later said in an interview alongside his mentor withFrankfurterRundschauin2007.‘Youhavetorealisehowcourageousthatwas.In football, it takes a long time to put new things into place. Wolfgangintroducedfourat thebackin themiddleofaragingrelegationbattle.Wehadbasicallybeeninthejunglebeforehecame.Wehadchasedaftereveryoneinanopposition shirt.’ Frank, he remembered thinking,might aswell have told theteam ‘to take an exam in quantum physics for all we knew about four at theback.’

‘The football atMainz had been quite conservative, but something had tohappen.Thetimewasripeforit,’Frankexplained.Theteam,Heidelsays,werenotentirelyconvincedfromthestart.‘Theydidn’tknowwhatwashappeningtothem.All this running aroundwithout theball.To the left, to the right.FrankexplainedtomeovermanyhoursinanItalianrestaurant thatonefewerguyatthebackwouldmeanwehadanextraguyinmidfield.AndIwouldsay:“Yes,butwhat if oneguy just runs straight throughongoal?”Thenhe said: “Therewon’tbeanyonerunningthrough,theremustn’tbe.”Upfront,wewerepressing,to force theopposition intoplaying longballs.At thebackwehadgiants likeKlopp,1.93m,whowonalltheheaders.Thatwasournewgame.That’showweleftthetrainingcamp.’

Afirstfriendlywiththenewset-uppittedthemagainst thirddivision1.FCSaarbrücken,‘a“moneyteam”wholedtheirleaguebymilesandwerecertaintogoup,’Heidelremembers.‘ItwasinFrauenlautern,neartheFrenchborder,andIwasprettysurewe’dconcede fivegoals.Butathalf-time,wewere6-0up. Ithought I was dreaming. They had their best XI out but no idea how to playagainstus.Theywerecompletelyoverwhelmed.Thatwasthebirth…therebirthofMainz05andthebirthofthebackfour[intheseconddivision].Wewerethefirst to play it this way, in conjunction with a ball-orientated, zonalmarking.Ralf Rangnick [at Ulm] and Uwe Rapolder [at Waldhof Mannheim] cameafterwards.’

FormerMainzdefenderJürgenKramnyplayedforSaarbrückeninthatgame.

‘IwastherewhenMainz’sfouratthebackcameintolife,’hesays.‘WewereaprettydecentsideinthethirddivisionandMainzwereupagainstrelegationinBundesliga 2. But we had no chance. They killed us. They played us off thepark.’

JürgenKlopp, PeterNeustädter,MichaelMüller andUwe Stöverwere thefourdefenders thatday. ‘Itworkedsowell thatwedidn’tchangeatall for thenexteighteenmonths,’Kloppsaid.

Frankdescribedhis tacticsasa sophisticatedversionofchildren’s football:‘Everybody had to go where the ball was. The aim was to create numericalsuperioritytowintheball,thentosprawlout,likeafistthatopens.’ThesenovelmethodsturnedMainzintothebestteamoftheBundesliga2Rückrunde(secondhalfoftheseason).Theywonthirty-twopoints,morethananyotherteaminthetop two divisions. ‘It was nuts, unheard of in German professional football,’Heidelsmiles.

ForKlopp,itwas‘anepiphany:Irealisedthatoursystemmadeusbeatteamsthat had better players. He made our results independent of our talent, to anextent.Upuntilthen,wethoughtthatastheworseteam,wewouldlose.Frank’sgreat strengthwas to have a concisematch plan.’ Itwaswidely accepted thathardworkor‘wantingitmore’thanyouropponentcouldmakeup,alittle,forinferior quality. But a collective concept, based on the utilisation of space?NobodyinGermanyhadthoughtitpossiblethatitcouldmakesuchadifference.‘I fell in lovewith tactics for the first time,’Heidel says. ‘Suddenlywecouldbeatteamsthatwereindividuallybetterthanus,simplybecausewehadanideathatworked.’The teampractised ‘until they passed out’, he adds. ‘Eventuallyeverybodygotit.Today,it’scommonplacetohavesmart,adaptableplayers,butbackthen,youneededafewheadswhocouldleadtheothers.Kloppo,ofcourse,wasthetacticalheadoftheteam,evenifhisgamedidn’tlooklikethat.Hereliedonhispower,onhisemotions,onhisphysicalityasaplayer,hewasn’toneforplayingnicestuff.Buthewastheteam’sbrain.’

‘AtMainz, I came into contactwith tactics for the first time,’ said formerFSVmidfielder ChristianHock, who had played at Eintracht Frankfurt in hisyouth and for Borussia Mönchengladbach’s first team. ‘Tactics were nevercoached at Borussia. It took a long time to learn the system, it was veryunfamiliar:youhadtowatchtheballandthemenatthesametime,constantly.Years later,when Iwas doingmy coaching badges,many former players hadreal problems understanding the back four theoretically. Thanks toWolfgangFrank,Iwasalreadyveryusedtoit.’

‘Wolfgang’saimwasalwaysforusplayerstolearnnewthings,’Kloppsaid.‘Wewerenotjustsupposedtomeetuptoplayabitoffootballattheweekend.Ofcoursewesometimescomplainedwhenwespentfourhoursonshapeworkon the pitch but we always understood why we were doing that.’ KlopprememberedFranktellinglocaljournalistsnottowritetoomuchaboutthebackfour because he knew hewould have a lot of explaining to do in the case ofdefeats.Thebreakwithtraditionwasviewedwithplentyofsuspicion.

Despite the marked upswing in results, the disastrous opening half of the1995–96campaignhadleftsurvivalstillingravedoubtaheadofthelastgameoftheseason,athometoVfLBochum.Mainzhadtowin.

TVreporterMartinQuastrememberscoveringthegame:‘Therewere12,000people at theBruchweg, nearly sold out at the time.MarcoWeißhaupt scoredearlyon.Eighty-threeincrediblytenseminuteslater,Mainzweresafe.Everyonewent wild celebrating with their hands in the air but Wolfgang Frank had aserious face on andwalked up and down, like a caged tiger. He didn’t knowwhattodo.Thesituationwastotallyalientohim.Thousandswerepartyinglikethere’s no tomorrow.AndWolfgang Frank staggered around the pitch, totallywithdrawn,asifsomebodywascontrollinghimremotely.’

‘Everyone celebrated butmy fatherwas totally exhausted, unable to say asingleword and suffering froma terrible headache,’SebastianFrank says.Hehadleftitalloutthere.WolfgangFrankwasoneofthosecoacheswho’ddo100miles an hour stuck in neutral gear on the sideline, ablaze on the inside butunable tofindanoutlet forall thatenergy. ‘Hedidn’twant tobe thecentreofattention,’Sebastiansays,‘bathinginadulationwasnothisthing.’

‘Thenext season,we all stayed together.Andnooneknewhow to handleus,’Heidel reminisces. ‘For the first time inMainz’shistory,wewereallofasuddenchallengingforpromotiontotheBundesliga.’‘Noone’severtakenthisclubseriously,they’vebeenmaroonedinno-man’s-landforyears,’SüddeutscheZeitungwroteinOctober1996.‘Butnow,theyaretheonlyteamintheseconddivisionwhoplay (andunderstand) fourat theback.’The self-styled ‘carnivalclub’suddenlycommandedrespectandadmirationforitsradicalways.‘We’vesuddenlybeengrippedbyeuphoria,’05presidentHaraldStrutzwasquotedassaying.Thewholecitystirredwithexcitementasneverbefore.

And05keptonwinning.Frank’s teamwent into the1996–97winterbreaksecond in the table, only behind Otto Rehhagel’s 1. FC Kaiserslautern, whowouldclaimtheMeisterschaftayearlater.

YetforFrank,progresscouldn’tcomequicklyenough.Atthesametimeas

he had introduced the fundamental changes to the team’s tactics, in January1996,hehadsurprisedtheboardwithdemandsforabigger,modernisedstadiumandbettertrainingfacilities.TheBruchwegstadionhadonlyjusthadfloodlightsandanelectronicscoreboardinstalledafewmonthsearlier.

‘He taught us that we needed to have “a vision” if we wanted to achievethings,thatwasdecisive,’saysStrutz.‘Heaskedusstraightup:“DoyouwanttoplayintheBundesligaoneday?”I’mnotsureanyonehadreallythoughtaboutthatherebefore.WewerestillbottomofBundesliga2then.Frank’svisionwastorenovate theBruchweg–thename(literal translation:brokenpath)‘wasveryfittingthen’,Strutzconcedes–andhedemandedtheinstallationofaplungebathand a sauna, aswell as better pitches. ‘WolfgangFrankwas a unique person,very distinctive. A wonderful man. But overly intellectual, spiritualised. Hedrove theMainz board nuts with his demands to make success sustainable. Iremember he insisted on the plunge bath. All Mainz had at the time was agrubbybathtub,wherethekitmanwashedthebootssometimes.Afteragame,theteamcaptainwouldbeinthere,sonobodyelsecouldcooldown.Frankwasadamant.Newpitches,newchanging rooms, ‘thepress roomcan’tbehere, inthe centre of the building,where the players are,’ he said. Slow progresswasregressiontohim.Everythinghadtochangeatturbopace.’

The tinyVIP area in one of the containers that also housed administrationwasconvertedintoachill-outroomrepletewithloungersfortheplayerstouseduringtheweek; therewas talkofhiringofanutritionist. ‘Hewantedtoshowprospectiveplayers thatwehadthefacilities to train themwell.Thatwasveryimportanttohim,’Strutzsays.‘Andhewasalwayssurprisedthatthebulldozersdidn’tturnuptheverynextdaytostarttherenovations.’‘TheboardmusthavethoughtIwasbananas,’Frankadmittedyearslater.

In the club anthology Karneval am Bruchweg local football reportersReinhardRehberg andChristianKarnwrite that negotiationswith the stadiumowners, the Mainz city council, were fraught. The politicians didn’t see thejustification for spending serious money on a club that got only 3,000–5,000regularsthroughtheturnstiles.

Undeterredby suchniceties,Frankkeptpushing internallyuntilMainzhadfundinginplaceforamodeststadiumextension.‘Hewasnotaneasycoach,noraneasyperson,’saysStrutz.‘Hewasacomplicatedpersonalitytodealwith,forme as president of the club. He had so much drive. He wanted the club todeveloprapidly.’

In January 1997, the unlikely promotion contenders went to Cyprus to

prepareforthesecondhalfoftheseason.TheFrankbrotherswerethereaswell,asyouthplayers.‘Someoftheproswereintearslaughingatus,becausewehadto join in with the team’s core-stability exercises on the adjoining pitch,’Benjaminrecalls.‘Ourfathersaid,“Don’tworrywhatothersthink,justdoyourthing.”’ (Seven years later, German tabloids and battle-hardened punditslaughed, too,when JürgenKlinsmannhad the national teampractising similardrillsunder theauspicesofAmerican fitnesscoaches.Thoseexercisesbecamestandardpracticeatclublevelafterthe2006WorldCup.)

WhenreportsoffreshsnowfallinMainzreachedCyprusattheendofaten-day trainingcamp,Frankdecreed thatheand the teamshouldstay foranotherfortnight,totakeadvantageoftheperfecttrainingconditionsontheisland.Theplayerswere less thanpleased.Theywanted togethometo their families.Butthe club were so in thrall to the first coach that had ever brought them asemblanceofsuccessthattheybowedtohiseverywish.‘Weweresecondinthetable.Mainz05:second in the table,’Heidelexclaimsforeffect. ‘IfFrankhadsaid:tomorrow,thechurchtowershouldbeknockeddown,thenwewouldhavegoneupthereandknockedthechurchtowerdown.Wehadneverbeenatthetopbefore.Everythinghesaidwasimmediatelyputintopractice.’

After what must have been the longest training camp in the history ofGermanprofessionalfootball,MainzcamebackandlostthefirstgameathometoHerthaBSC1-0.Theyalsolost thesecondgame,3-0awaytoVfBLeipzig.Andthentheylosttheircoach.

Heidel: ‘I stayedbehind inLeipzigbecauseofanevent.Thenextday, I’msitting ina taxiandFrankcallsme.“Christian,”hesays,“I justwanted to tellyouthatyou’llhavetofindanewcoach.”SoI’mthinking,ah,forthesummer.Becausehiscontractwasupaftertheseason.Butthenitdawnedonmethathemeant now, straightaway. I flew back to Mainz, and four journalists werewaitingatthestadium.Thatwasalot,byourstandards.Hehadalreadytoldallofthemthathewasleaving.Justlikethat.’

Frank had spent the entire journey back from Leipzig brooding over thereasonsforthetwodefeats.Somehow,hehadconcludedthathehimselfwasthereason. Heidel describes Frank resigning as a Kurzschlussreaktion, a short-circuiting.NotevenJürgenKlopp, thecoach’sconfidant in thedressingroom,wasabletochangehismind.

Frank’s successor was a man called Reinhard Saftig. A seasoned,moustachioed operator with experience in the Bundesliga (Dortmund,Leverkusen)andTurkey(Kocaelispor,Galatasaray),asafepairofhands.Orso

Heidel thought. ‘Signing him truly was one of my finest hours,’ he winces.‘Saftigdidn’thavethefaintest idea.Ihavetobehonest.Hedidn’thaveaclueabout thegame.Of coursewedidn’t get promoted.Wemessedupon the lastdayoftheseason,inWolfsburg.Welost4-5there,soWolfsburgwentupinourplace.A legendary game,with a grandiose JürgenKlopp.’ Playing as a right-back,Kloppscoredagoalastheawayteambattledbackfrombeing3-1andonemandowntoequalisebutalsomadeacalamitousmistaketosealMainz’sdefeat.Thegamehadeffectivelybeenapromotionplay-off.

Frank,inthemeantime,hadmovedontocoachFKAustriaWien.Benjaminremembersbeinginthecarwithhisfatheronthewaytotheairport.‘Hehardlysaid anything. All he did was memorise the names of the Austria players byheart.Hewantedtoknowthemallaheadofthefirsttrainingsession.’

The Viennese side, a modest collection of journeymen that included theimpossiblyhirsuteBulgarianinternationalTrifonIvanov,wasasbewilderedbyFrank’s system as Saftig was at Mainz, where the team still believed in hispredecessor’ssystem.Attemptstoswitchbacktoathree-mandefencewiththenewlysignedKramnyasasweeperproveddisastrous.

Saftigapparentlylikedtakingnightcapswiththeplayersbeforegames.‘KeyfiguressuchasJürgenKloppfearedtheseinvitations.Saftigwasthirstyandhadstamina.’

After five months at the Bruchweg, Saftig was replaced by the AustrianDietmar Constantini. He had worked as an assistant to the legendary ErnstHappelandexplained tobemused local journalists thatMainz’spressinggamefollowed ‘the shape of a bagpipe’. In practice, that meant the introduction ofFrank’s back four, with an important difference: there was a sweeper behindthem, too, in Kramny. Heidel: ‘So we had four in a line in defence plus asweeperbehindthem.Kloppowasdriventodistractionbythat.Wealwayshadarelationshipbuilton trust.Hewouldcomeintomyofficeandsay:“Thecoachhasn’t got any idea of tactics. We can’t play like that. A back four with asweeper…”That’swhenIsensedhemightbecomeacoachhimselfoneday.’

Constantinididn’tlosemanygames.Buthedidn’twinmanyeither,onlyfourout of eighteen. ‘The king of draws,’ Allgemeine Zeitung proclaimed him.Constantini’s last game, a 3-1 home defeat to SG Wattenscheid 09 (withSouleymanSané, thefatherofGermanyinternationalLeroySané, inattack) inearlyApril1998,sawMainzslipintotherelegationzoneagain.‘Theguysthatcame after Frank didn’t trust in the back four,’ says Kramny. ‘They said theplayersweretooslowtoplaythatsystemandinsteadcameupwithallsortsof

crazy schemes. But the team didn’t buy into them, they fundamentally stillbelievedinFrank’sformation.That’swhynoneoftheothertacticsworkedforus.’

Constantini admitted to Heidel that he couldn’t connect with the dressingroom.TheMainzgeneralmanager swallowedhisprideandcalledon theonlycoachhecouldthinkofwhomightbeabletoreturntheteamtowinningways:Frank. His engagement at Vienna had run its course, both sides had alreadyagreed topartwaysat theendof the season.Aftergettingacall fromHeidel,whosweet-talkedhimuntil3a.m.,FranklefthispostimmediatelytoturnbacktheclockandsaveMainzfromthedropasecondtime.Hewonhisfirstgame2-1 away to Stuttgarter Kickers, thanks to a quick injection of hope. ‘This guyburns so brightly with excitement,’ Klopp told the cameras after the finalwhistle.‘Ifanyonecanringinthechangesafteronlythreedays,it’shim.’Mainzfinishedintenthposition.

Theteamwerehappilyplayingthesystemtheyweremostcomfortablewithagain.Havingrestoredthemtoaflatbackfourandzonalmarking,Frankshiftedhis focus to theconquestofanaltogetherdifferent space: theonebetween theplayers’ears.

‘Hemadeithismissiontoworkontheteam’smentalstrength,’Strutzsays.‘Hewentveryfarinthat,withtheintroductionofpsychologicalandautogenictraining,a typeof relaxation technique.Healsoemployedanautogeniccoach,who–aswelaterfoundout–wasaformertraindriver.Hehadchangedjobs.’

Strutz, a former triple-jumper and silver medalist in the Germanchampionshipsin1969and1970,feelshe’spartlytoblameforFrank’sjourneydowntherabbitholeoftheinnermind.‘Igavehimabookasagift,DieMachtderMotivation(thepowerofmotivation),byNikolausB.Enkelmann,thatIhadmyselfbeengivenasaChristmaspresent,becauseIthoughthemightlikeit.Buthe adopted that psychological approach to the extent that it changed his lifealtogether.Itwentasfarasbreathingexercisesandtherepetitionofmantras.Itgotveryesoteric.’

Frank’shomewas filledwithEnkelmann’sbooksandvideos,his sons say.Eachmorning, he’dwake up and conduct elocution lessons. Little noteswithautosuggestivephraseswere stuck to the bathroommirror: ‘Iwill get strongerand stronger every day,’ and such like. ‘Those who didn’t know him wellthought he was sometimes a little odd or cranky,’ Benjamin concedes. In thewinter training camp of 1998, again held in Cyprus, Mainz’s players wereinstructed in speech therapy, training their vocal cords by repeatedly shouting

out vowel sounds, much to the amusement of the Greuther Fürth team, whohappened to be at the same hotel and heard them scream out ‘aaaaaa’ and‘oooooo’ from the dining hall. Austrian goalkeeper Herbert Ilsanker oncenoticed that Frankwas conducting an interview in the team sauna. A strangeplace for it, he thought. But even stranger still, Frank sat in the sauna alone,interviewing himself–to practise the way he addressed the team. ‘His tone ofvoicewasnevermonotonous.Whenhespoke toyou,youwerealert,’ IlsankertoldAllgemeineZeitung.AndFrankspokealot.Teammeetingslastedanhouronaverage,andtheywerescheduledeverysingleday.‘Thingsgotalittleoutofhand, some thought,’Klopp said. ‘Playerswhohad left school relatively earlyweresuddenlyreadingbooksonthebuswithtitlesIdidn’tevencomprehend.’

Strutz:‘Ourprioritiesshiftedalittlebit.Frankwantedtoimprovetheplayersbygiving them that “personality stability”, hewanted to show them that therewas more to it than tactics and running, that you could beat your opponentthroughthepowerofthemind.’Later,atKickersOffenbach,Frankwouldplacea table-tennis ball on a bottleneck and asked his players to concentrate onflicking itawayinfull flight. ‘HowcanImaximisemymentalpotential?Thatwill be one of the decisive questions,’ he told Frankfurter Rundschau. (Fewbelieved him then, but many top coaches are today convinced that cognitivetrainingandworkon theshorteningof reaction times isvital ifplayers’mindsare to keep upwith an increasingly rapid game. ‘To get better translates intotaking things in more quickly, analysing them more quickly, deciding morequickly,actingmorequickly,’RalfRangnicksays.)

Hewasadisciplinarianbutalsoacommunicator,remembersSebastian,verydifferenttothemartinet-typecoachesdominatingthesportatthetime.‘Thewayhe dealtwith us playersmade us go:Ah, look here, there is a differentway,’KlopptoldFrankfurterRundschauin2007.‘Hewouldalsoputthehumanbeingcentrecircle.Wereallylikedhim.Whenwelost,wehadtwoproblems.Firstly,that we lost. Secondly, that we had disappointed Wolfgang. That was prettyimportanttous.Itwasremarkablehowhegotthewholeteambehindhim.’

Klopp and Frank sometimes argued, but they only once fell outwith eachother.Klopphadconfessedtothecoachduringanothertrainingcampthathefeltasifthecoachwas‘chuckingabucketofwateroveraglassthatwasalreadyfullandoverflowing’,andthatmanyplayersfeltthesameway.FrankwasinsultedandKloppworried about getting fired (‘I didn’t sleep all night’) but the nextday,thingscarriedonasnormal.‘ItalkedtoplayersthewayIwouldhavelikedcoachestotalktome,’Franksaidabouthismanagementstyle.

Perhaps he didn’t always hit the right note. ‘Frankwas amanwith a veryspecial character,’ says Strutz. ‘He could have been a fantastic coach if he’dbeenabitmorerelaxed.UnlikeJürgenKlopplater,hewassimplytooserious.Andhedidn’treallyunderstandthatyoungplayerssometimeswanttohavefunanddrinktheoddbeer,thattheydon’twanttobeboxedin.’

His sonspaint amorenuancedpicture.At home, they say,Frank couldbevery funny,verywarm.Buthedidn’t like the limelight;hewasn’t the typeofguywhoclimbs the fence in frontof thehomesection. ‘My father,’SebastianFrank says, ‘lost himself in the lifeofbeing a football coach. I’mnot sureheknewthepriceofabreadroll.Hesometimesfoundithardtodealwithnormallife.Hisworkingdaysstartedatseveninthemorningwithbreakfastattheclubandfinishedaftermidnight.Dadpushedhimselftotheverylimit;hewantedtodemonstratethatlevelofcommitmenttohisplayers.’

Frankcollectedanythingheconsideredusefulforhisjob.Hecutoutarticles,archived his training regime and schedule in big files. ‘He soaked upeverything,’saysBenjaminFrank.Likemanyobsessives,hefounditimpossibletodelegate.Hewanted totalcontrolorat leastneededtoknoweverything thatwenton,downtothelastdetail.Often, there’dbeargumentsathome,becausehe had again given his winning bonus, which was meant to supplement hismodestwages, to the groundsman or somebody else at the club, insisting thattheywerejustasimportantasthestrikersordefenders.Frankregardedafootballclubasonelargeorganism,notacompanymadeupofdifferentdepartmentsthathadlittletodowitheachother.

Hisemotionsasacoachweredirectedinwards.Once,hegotsodisappointedand angry that hemoved all the furniture out of his office at the club.Mainzpretended to everybody they were renovating and re-painting the room. ThereasonforFrank’sangerhadnothingtodowithanargumentwithclubofficialsortheplayers.No,histeamhadlostacupgame.AwaytoBayernMunich.‘Thatwashim,’SebastianFranknods.‘HewascertainthatlittleoldMainzcouldwininMunichiftheyplayedattheirverylimitandperhapscaughtBayernonabadday.’(Klopp,incidentally,hadwatchedthe3-0defeatattheOlympicstadiuminthestands,havingbeensentoffinthepreviousroundforscythingdownHerthaBSC’s Iranian strikerAliDaei. After the defender’s dismissal, anotherMainzplayer,MarcioRodriguez,wasshowntheredcardforanexcessivegoal-scoringcelebration. The Brazilian didn’t notice that Klopp was in the toilets in thedressing room and accidentally locked his teammate in once the match wasover.)

With Frank in charge, 05 once again overachieved in relation to theirminusculebudget.Theyfinishedseventhin1998–99andninthayearlater.Butthe man who had ‘woken Mainz from their deep slumber’, as SüddeutscheZeitungyears lateracknowledged,wasagain impatient.Hewanted tocoach intheBundesliga, and believed thatMSVDuisburg, theZebras, offered a betterchance to earnhis stripes at thehighest level.But themove to the traditional,mid-sizedclubfromtheRuhrareabackfired.FrankwasaxedfourmonthsintothenextBundesliga2season,withtheteamhoveringnear therelegationzone.‘Hismethodsweremetwithrejectionbylargepartsoftheteamfromthestart,’Rhein-Post noted.He had, amongst other things, instructed his players to hugtreesduringanendurancerunthroughthewoods.

His next stint, at SpVgg Unterhaching, was more successful–he led theformer top-flight side,based ina suburbofMunich, from the thirddivision toBundesliga2–butwassackedayearlater.AcampaignwithSSCFarulConstantainRomaniaprovedanotherdeadend.Therollcallofhissubsequentemployersreadslikeawho’swhooflower-divisionbasketcasesandclubsthatspecialisedin racking up thwarted dreams and false dawns in lieu of points: FC SachsenLeipzig (now defunct), Kickers Offenbach, Wuppertaler SV, SV WehenWiesbaden,FCCarlZeissJena,KASEupen(Belgium).Itdidn’treallyworkoutforhimatanyofthem.

Franklateradmittedthathehadperhapstakenonafewtoomanyclubsinhiscareer.‘Itwouldhavebeenmuchbetterforhimtowaitfortherightoffer.Buttobe out of a job, not able to put everything he had into hiswork, scared him,’Sebastian Frank says. ‘There was also the fear of getting forgotten andoverlookedifheweretostayofftheradarfortoolong.Ourfatheroftenthoughtabout what could have happened, where the journey could have taken him.’Once,Werder Bremen had contacted him, but Frank had been sure hewouldfind happiness in Austria at the time. The same happened again with HansaRostockacoupleofyearslater.

‘Ourfatherhadahugeknowledgebaseandvisionaryideas,’BenjaminFrankadds. ‘He came across as confident, but also secretly doubted himself all thetime,asfarashisworkandhiseffectontheteamwasconcerned.Asacoach,heremainedunfulfilled.’

‘He never quite made it into the big time because he was a difficultcharacter,’Heidel says. ‘Iwas theonlyonehegot alongwith.Wewerequiteclose,untilwefelloutverybadly.Afterheleftusthesecondtime,forDuisburg,we didn’t talk to each other for two years. He always thought he could find

somethingbetter.’Butneitherpartydid.Attheturnofthemillennium,Frank’sgroundbreaking

system was still so advanced by the standards of German football thatsubsequentMainzcoacheshadlittle ideahowtomakeitwork.‘Tactically, thesidewerebetterthantheircoaches,’Kloppsaid.Thenationalteamandthevastmajorityofclubsideswerestillfirmlyweddedtoasweepersystem.Heidel:‘AtMainz,half theplayersknewhow toplaywith fourat theback,and theotherhalf didn’t. And the coaches had no clue.We put anyone on the bench whohappenedtohaveatracksuitinhiswardrobe.ButnoonewasabletoexplaintotheplayerswhattheyhadalreadybeentaughtbyWolfgang.Wewerebasicallydead in thewinter of 2001. Finished. I said toKloppo: ‘You’re smart, you’reeloquent, you understand the game. Do you want to see if you can make itwork?’Withintwoweeks,hehaditsorted.’

Klopp and Frank had had long discussions about football and the art ofcoaching,Benjamin Frank says. ‘Klopp always asked questions, hewanted toknowthepurposeofspecificdrills.Dadadvisedhimtowriteeverythingdown:team talks, tactics, training sessions, playing ideas.Hehad a sense thatKloppwould make good use of it one day. Our father was certainly the inspirationbehindhimturningintoamanager.’

Onthedayofthelankydefender’spromotiontoplayer-coach,MainzbecamethefirstclubofnoteinGermanytoputthecartbeforethehorse.StartingwithKlopp,coacheswouldnowbepickedtofitthesquadandacertainplayingstyle,not theotherwayaround.‘Wedon’twantacoachthatexplainshisconcept tous,wewanttoformulateaconceptandthenfindtherightmanforthat,’Heidelsays. ‘Thatbecame thewaywedid things,until I left in2016.And itallgoesback to that firstyearwithWolfgangFrank,our firstyearofany success.Weunderstood then that tactics could get us somewhere, even with individuallyinferiorplayers.It’slikethatatMainztoday.’

What’sprudent forFSV,headds, shouldalsobe right formore financiallypotent sides. ‘You can’t change your whole set-up and team every time youchangecoach,you’llneverfindstabilitythatway.’HenamechecksHamburgerSV,giantsoftheBundesligaintheseventiesandeighties,who’vebeenstuckinarutduetoalackofjoined-upthinking.

Likeanother restless,highly-strungprophetbeforehim,Frankwasallowedonlyglimpsesofthepromisedland:impatiencebarredhisadmission,too.Buthewasatleastabletowitnesshispeople–hisprotégéJürgenKlopp,andahostofother former players such as Joachim Löw, Torsten Lieberknecht, Jürgen

Kramny, Peter Neustädter, Christian Hock, Stephan Kuhnert, Lars Schmidt,Sandro Schwarz, SvenDemandt and Uwe Stöver–help bring German footballtacticsinfromthewildernessascoaches.

‘Hewouldtellus,“whenyou’veallbecomemanagers,pleasecomebackandtellme about your heroic deeds,”’ Klopp said. On the day of the ChampionsLeague final inMay2013, theBVBcoach sent his old friend a textmessage:‘Without you, I wouldn’t be here today, in London atWembley.’ Klopp alsokeptintouchwiththesons,invitingthemtovisitDortmund’ssummertrainingcampsatBadRagaz,Austria.

Frank’s most prominent apprentice, along with another Swabian tactics-obsessive,RalfRangnick,wentontoestablishTheFlea’smaverickblueprintofzonal marking, a back four and hard pressing as the new orthodoxy in theBundesligainthemidtolatenoughties.Butittookanotherfewyearsbeforethescale of Frank’s impact was more widely appreciated. ‘When great thingshappen, the rewardsoftencome too late,’Kloppsaida fewdaysafterFrank’sdeath on 7 September 2013. He had been diagnosed with a malignant braintumouronlyfourmonthsearlier.

FrankhadworkedasanoppositionscoutforMainzinthelastyearofhislife.Hehadlookedafterhimself,beencarefultoeatwell.Boththediagnosisandthespeedwithwhichthecancertookhimcameasahugeshocktoeverybody.‘Oneweek before he had surgery,when itwas already quite clear that hewouldn’tlivemuch longer,he toldmeagain that leavingMainzhadbeen theonegravemistakeofhislife,’Heidelsays.‘Itwasveryhardtodealwithhisdeath…’

‘Butmaybeitwasmeanttobethathegotsick,’Sebastianwonders.Hissonswerewithhimuntiltheend.Mainz05supportershonouredFrankwithatributeahead of the Bundesliga game against Schalke 04 a few days after his death.‘Mainz ist deins’, Mainz is yours, read the banner. Plenty of coaches wintrophies,butonlyafewcanmakeaclubandacitytheirown.Fewerstillleavebehindalegacythatfaroutlaststheirtimeonthebench.

‘There is not a single person in football atMainzwho’s not 100 per centconvinced that everything startedwithWolfgangFrank,’Klopp said about hisLehrmeister,histeacherandrolemodel.

KloppalsomadesuremanyformerplayerscametopaytheirrespectsatthefuneralatMainz’smaincemeteryon19September.‘Everyoneshowedup,’saysMartin Quast. ‘Players from the clubs he coached, representatives from theGerman FA, from the Bundesliga, from the coaching academy. I getgoosebumpsthinkingaboutit.Mostpeoplehavenoidea.Butthosewhoworkin

football,theinsiders,theyallknow.TheyknowthatWolfgangFrankdidn’tjusthave a huge hand in the development of football in Mainz but on modernfootball. Fundamentally. He thought about things no one had ever thoughtabout.’

‘YouwereaBundesligacoach,even ifyoudidn’twork there,’Kloppsaid,holdingbackthetears.‘IhavetoldmorethanathousandplayersthatWolfganginfluencedawholegenerationoffootballersandstillcontinuestodoso.Hewasthecoachwhohasinfluencedmemost.Hewasanextraordinaryhumanbeing.’

Quast has knownKlopp for twenty-five years but Frank’s funeral was thefirst time his friendwas struggling forwords. ‘He spoke, of course, but he’llprobably say that was his toughest job ever. Giving a eulogy for his greatmentor.Igotthesensethatthiswasn’tjustafarewell:manyturneduptopickupa spiritual message, or to deliver one. It was more than a funeral. It was arecognition.’

It’s through the work of Klopp, Frank’s most studious disciple, that thepivotal importance of this introverted, complicated man in the renaissance ofGermanfootballhassincebeenmorewidelyrealised.There’snogreaterhonouranapprenticecanbestowonhismaster.

7.‘SCHÖNENGUTENTAG.HIERISTJÜRGENKLOPP.’

Dortmund2008–2010

Strangely enough, there’s no German equivalent for ‘sell the sizzle, not thesausage’.Butthat’stheclassicmarketingtrickBorussiaemployedinJune2008,themonth after JürgenKlopp signed his contract. Sixweeks before any ballswouldbekicked,hugeposterswithJürgenKlopp’sheadwentupnexttotheB1Schnellstraße that runspast theSignal IdunaParkand through thecity’smoregenteelsouthernquarters.Hisfacewasthemessage,apromise:thenewmaninthe driving seatwould transform the ‘sleeper carriage football’ (Tagesspiegel)fromthepastfewseasonsintoaroaring,rumblingexpresstrain.

‘Dortmundweren’t stupid,’ says former press officer Josef Schneck over aglassofmineralwater inabusinesshotelashortwalkfromtheBVBstadium.‘Theyusedhim topush the saleof season tickets.And theywent through theroof. People were camping outside the club offices the night before.’Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Freddie Röckenhaus, one of two reporters who hadrevealed theshocking levelsofdebtand financialmismanagement in theearlynoughties,comparestheposterstoelectionadvertising.‘Theymighthavesaid:“VoteMerkel”.Buttheysaid:“VoteKlopp!”Peopledid.’Dortmundhadtocapsalesat49,300toensurethatafewthousandday-ticketswerekeptavailableforemployeesandfanclubs.

From the outset, says Schneck, Klopp was happy to talk to anybody: ‘Hewantedtomeetwiththeultrasandwithfanclubrepresentativestogetthemonboard.’Jan-HenrikGruszecki,oneofthefoundingmembersofBVBultragroupTheUnity, remembers being distinctly underwhelmed by his club’s choice ofmanager at thebeginning. ‘We thoughtMainz, that “LaLa” club, always in agoodmood–notcool.Kloppwasoneof thefacesof the2006WorldCup–alsonot cool. Andwhat had he done as a coach?Not a lot.Wewere worried hewouldn’tbeabletoarresttheslide.Thefootballwasdull.Therewasnomoney.AkiWatzkehadtogeteverytransferover€500,000signedoff.Wewerewellonourwaytobecominganothingmid-tableteam.ButKlopp…Idon’tthinkI’ve

everbeensoimpressedwithsomebodyinmylife.Wetaughthimhowtoplay“Schotten”,acardgame,andhetalkedtous.ItwascrystalclearthatKloppandhiswifeUlla,who’dcomewithhim,were100percentcommittedtoBorussia.Theywantedtoknoweverythingabouttheclubanditspeople.Hetoldushowexcitedhewastogetgoing,andthatwehadahugeroletoplayasthetwelfthorthirteenthman,thatwehadtodevelopthisfeelingof“we”.Hehadus,fromthatmomenton.Nocoachhadeverdoneallofthat.’

Schneck: ‘When somebody in marketing told Klopp that a few corporatecustomershadgivenuptheirVIPseats,hesaidhewouldcallthemtoseeiftheychanged their mind. He went into the office, picked up the phone and said:“Schönen guten Tag, hier ist Jürgen Klopp. I am the new coach of BorussiaDortmund.I’vebeentoldyouwanttocancelyourtickets.Don’tyouthinkyoushouldreconsider?”Someofthemweresogobsmacked,theysaid:“Okay,we’llthinkitover.”Hereeledthembackin.Canyouimagineanyothercoachdoingthat?ThatwasJürgen.Hestoleeverybody’shearts.’

‘We’vehadsuccessfulcoachesatDortmundwhowerealsoclassactsintheirdealingswithpeoplebefore,’saysFritzLünschermann,abespectacled,cheerful,bear-likeman in his early sixties, who has been looking after the first-team’sorganisationalneedsas ‘teammanager’ since1988. ‘OttmarHitzfeld,MatthiasSammer.ButJürgenKloppisunrivalled.Hehadthewholestaffeatingoutofhishand,by treating themseriouslyandvaluing theirefforts. Jürgenaskedpeoplehow they felt, if theyhadanyproblemsand soon. I remember Iwaswearingverycolourfulshirtsatthetime.Jürgenwentuptomeandsaid:“Ey,listen,areyoualwayswearingsuchwallpaper?”Isaid:“I’llhavetoseeifI’vegotanythingelseinmycupboard.”AndthenIputthosewallpapershirtsinthebin.Ilistenedtohisadvice.Youcouldn’tbeupsetwithhim.’

Hisfreelanceworkasapersonalstylistaside,Kloppusedthesummerbreakto immerse himself in the club’s traditions and heritage. Lünschermann, ‘awalking lexicon’ (Schneck), explained to him the importance of the ‘DreiAlfredos’, the attacking trio of Alfred ‘Ady’ Preißler, Alfred Kelbassa andAlfredNiepieklowhowon back-to-back championships in themid 1950s.Heand Klopp immediately hit it off, Lünschermann says. ‘He is a guy alwayshavingfun,andI’mofapositivedisposition,too.Ihadtocoordinatethefootballschedule with him for the season but there was anothermatter in those earlyweeks.Everyyear,ourCouncilofElders,madeupofformerplayersandlong-standingmembers,havetheirsummerparty.IsaidtoJürgen:“Itwouldbegoodif you came.” They all gathered in a restaurant in Wickede and were

straightawaysmittenwithJürgen.Hesatdownwitheveryoneand talked toalltheseelderlygentlemenandtheirwives,whodidn’thaveaclueaboutfootball.Buthemadethemfeelappreciatedandtooktheirconcernsseriously.Hestayedmuchlongerthanheinitiallyplanned,afewhours,andleftalastingimpressiononthatgeneration.Theywillstillsaytoday:“Jürgenwasaone-off.”’Legendaryplayers such as Aki Schmidt and Hoppy Kurrat loved Klopp, Schneck adds.‘Othercoachestreatedthesemeetingslikeanunwelcomechore.Jürgen,ontheother hand, acknowledged that the club wouldn’t be there without them. Hisinterestwasgenuine.Hetreasuredthehistory.’

Kloppwonover theclubevenwhenhe lost,and lostbadly.Onastaffdayyearslater,employeeswereputintomixedgroupstocompeteinphysicalgamesandaquiz.Schneck:‘IwasinagroupwithJürgen,agroundsmanandawomanfromaccounts.Therewasanegg-and-spoonrace,youhadtoshootongoal,thatsortofthing.AndtherewerequestionsaboutDortmund’shistory.Weweresurewewereintheleadbutinfactwecamelast.Everybodyelsewascheering!Aslosers,wehadtowashtheteambus.YoucoulddothesethingswithJürgen.Hewasthere,hewasapproachable.Youfelt:thisistheperfectfit.’

Klopp’s force of personality, he recounts, smashed through the barriersbetweenworkandprivatelife.‘Oneday,Imentionedinpassingtohimthatmymumwouldsoon turnninety,and that shewasstillverysharp.Klopp replied:“Shouldn’tIcomeandcongratulateher?”Thatwouldbeadream,ofcourse,butIdidn’ttakehimseriouslyatfirst.Inevermentioneditagain.Butafewweekslaterhe askedme: “Tellme, isn’t it herbirthday soon?Pleasewritedown theaddress,I’llcomeandvisit.”Andthenherangthedoorbell.Theyhadcoffeeandcake,andalltheguestswhocametothepartycouldn’tbelievethatKloppwassittingthere,chattingwithmymum.Tohim,itwasthemostnaturalthing.’

Thepre-seasonstartedwithatrainingcampinDonaueschingen,intheBlackForest,andacanoe ridedowna river. ‘Thatwas the first thingwedid,allgettogether and have a good time,’ Dortmund defender Neven Subotić says.‘Kloppo is the kind of guy who leans over and flips somebody else’s canoe.That’swhenthefunstarts.Youknow,aha,thisisnotabouthimshowingwho’sbossandusdoingaseriousrace.Idon’tthinkKloppeverthinks:“HowcanIbefunny?”Itcomesnaturallytohim.’

‘Jürgen is a born entertainer. Straightaway he had this huge presence, thisaura,inDonaueschingen,’Watzkesays.‘Theteamwentwithhimimmediately.’Theydidn’thavemuchchoice,ofcourse.‘Heknewwhathewanted,therewasonly one way for him,’ says Subotić. ‘His strategy was basically to run the

opponentsintotheground.That’snotforeveryone.Somethought:“Ijustwantto play. Give me the ball.” Especially some of the older, more experiencedplayers,theyhadtheirownviews.Winningthemovertosuchanintensewayofplayingwasachallengehemasteredreallywell,Ithink.Itwasanewsituationforhim,becauseatMainzhehadhada teamthatwasput together toplayhisway.AtDortmund,hehadtofindoutwhowaswithhimandwhowasn’t.’

Sebastian Kehl, twenty-eight at the time, was appointed captain by Kloppduringthetrainingcamp.Kehlmakesthepointthatgettingtheplayerstoruninpre-season was only half the job. The new system, a radical departure fromBorussia’s methodical, possession-based game under Doll and Van Marwijk,needednotjustmorerunningbutadifferentwayofthinkingaboutfootball.

‘Kloppworkedtirelesslytoimplanthisphilosophyinourheads,’Kehlsays.‘I remember that he calledme duringmy holidays to talk at length about hisideasandconcepts.Itwasacompletelynewpathweventuredon.’SomesmallerBundesliga sides, notably Klopp’s Mainz, had played such an extreme stylebefore. But there was an unspoken consensus that better teams, with morequality,didn’thave toworkandthinkashard.‘Tactics is forbadplayers,’ theformer VfB Stuttgart and FC Bayern manager Felix Magath had memorablyproclaimedacoupleofyearsearlier.

Klopp’s brand of pressing and Gegenpressing necessitated both strongtheoreticalunderpinningsandaselflessattitude.Thegroundworkfortheformerwaslaidvia‘many,manyvideosessions’(Kehl).Someoftheclipscamefromother leagues and clubs, including Barcelona, but the analysis centred onDortmund’s games. Klopp drew arrows on the screen, outlining where theplayersshouldbe,ormoveto,tooverloadthezoneneartheball.Kehl:‘Allofthatwascombinedwithincrediblyintenseworkonthetrainingpitch,withmanystops, corrections,movingacross. It’sgood to lookatvideos,butyouhave tofeel it on the pitch. You have to get a sense for the right moment, begin tounderstand the game in a new way. You have to switch between attack anddefencemuch quicker, you have to adapt to a different impulse in your head.Thesethingswon’thappenovernight.’

A holdingmidfielder,Kehlwas used to protecting the defence and calmlydistributingtheballtotheplayersaheadofhim.Effectively,hefunctionedasahuman speed bump. But Klopp’s way was the highway, Autobahn football.Kehl’s game had to changemore than others’ to adjust to the acceleration allaround him. Instead of instantly falling back into his own half as soon asBorussialosttheballupfield,heandhisteammateswereaskedtofloodforward,

in an effort towin the ball back immediately. ‘Other coaches said: “Let themhave theball in theirownhalf.We’llonlyattackonce theyget closer,”’Kehlsays.‘Jürgen’s instructionswere topressandmoveupinunisonifwelost theball in their half, or if they turned their backonus.Wealso laid trapson thepitch,bynotgoingfor thefirstballoutandmakingsure theopponentsplayedinto an area where we wanted it to be, to the flanks, for example, where wecoulddoubleup.Thatwasthematchplan,pairedwithafirmwillingnesstorunandtoleratepain.“Evenifitlooksstupid”:thatwasoneofhismottos.Ifthefirstguypressedandmissed,thenextonehadtobereadytojoinin.Itwasvery,verywild running [towards theball]. “Wild”wasoneof thewordsKloppused.Hewantedtomakeitawildgame,toposeproblemsfortheopponentsandputtheminto difficult situations.Many players in the Bundesliga were used to calmlycontrollingtheballandthencomingupwithagoodidea.Withtimeandspace,allplayersaregoodbutifyoustepontheirtoesassoonastheygettheball,eventhe best ones struggle. If you double-or triple-up on them, it’s even moredifficult.’

Subotić was used to the drill from two previous seasons under Klopp atMainzbutatDortmundthecoachhadtogobacktothebasics.‘Theteamwasmuch better but the system was completely new for them. There were manysessions that really weren’t much fun. Klopp explaining things while twentyguysarestandingaround.Ortactical,synchronisedrunning.Nofunatall.Butitwasimportant.Intime,Zeljko[Buvac]gotinvolvedmoreandmore.He’sverysilent outside the training ground–nobody asks the assistant, do they?–but hestruck up a super relationshipwith the players.He played footballwith us aswell.Thatearnedhimalotofrespect.Theplayerssaw:“Ah,hecanplay.”’

ThesamecouldsoonbesaidofBVB’snewdefensivepartnershipofSubotićandBayernMunichloaneeMatsHummels,bothnineteen.DubbedKinderriegelbyBild–besttranslatedas‘childlock’–thetwountriedteenagers(atBundesligalevel) were picked ahead of the far more experienced Croatian internationalRobertKovacˇ,totheastonishmentofmanyexperts.Themake-upoftheBVBdefencebecameyoungerstillwhencrowdfavouriteleft-backDédérupturedhiscruciate ligament in the first game of the season, a 3-2 win at Bayer 04Leverkusen. Klopp had described the Brazilian as ‘the best player I’ve everworked with’ to a friend only two weeks earlier, and he was devastated.Fortunately, twenty-year-old Marcel Schmelzer, a product of BVB’s youthsystem, turned out to be a more than able replacement. ‘He was a machine,’KlopptoldFliggeandFliggeinEchteLiebe.

‘None of the four centre-backs in the squadwere confirmed starters at theoutset, that very much worked in my and Neven’s favour,’ says Hummels,who’dbeendeemed surplus to requirementsby ‘theother Jürgen’–Klinsmann,the new coach at FC Bayern. ‘We quickly managed to put ourselves intocontention,andJürgencouldseethatwehadgoodpersonalities.Wewereonlynineteen,yes,butKloppfullytrustedus,perhapsbecausehesawthatwewerementally a bit further on than your regular nineteen-year-olds, due to ourbackgrounds.’ Hummels had been a supremely confident star performer atacademylevelforBayern,whereasSubotić’spersonalstorywasreflectedbyanair of determination andmaturity.A child of Bosnian Serb refugeeswho hadmoved from the Black Forest to the US to avoid deportation, he had joinedMainz as a seventeen-year-old from the University of South Florida in thesummerof2006.(HeandFSVstrikerConorCaseysharedthesameagent,SteveKelly.Kellyhadarrangedfortheteenager’ssuccessfultrial.)

Asaformerdefender,onemighthaveexpected thecoach tomicro-managetheyoungduo.ButtoHummels’mildsurprise,Kloppwasopenabouthisownlimitations with his protégés. ‘He said: “I have never played at your level,thereforeIwillneverpretendtoyouthatIknoweverything.ButIwillalwaystry to help you.”’ The obvious lack of experience in the back four,Hummelsadds, was mitigated by a strategy that shifted a huge part of the defensiveresponsibilities40metresfurtherforward,ontothestrikersandmidfielders.‘Theopponentswererarelyabletoplayouttheballwithoutpressure,thatledtomanylongballsthatlackedprecisionanddirection.Thosepasses,playedunderduress,oftenwenttoofaroroutoftouch.Itwaseasiertoplayforusattheback.Itwasnewbuthugelyenjoyable.Weweresoyoungthatwehadn’tyetdevelopedourown routine, we could totally devote ourselves to that way of playing.’ It allcamedowntotheamountofpressurethatcouldbeapplied‘againsttheball’,asKloppwouldstress tohisplayersoverandoveragain.A tracksuitmissionary,preachinggospeltothetacticallyunbaptised.

Notallearsweresympathetictohisdogma.CroatianstrikerMladenPetric´,theleadinggoal-scorerofthepreviousseason(thirteengoals)andarguablythesquad’smost talentedplayer, found ithard toaccept thenewregime.Thedayafter the Leverkusen match, he was sold to Hamburger SV in a €5m part-exchange deal that brought one of Klopp’s old Mainz favourites, EgyptianMohamedZidan,totheSignalIdunaPark.

Klopp’smove to get rid of thewidely popular Petric´was interpreted as ahigh-riskmanoeuvre,apowerplaybyahard-nosedcoacheagertolaydownthe

law.ButWatzke implies that therewere firmfinancialandfootballing reasonsthat made the transfer advisable from the club’s perspective as well. ‘We allwanted it,’ he says, grimacing a little as the hotel lobby saxophonist shufflesclosertohissofa.‘JürgenwaskeentogetZidanin,thatwaskey.Andtheoffer[fromHamburg]wasgood.Petric´and[Alexander]Freididn’treallyfitwellupfront.’ Frei, a Swiss centre-forward and orthodox poacher, wasn’t a naturalKloppplayer,either,butBorussiafelt thathecouldcombinewellenoughwiththemoremercurialZidanbehindhim.ThepartnershipofFrei andPetric´, theelegantshadowstriker,wouldnothaveproducedtherequiredwork-rate.

‘The strategy was to play all-action football with Gegenpressing,’ saysWatzke. ‘They were very good players, but not the right ones for that.’Dortmund’s high-pressing game worked even better as a consequence. ‘Youcouldquicklyseethattheteamwasmorestableattheback,’WatzkesaysaboutanencouragingstarttothecampaignthatbroughtawinintheSupercupagainstBayern(2-1),awinintheDFBPokal(3-1vRWEssen)andsevenpointsfromthefirstthreeleaguegames.‘Jürgenbroughtadefensivebalancetotheside,andtheGegenpressing was his trademark. Today, everyone’s at it, more or less.Backthen,youcouldseefromtheveryfirstdaythatsomethingwashappening.Butwehonestlydidn’tthinkitwouldgetthatbig.’

As destiny would have it, Klopp’s fourth Bundesliga appointment withDortmundwasthemostimportantgameoftheseason:theRevierderbyathometodespisedneighboursSchalke04.TheBlues–Dortmundsupportersneverusetheirrivals’officialname–were3-0upaftersixty-sixminutes.Borussia’syoungteam looked totally out of their depth, Schalke’s players were arrogantlystruttingaround thepitch in theknowledge that the fortressSignal IdunaParkhad fallen.KevinKuranyi had nearlymade it 4-0, hitting the crossbarwith aheaderfromcloserange.Kloppwashorrified.‘[Mywife]Ullasatinthestandsand thought about packing our suitcases,’ he said later. But, somehow, theimpossiblehappened.RiledbyS04’sover-confidence,Subotićscoredagoalthatsetfiretothestadium.Boththevisitors’andreferee’scontroloverproceedingsmeltedawayinthefurnace.SubstituteAlexFreiscoredfromanoffsideposition.In theeighty-ninthminuteof thegame,Dortmundwereawardedanextremelydubiouspenalty.Kloppcouldn’tbeartowatch.HeturnedhisbacktoFrei,whocalmly stepped up and converted: 3-3. ‘Possibly one of the best derbies of alltime,’FrankfurterRundschaucheered.‘Anepic,worthyofa1000-pagenovel.A resurrection.’ ‘If it stinks of sweat here, that’s me,’ a relieved, exhausted,overwhelmedKlopp said in the press conference. ‘The gamewas so thrilling.

I’veseenwinsthathaven’tfeltthisgood.’Dortmund’sbeststarttoacampaignin five years got the whole city excited. ‘Everywhere we went, people weregivingus thumbsup, Ihadneverseenanything like it in tenyears in the job,’saysSchneck. ‘Ifyouaskmehowhemanaged towakeup the sleepinggiant:with a kiss. And an attitude that chimed with the Ruhr area. That’s him. Hedidn’tgoonacourse,hedidn’taskanyonehowthepeopleherewere.Hesensedit, instinctively, andbehaved in away that connectedwith them.Hegot themgoing. People kept asking: “Are you sure you don’t have any ancestors fromhere?Agrandfatherwhoworked in theminesor in the steel factories?”Theywerecertainhewasoneofthem.NoonecouldbelievehehailedfromtheBlackForest,thathewasSwabian.Hehimselfdidn’tseehimselfthatway.Healwayssaid: “I knew very early on that I had to leave. I couldn’t imagine myselfsweepingthedrivewaytomakesuremyneighboursawmeandsaid:Ahgood,he’sswepthisdriveway.”Heneverhad thatkindof small-mindedattitude theSwabiansareknownfor. It’shisopenness.Heapproachespeople.My lord, inthebeginning,hefulfilledeverysupporter’swish.Ifsomebodywantedhimtogosomewhereandsayhello,hewentthere.Ineverfeltasifhewasdoingthatinacalculatedway.Hesimplyisthatkindofguy:helikespeople.IbelieveIonceheardhimsay:“Acoachwhodoesn’tlovehisplayerscan’tbeagoodcoach.”’Bild punditMarioBasler hailedKlopp as ‘thewhiteBarackObama’.Both

had ‘an excessive amount of intelligence and know-how’, the former BayernMunich midfielder wrote, ‘both are bearers of hope, both are idols. AtDortmund, they’re so fired-up that him cleaning his glasses on the bench in asemi-competentmannerbringsoutthecheersonthesouthstand.’

Kloppwarnedthathewas‘notamessiah,onlyacoach’,andthatitwastooearlytocontemplateDortmundgettingintothetopthirdofthetable:‘Ifwewillbe able to show commitment and readiness to battle for ninety minutes,somethingmightgrowhere.’

His scepticismwasvindicated,muchmore thanhewouldhavewished for,whenDortmundcrashedtoa2-0homedefeatagainstUdineseinthefirstroundoftheUEFACup.(TheyhadqualifiedforthecompetitionbyreachingtheDFBPokalfinalunderpredecessorThomasDoll.)BVB’sfirstgameinEuropeinfiveyears revealed how far the young team and their roughcast tactics still had totraveltocompetewiththeelite.TheItalians,unfazedbythehurly-burly,coollybypassedDortmund’spressinggameandhitthemhardonthebreak.‘I’veneverseena teamIwasinvolvedwithplaythisbadly, itwasembarrassinginparts,’Klopp said, shaking his head in disgust. Two early, enforced, substitutions–

Zidan andHummels both got injured–had only heightened the confusion. Thehosts had been ‘helpless like a beachedwhale’,Gazzetta dello Sport reportedgleefully.Worstofall,themannerofthelossraisedquestionsabouttheclub’stransferpolicy. ‘Is thissquad,put togetherby[sportingdirector]MichaelZorcover the years, good enough to play top-level football in the long run?’Süddeutschewondered.

Those questions only got bigger in thewakeof a 4-1 defeat against newlypromotedHoffenheim,theseason’ssurprisetitlecontenders.‘Itwasadrubbing,’says Watzke. Ralf Rangnick’s men were playing a very similar style toDortmund’s,onlymuchbetter.‘Thatwassystematicfootball,thewayitshouldbe,’Kloppconceded.‘Weneedtogetwheretheyarenow.Tacticalbehaviourisnotlikeridingabike,unfortunately.Youhavetopractise,againandagain.’

Re-programming the team’s operating system simply took time, Subotićstresses. ‘Three v three or five v five, it’s quite easy. But during the game,you’retiredandyousaytoyourself:“DoIreallyhavetopressagain?”Thenyoupressandtheguysimplylaysofftheballbecauseyourteammatehasn’tpressedwithyouandit’sallawaste.Gettingusedtothatwasn’teasy.It’smentallyandphysically very demanding. You were used to running 105km per game as ateam.Suddenly,youwereupto115km,andthetargetwastohit120kmormore.Klopp knew that couldn’t happen overnight. He knew everybody had playedtwenty years of football and never been asked towork to such a plan before.Morework,andmoretime,wastheanswer.’

If the early weeks were shaped by an Aufbruchsstimmung–a sense ofdeparture,toagloriousblack-and-yellowfuture–Dortmundhadsuddenlyarrivedataveryunwanteddestinationintheautumn.Thiswascrisisterritory,adeeplytroubling concoction of a leaky defence–(‘a shooting gallery’, Süddeutschesneered), a half-baked concept and a coach struggling to find the best startingXI.Therewere sixchanges in the line-up forHoffenheim,andanother six forthe subsequent cup game against Hertha BSC that Klopp could not afford tolose.‘Theseareblackdays,ablackweek,’helamented.

‘Youcanbethenicestguyasamanagerbuteverythingdependsonsuccess,’Schnecksays,raisinganeyebrow.Subotićhintsthatconfidenceinthedressingroomin thenewcoachandhiswayswasfragile in thatperiod.‘Iknewhim,Itrustedhim,’hesays,‘butforeveryteam,it’sreallyimportanttoseethatallthestuff theguy in frontofyou isgoingonabout actuallyworks.Theymight allreallylikehim.Buthismethodsworkingisthemostimportantbenchmark.’

‘Hehadtotalkpeopleround,itdidn’tallcomeoffondayone,’saysKehl.

‘Wehad some difficultmoments at the beginning, thinking: “How’s that evergoingtowork?”Therewerediscussions.Nevertheless,hemadeitclearfromthefirstminute that therewasonlyhiswayof playingbecausehewas absolutelyconvinceditwastherightway.’

AgainstBerlin, raw luck came toKlopp’s rescue.Dortmund scraped a 2-1win in extra-time, playing a slightly more defensive diamond in midfield toprovideanextralayerofsecurity.Nextup,VfBStuttgartweretrounced3-0atthe Mercedes Benz-Arena, with Borussia showing just how good their well-executedmatchplancouldbe.

‘Bynow,theverylastpersoninDortmundshouldhaverealisedthatwe’reontherightpath,’WatzkesaidafterthesecondlegagainstUdinese.Histeamhadlostthematchonpenalties,havingwon2-0attheStadioFriuliinregulartime.Butthequalityandcourageoftheperformancehadmadethisaknockoutoftheinversekind:itputtheteamfirmlyontheirfeet.Dortmund’sprogressunderthenewman in charge had become self-evident. Dismissed by some asmerely amotivationalcoach,shadow-boxing,jumpingupanddownonthetouchlinelikeahyperactivesix-year-oldatDisneylandonasugarrush,Kloppshowedthathecouldn’tjustreadagame.Hecouldwriteone,too.

Kloppalsowonoverthelocalpresscorpsbyinterveningontheirbehalfinanaltercationthatnight.Stewardsinthestadiumhadblockedthejournalists’accesstotheBVBplayersafterthefinalwhistle,untiltheDortmundcoachpersonallymuscledinandclearedapath.OneoftheItalianscursedKlopp,shoutingcazzoathim–politetranslation:prick–buthejustsmiled,and,ahem,stoodtall.‘Nottoworry–Idon’tspeakItalian,’hesaid.

Dortmund went on to lose just once more before Christmas–againstHamburgerSV,ateamthatwouldinexplicablybecomeKlopp’sbêtenoireintheBundesliga–and hibernated during the winter break in sixth spot, ahead ofSchalke.Theimprovementwasreal.

‘We all know thatmoney gets you goals in football,’ saysNorbertDickel,perchedonawobblyplastictableoutsideahole-in-the-wallcaféinMarbellainJanuary 2017. Across the road, inside the red-bricked Estadio Municipal deMarbella,Dortmund’s first team is training this evening. ‘Butwe didn’t havemoney then. Itwas a divine blessing to get Jürgen in. The teamwe had thenstartedplayingreallywellinthatfirstyear,weallsawthat.Thewholestyleofplaying changed. Leaving aside the fact that we underwent an incredibledevelopmentintermsofourfootball,Jürgenalsoensuredthatthepopularityoftheclub rosebeyondbelief.Simplybecausehewas there, twenty-fourhoursa

day,bringingpeopletogether.Henevercomplainedaboutplayersbeinginjuredor sick. He’d say: ‘We have enough good players.’ He wasn’t a moaner; hethoughttherewasnopointworryingaboutthingsyoucouldn’tinfluence.Weallsensed that things were moving forward, towards a point where you couldbelieveinsuccess.’Lünschermann:‘Itwasatransformation.Wehadseenplentyof games that had been rather unwatchable. Suddenly, these young guysweredashing about like hares, going after every ball. They started combining, too,afterawhile.Itwassuperb.Allofussaid:“Ohboy,thiscouldturnintoanera.”Anditdid–intoanunforgettableone.That’shisdoing.’

ThefirsthalfofKlopp’sdebutBundesligaseasoninNorthRhine-WestphaliahadBVBsittingprettywithsevenwins,eightdrawsandtwodefeats.Analmostidentical record (eightwins, sevendraws, threedefeats)after thewinterbreak,despiteaseriousankleinjuryforHummelsandapoorstarttothecalendaryear,steered the team towards UEFA Cup qualification. Klopp’s contract wasprematurelyextendeduntil2012.‘NotonepersonintheclubwasagainstJürgenKlopp,everybodysupportedthedecision,’WatzkedeclaredthatMarch.

The team missed out on Europe, however, in classic, painfully dramaticKlopp style: in the last minute on the final day of the season. Fifth-placedHamburgerSV,2-0downtoEintrachtFrankfurtafteranhour,ralliedtowin3-2,thanks to aPiotrTrochowski goal scored fromanoffsideposition.Dortmund,whohaddrawntheirmatch1-1attheotherBorussia(fromMönchengladbach),wereleftempty-handed.Missingoutonthe5to7millioneurostheclubcouldhave made in the re-branded Europa League group stage left a hole in thebudget.

‘There’llbealittlelessmoney,’Kloppsaidafterthefrustrationhadreceded.‘Butwe’vehad some incrediblypowerful experiences andhavebecomemuchmore of a unit with the fans. I’m hoping that some sponsors will say:“Something’shappeninghere,that’scool,wewanttobepartofthat.”Everyonecan jump on the bandwagon. But it’s much more rewarding to be a part ofgettingsomethingstarted.’

‘Onthewhole,itwasagreatseason,’Watzkesays.‘Unfortunatelytheicingonthecakewasmissing.Thewayitendedwasahugedisappointmenttoallofus.Wehadn’texactlybeenspoiltbefore;an improvementofsevenplaceswasprettygood.Therewereotherdisappointmentsover theyears,andtheyalwaysbroughtusclosertogether.Attheendofthedayit’safactthatthethreeofus–Jürgen,MichaelZorcandme–wereanextraordinarilygoodfit.Thatwaskey.’

Somewhere, half-buried underneath the relentless, contagious positivity

Kloppwasprojecting,therehadalsobeenanxietyandtrepidationaboutacoachwho’donlyeverworkedonGerman football’speriphery.Toomanymanagershad come and failed since the departure ofMatthias Sammer in 2004. ‘Therewasabitof fear inside theclub,due to the recenthistory.“Pleasenotanotherfailure,” theysaid,’saysSubotić. ‘Wemanaged toallay thosefears in thefirstyear.Finishingsixthaftercomingthirteenththeseasonbeforewasasuccess.Wewongames,wedrewgames,wealsolostgamesofcoursebutonthewhole,youcould see that the planwasworking.We learned thatwe could trust him andeach other. The whole club could take a deep breath.’ Kehl agrees. ‘It waspalpablethatthemoodhadchangedcompletely,’hesays.

Butnoteveryonewasdeemedsuitabletocontinuethejourney.SwissstrikerAlexFreiwas offloaded to FCBasel for €4.25m in the off-season.Dortmundspent all themoneybringing in a replacement,Argentinian strikerLucas ‘ThePanther’ Barrios, who would be happier to toil selflessly on the frontline, asKlopp’ssystemdemanded.Hummels’loandealwasmadepermanentina€4.2mdealthatBayernMunichwouldcometoregret.Twomorecrucialsigningscostalmost nothing. All-rounders Sven Bender (twenty, TSV 1860, €1.5m) andKevinGroßkreutz (twenty-one,Ahlen, free transfer)addedyouthfuldynamisminmidfield.

Munich-born Bender remembers Klopp phoning to sell Dortmund to himduringthatsummer.‘Iwasinthecar.Theconnectiondroppedfourtimesbuthekeptontrying.IknewthatDortmundwereinterested,but themomentacoachcallsyouandtellsyouwhyandhowmuchtheywantyouisreallydecisive.Firstofall,itwascoolformetospeaktohim.Ionlyknewhimfromtelevision,sotohavehimonthephonewasverynice.Hecameacrossexactlyliketheguyonthebox.Theconversationwasverypleasant.Hetoldmeaboutallthethingshehadencountered in his first year there, thatDortmundwas a fantastic club that hecouldwholeheartedlyrecommendtomeandthatIshoulddoit.Andhesaidhe’dbe “brutally” happy if I chose him asmy coach andBorussia asmy club.OfcourseIwantedin.Dortmundareabigclub,withahugeaura,andKloppwasthe perfect man at the helm from the very start.’ Bender was even moreimpressed once he met his new coach in person. ‘The guy was huge!Astonishing.Hedidn’tlookthattallonTV,Ihadtodoadouble-take.Hewasasuperbmotivator.Asayoungplayer,hereallyhitthespotforme.’

Klopp had a talent for hitting the spotwith everyone, Lünschermann says.‘He didn’t have a routine in the dressing room before a game, or a particularsuperstitionbutawayfromhome,healways lookedforaquiet,secretplace to

haveasmoke.Thatmadehimextremelylikeableinmyeyes.Hedidn’tpretendto be ascetic, he had the odd beer, he was unashamedly human–unlike manycoacheswho try to hide anything others could perceive as aweakness. Itwasthathumansideofhis,aboveeverythingelse,thatgotthewholeclubgoing.’

AtDortmund,sportingdirectorMichaelZorcandchiefscoutSvenMislintatwereresponsibleforfindingplayersolutionsinlinewithDortmund’srelativelynarrow budget, a few Mainz players (Zidan, Subotić, Markus Feulner) whoKlopphadpersonallyputontheshoppinglistexcluded.Therewaslittlechoicebut to plump for exotic nobodies such as Barrios and unknown Polish strikerRobertLewandowski,whowassignedfromLechPoznanin2010.The€4.25moutlay was so significant that Lewandowski was scouted about thirty times.Klopp himself travelled to Poland to cast an eye on the forward, disguisinghimselfwithahoodieandbaseballcap.

Empty coffers made playing the youth card a must. Fortunately forDortmund,Kloppdevelopedanappetitebeyondcoaching,asSubotićnoted.Heenjoyed building a new team. ‘At Dortmund, he had a chance to change thesquad,almostfromscratch,toputhisvisioninplace.Ithinkthatreallyappealedtohim.MyguessisthatitwassimilaratLiverpool.’

Kloppregularlyproclaimedthathisyoungside‘werehotlikefryingfat’,buthissecondseasonstartedoffratherlukewarm.Twoheavydefeats,atHamburg(1-4)andBayern (1-5), threedrawsanda troublesome1-0homedefeat in thederbyagainstSchalkeinthefirstsevengamesmadefortheclub’sworststartintwenty-four years. Onemonth ahead of the club’s hundredth anniversary, theteamhadcrashed tofifteenthplace. ‘Thesupportersgota littleantsy,’Watzkesays.OnehundredangryultrasturnedupatthetraininggroundaftertheSchalkedefeat, demanding answers from players and officials. Klopp defused thesituationbyengagingwith thedissentershead-on.Schneck: ‘Hegotoutof theteam bus and said: “Okay, tell me.” They complained that the team hadn’tfought enough, that they weren’t true Borussia, that sort of thing. Jürgenexplainedtothemoverfifteenortwentyminuteswhythatwasn’tthecaseatall,andassuredthemthathetooktheirconcernsandideasveryseriously.Theywenthome peacefully, thanking him for his time. That was no mean feat. Othercoachesdon’twantanythingtodowiththesetypesofsituations.’

Klopphadagreatknackforhittingtherightnotewithsupporters,hespoketheirlanguage,saysDickel.‘Wehadplentyofcoacheswhowouldsay:“Today,our game between the lines, between defence and midfield, and betweenmidfieldandattack,hasn’tquiteworkedout.”Or: “The transitiongamewasa

littleoff.”NobodywantstohearthatintheRuhrarea.Jürgensaid:“Weplayedsomerealcraptoday,that’swhywedeservedtolose.”Everybodycanlivewiththat.’

Themediawerelesseasilyplacated.WhenDortmundgotknockedoutoftheDFB Pokal by third division VfL Osnabrück in November, Berliner Zeitungfundamentally questioned Klopp’s ability to take Borussia forward. ‘It’s aregression,’wrotethebroadsheet.‘KlopphasimpressivelyshownatFSVMainzthathecanmakeasmallclubbigger.Whetherhecanmakeanot-so-bigclubbigagain remains unclear. This season can already be seen as a lost one in thatrespect.’

TheDortmundcoachprofessedhimselfdisappointedaboutthesharpchangein perception (‘everything is a crisis these days, people’s competence getsdoubted far too quickly’) and promised improvement. ‘Wewill pull ourselvesoutofit,I’mquitecertainofthat.’Watzkemaintainstheclub‘hadnodoubtthathewouldcomegood.Zeropointzero.’

Klopp’saptitudeforkeepingtheinternalmoodupbeatwasvitalatthetime,saysBender.Somecoachestakeouttheirfrustrationsonplayersorlosefaithintheir own footballing principles. Not so Klopp. ‘Naturally, he would tellsomebodyinnouncertaintermsiftheydidn’trunintherightdirectionorpausedatthewrongmoment,’Bendersays.‘Buthenevermadeaplayerfeelthattheyweredeadtohim,thattheyhadblownit.Onthecontrary,healwaysmadesuretheplayerwasgivenanotherchanceiftheywantedtotakeit.Youcouldprovetohimthatyouwerestillthere,readytosteponthegas.’

TheBVBboss,too,treatedeverygameasanewchancetogetthingsright.Dortmund’spoorrunintheautumnof2009,hefelt,wasbutanunavoidableby-product of a very young side adapting to a system that needed full-bloodedcommitmentanddetailedexecutiontowork.Growingpains.

Theanswerwassimple:morework.‘Weheldabrieftrainingcampandtoldtheboystheywouldbegettinganextrathreedaysoffoverthefestiveseasonifthey–as a team–could cover more than 118 kilometres in each of those tengames,’ he told FourFourTwo years later. They didn’t quite manage it, butKloppgrantedthemtheirextraholidayregardless.‘Ididthatbecausetheextraeffort the teamput in immediately translated intomore livelinesson thepitch.We were instantly more assertive, we created superiority in numbers–all thethingsyouassociatewithadditionaleffort.’

‘Hewouldstandonthesidelinesandshouthisheadoffthatweshouldpushforward,’ says Subotić. ‘As a player, especially as a defender, you’re often

thinking: “Safety first, let’s stay back.” He had to make a lot of adjustmentsduring matches in those early days. It was still a completely new system foralmosteverybody.Hoffenheimhadplayedthatway,butonlyinthefirsthalf[of2008–09].Theycouldn’tkeepitup.Forus,itwasacontinuousprocess,andwecouldn’tlookatanyotherteamintheleagueasarolemodelforwhatwewantedtodo.’

Dortmund had to set their own example. With each passing week, an‘absurdly youthful team’ (Süddeutsche Zeitung), oftenwith an average age ofless than twenty-three years old, got a little closer to reconciling high-tempo‘wildness’ with stability. By mid-December, they were in fifth place. LucasBarrios’goals,nineteenintotal,keptthemintouchwiththeChampionsLeagueplaces in the New Year, all the way to the penultimate game. The 2009champions VfL Wolfsburg, who had just lost their title to Louis van Gaal’sBayern,weretheopponentsonadaythatendedincelebrationsleavingeventheformerMainzcoachKloppflummoxed.‘Ihaveneverexperiencedsuchsupportinmylife,’hesaid,aftertheYellowWallandtherestofthestadiumhadsalutedtheteamwithchantsandstandingovationsthatwouldn’tstop.Itwasimpossibleto tell from the across-the-board exaltation thatDortmundhadonlydrawn thegame1-1.Theresult,coupledwithWerderBremen’s2-0awaywinatSchalke,meantthattheycouldnolongerfinishinthetopthreeandqualifyforEuropeanclubfootball’smostlucrativecompetition.Butthesupportersdidn’tcare.Theirjoy had its source in neighbours Schalke’s defeat–which ensured the RoyalBlues would not, heaven forbid, win the league–and centred on fifth-placedDortmund’s first direct qualification for the Europa League in seven years.Germany’smostpassionateandmostknowledgeablecrowdwereall tooawareof how far the club had come in its first two seasons underKlopp to bemoanthemfallingacoupleofpointsshortofChampionsLeagueaccess.‘Bombasticparty: the team were hailed as if they had pulled off the biggest coupimaginable,’FrankfurterAllgemeineZeitungreportedincredulously.

AheadofKlopp’sfirstdayinoffice,WatzkeandZorchadgivenhimasmallwinged rhinoceros figurineasagood-luckcharm.Devisedasamascot for thenewly opened concert hall in 2002, the chimera had become a symbol for thecity, the embodiment of its thick-skinned pride and aspirations. In May, theSignal Iduna Park allowed itself to believe that this fantastical beast mightactually…fly?TheBVBrhinowaspawingtheground,primedfortake-off.

8.PUMPUPTHEVOLUME

Liverpool2015–16

It’s a beautiful early summer’s day inLiverpool, best enjoyed on the players’terracethatstretchestheentirelengthofLiverpool’sMelwoodtrainingcomplex,fromJürgenKlopp’smultiple-bay-windowcommandcentreononecornerpastthe dining hall to the other end, where club nutritionist Mona Nemmer, andAndreasKornmayer,theheadoffitness,havetheirglass-panelledoffices.

You’dneverknowfromthelazyafternoonvibes,thesilenceofthedesertedtraining pitch and the laughter of Jordan Henderson on the next table, thatLiverpoolaredue toplaySouthampton inamust-wingamein threedays, thatTHEPRESSUREISON!tocomefourth.AdamLallana,smilingandsquintinginthesunlightlikeatouristonthefirstdayofhisholiday,couldn’tlookmuchmorerelaxedifheweresippingapinkcocktailwithapaperumbrellainsteadofbottledmineralwater.

TheconversationisallabouthowharditistoplayKlopp’sbrandoffootball,but the Englandmidfielder is not doing a good job of conveying his and theteam’ssuffering.There’sasimplereasonforthat:hefindsthepainpleasurable.

‘Iwasoninternationalduty[whenKloppwasappointedon9October2015]and I remember how I couldn’t wait to get back,’ he says. ‘I looked up hishistory and the way his teams played. I saw the word ‘Gegenpressing’everywhere, Gegenpressing style. ‘Heavy metal’ style. Ever since day onereally, our first game against Tottenham, it was a very physically demandinggame.Butyouembraceit,it’sachallengetobecomefitter.Yougetfit,soyoucandoit.I lookat[Philippe]Coutinhosometimesandhowhardheworks.Hewantstheballbackandhestillhastheabilityandthestrengthtotakeamanonandputitinthetopcorner.’

Motionandmotivationhave the sameLatin root.Onecannot existwithouttheother.Klopp’svery firstmessage toLiverpool supporters, that theyhad toturn ‘from doubters into believers’, was repeated to the players at Melwoodaheadofthedebuttrainingsession.‘Hetalkedalotabouttheteamtrustingitself,aboutbelief, andnot fearinganyother team,’Lallana says. ‘Hedefinitelyhad

thatconfidencehimself,thatauraandbeliefthatheisatopmanager.Hewalkedthrough the door and you could feel it. And I think that automatically filtersthroughtohisplayers.’

Before theGermancouldhave theplayers’ legs,hewouldhave toget intotheir heads. Therewas no point joining in the public lament about the team’spoor defenders and general lack of quality in relation to the title contenders;Klopp had to work with the squad at his disposal and talk up its strengthsinstead.His trickwas tostress the linkbetweenperformanceandeffort, ratherthanwithability.Lallana:‘Hesaid,“Workhardforme.”That’sallhewants.Hecanhandlemistakes,hecanhandlebadgames.“Workhardformeandgivemeeverything.”He’sconvincedthattechnicalabilityandqualitywillcomeoutasaresult.ThatiswhatthebosshasdoneformesincetheTottenhamgame.’

Twomonthsintothe2015–16season,therewasnotimetopractisethenewpressing style on the pitch, nor did the fixture list allow for additional fitnessexercises.Klopp’snotoriousdouble-trainingsessions,criticisedasexcessiveandcounter-productivebysomepunditsandexpertsastheoddmuscleinjurybesettheteamafterChristmas,nevertookplace.Thead-hocintroductionofpressingand Gegenpressing necessitated a firm collective commitment. ‘It’s anagreement a team makes with itself,’ says coaching assistant and chief scoutPeterKrawietz.‘Asocialcontract.“Yes,wewanttodothattogether.”Oneguydoingitbyhimselfisnothing.He’lltryonce,he’lltryagain,butthenhe’llturnaroundandsay:“Whereiseverybodyelse?Comeon.I’mrunningmysocksoffand you’re sitting back and enjoying the spectacle.” That’s why you need anagreementthat’sbindingforeverybody.“Wewilldoittogether,assoonaswelose the ball in the final third, we will try to win it back.” There are a hugeamount of advantages to doing that. You disrupt the opposition attack. Youmight catch out a team in the very moment they’re preparing an attack andchange theirpositioningaccordingly.The left-backmighthave started runningupthepitch.Yousaveenergythatway,too.Ifyoutrackbacktoprotectyourselffromthecounter-attackwitheightmen,theneightmenhavetorunacombined80 metres, 640 in total. Or you play a properGegenpressing, with the righttriggerand theright intensity, thenyourun5or10quickmetreswith threeorfourplayers.That’swhyit’snotsomuchaquestionofyourlegsbutofthemind.Youhavethatmomentwhereyouhavetoovercomeyourinertia.Don’tswitchoff.Don’tbedisappointed.Theattackisn’toveryet.Ittakessomeworktodrumthat intoplayers.There are special sessions andwaysof training tomake thathappen. Video analysis. We showed the team: “Look, these guys are very

compact, it’s terribly difficult [to get behind them] but winning the ball backfrom them is the onemoment they’re vulnerable.”We tried tomake that ideastick. Once you do that, and do it orderly, you save yourself a lot of metres[trackingback],too.’

Lallana, who had been exposed to a similar regime under MauricioPochettinoatSouthampton,revealsthatconcertedactioncomeswithafeel-goodfactorthatoffsetsanycomplaints:‘Itismentallyverydemanding,butwhenyouhavetenotherladsalloperatinglikethat,itiseasy.Youenjoyfeelingthatpain,becauseeveryoneelseisfeelingit.Youwanttokeepgoingforyourmate.He’shurting, and you’re hurting, but it’s all right. That’s what the manager likes,that’swhat he is like.He celebrates tackles like goals sometimes.Because heknows it hurts.’ He adds that Klopp’s tactics can’t really accommodatedissidentsandegotistswhowon’tsubmit to thecollectivedictate. ‘Maybeyoucancarryoneplayer,butthat’snothowhewantstoplay.Youcan’toperatelikethat.’

Howdifficultwas it forKloppandhis staff togethisplayers to thinkandplaythatway?Krawietzconsidersthequestionforamoment.‘Ibelievethattheteam we encountered has been incredibly ready to take on things,’ he says.‘Theywerereadyandwillingtotrysomethingnew;theyknewthattherewerereasonswhy thingshadn’tworkedout sowell before andwhywe stood therenow,wearing red-and-black tracksuits.We felt it fromdayone.Theywant tounderstandwhatwe’retryingtogetacrosstothem.’Complicationsdidn’tstemsomuchfromalackofwillingnessastheydidfromtheinitiallanguagebarrier.TacticsbrainZeljkoBuvacwasreluctanttospeakmuchEnglishatfirst,Klopptranslated forhim. ‘A lotof the time,mainlywhenhe’sangry,Kloppsays:“Ifuckingwish I could speakGerman to you,”’ Lallana laughs. ‘His English istremendous, actually. I understandwhateverheneeds andwants to say.But itdoesfrustratehimattimes.’

‘I’mmuddlingthroughwithmyEnglishatalowlevel,andtheteamlisten,’Klopp said with classic self-deprecation in an interview with German Focusmagazine a month into his tenure. ‘Everyone’s cool at the club and eager todevelop, we take time to do it properly.’ He was having so much fun andworkingsohardthathedidn’tquitehavethetimetoappreciatehisluckjustyet,herevealed.‘It’spassedusbyalittlebitbut,ofcourse,therehasbeenamomentwhereyouthink:“It’ssogreatbeingthecoachofLiverpool.”IneverthoughtI’dbehereoneday.’

Nevertheless,ittookalittlewhilebeforeculturalfootballingdifferenceswere

fully reconciled on the training pitch. ‘The odd misunderstanding wasinevitable,’ Krawietz says. ‘Everybody throws in their twenty years offootballingexperience;youthinkyou’realltalkingaboutthesamethingsbutintheendyourealisethey’retwowhollydifferentthings.’

Pressing and tackling, the way the coaching staff understand it, expresslyforbidsfoulingtheopponent.Afoulimmediatelyrendersyourownball-winningattempts futile. But during the very first tactical exercise,meant to be a lightsession, theLiverpoolplayersflewintothechallengeswithabandon,believingthattheyhadtointerrupttheoppositionbuild-upbyanymeansnecessary.Klopphadtostopthemandtell themtoslowdown.Krawietzrememberstheepisodewithacontentsmile. ‘Itwascool tosee that the ladswereabsolutely ready toimplementnew ideas and immerse themselves in themcompletely.Thatmadelifealoteasierforus.’

Lallanasaysthattheplayersrespondedtothemanager’s‘honesty’:‘Hecangive you a bollocking, he can really praise you. The hugs, they are reallygenuineaswell.Hewill tellyouwhenhe ishappywithyou.Hewill tellyouwhenheisnothappywithyou.Heisjustgenuine,straight-up.Hecan’thidehisemotions,canhe?Ifhewantstosaysomethinghewillendupsayingit.Hesayshe can be your friend, but not your best friend, because he has to have thosedifficultconversationswithyouattimes.’

Belgian striker Christian Benteke, for example, found the team’s newdirectionabittrickytoadjustto.Kloppquicklyrealisedthatthe6ft3inforwardwas not best-suited to a high-energy pressing and counter-pressing game.DivockOrigi and former Hoffenheim forward Roberto Firmino (as a false 9)were preferred instead. The Klopp–Benteke partnership failed to get off theground. TheGerman had years ago decided for himself that there is no pointexplainingtoplayerswhytheyaren’tbeingpicked,thatallhecandoistellthemabout the areas of their game that they can improve. But Benteke couldn’treconcile the coach’s silent stancewith his keenness to sign him forBorussiaDortmund a couple of years earlier. Klopp had met the former Aston Villastriker in a hotel in Germany, enthusiastically talked about the prospect ofworking together, and thrown in a few text messages subsequently for goodmeasure.But themovehadnevermaterialised. (Likehis peersAntonioConteand José Mourinho, Klopp is a voracious texter. On the day of Dortmund’sChampionsLeaguefinal,noless,hesentamessagetoKevinDeBruyne,thenatChelsea, expressing his excitement at the prospect of coaching the Belgian atDortmundin2013–14.Theprospectivemovewaseventuallyvetoedat the last

minutebytheBlues.)Benteke, on as a substitute at StamfordBridge, did scoreLiverpool’s third

goaltosecurea3-1winoverChelsea,Klopp’sfirstwinintheleagueaftertwodraws (0-0 at Spurs, 1-1 v Southampton), a frustrating 1-1 in his debut homegame,againstRussianoutfitRubinKazanintheEuropaLeague,andaLeagueCup win over Bournemouth (1-0). Beating Mourinho’s champions in westLondon with cleverly executed counter-attacking football served as a crucialmarkerofearlyprogress.Maybethewall-to-wallhypeonsportstelevisionandinthebackpagessinceKlopp’sarrivalonMerseysidewasjustified,afterall.

‘Canyouwintheleague?’areporteraskedKloppafterthefinalwhistle.‘Areyoucrazy?’hebarkedbackincredulously.‘Atfirst,IthoughtIdidn’tunderstandthe question. I’ve been here for threeweeks. The last time Liverpoolwon anawaygame,Iwasstillonholiday.’Later,inaseparatebriefinginthetunnel,hewasbombardedwithquestionsaboutLiverpool’stargetsintheJanuarytransferwindowandtheirchancesofqualifyingfor theChampionsLeague.Theywereeighthatthispoint.‘Ican’tbelievetheimpatience,’hesaid.‘TheywanttoknowwhetherI’llfinishfourth,’heshoutedatrefereeMarkClattenburg.‘WelcometoEngland,’henodded.

The flight of Klopp’s private plane from Germany to Liverpool had beenmonitored on the Internet by 35,500Reds supporters, before the club had puthim up in a boutique hotel onHope Street ahead of his unveiling. The heavysymbolismwasnotaccidental:inthemindsofmanyfans,theSwabianwasn’tsomuch thenewcoachbutaharbingerofdreams, themanwhowouldshake thecluboutof itsmid-tablestuporandring ina return togloriousdayspast. ‘Hisappointment feels so instinctively right because the 48-year-old’s extra-largepersonalitywillimmediatelycutthroughmuchofthebefuddledsilencethathasbefallenAnfieldsincetheclubalmostwonthechampionshipin2014andensurethevolumeisfromnowonturnedallthewayup,’wrotetheGuardian.FormerLiverpool player Mark Lawrenson, not a man prone to emotional outbreaks,predictedthatKloppwould‘bringbackexcitementtoAnfield’.Withhis‘over-sizedpersonalityand1,000-megawattsmile,he’sboxoffice,’Lawrensonaddedduring abreak fromdoing a show for lfc.tv in a city-centrehigh-rise. ‘Peoplehopethathewillbringbackthegoodtimes.That’salreadyworthsomething.’

NootherfootballingcountrybelievesasmuchinthetransformativepowersofamanagerasEngland,andLiverpoolisthecitythatbelievesitmost–thankstoBillShankly.Theclub’spastgreatnessandamuchmorecomplicatedpresent,inwhichthey’vebeenforcedtoplaycatch-upwithricherrivalsandupstarts,has

created an unsteady climate, swinging wildly from overblown expectation todeep depression. Many prospective saviours have come and gone, unable tonavigatethemaelstromofvolatility.

Klopp (dark jeans, black blazer, Chelsea boots) presented himself as asupremelyrelaxedfootballelectricianathisunveiling,confidentthatabitofre-wiring could get the current flowing again, but also acknowledged thecomplexityoftheoverallchallenge.‘Wemustnotcarry20kgofhistoryonourbacks,’hewarned,nor should theclubbemoan its relative lackof funds. ‘Weshould not think aboutmoney, only football.’Amen.Liverpool’s situation, headded, was ‘not that bad. It’s a good time to make changes, a restart.’ Hepromised‘full-throttlefootball’tocookupanemotionalstorminthestadiumbutwasatpainstoplaydownhisownimportance.Hewasneither‘anidiot’nor‘agenius’, ‘a know-it-all’ or ‘a dreamer’, he ventured, before landing the killerline. ‘I’m justanormalguyfromtheBlackForest. I’m theNormalOne.’Cuelaughter all around. It takes huge amounts of self-assuredness to proclaimyourselfordinaryinfrontoftheworld’smediaaheadofthefirstdayinabigjob.SüddeutscheZeitungwasremindedofthefamoussceneinMontyPython’sLifeof Brian, where the eponymous hero tries–and fails–to convince a crowd ofdisciples that he’swholly unworthy of their adulation. ‘Only the truemessiahdenieshisowndivinity,’onewomanexclaims.Liverpool,notslowtorecognisethe marketing potential of the new man in charge, duly trademarked ‘TheNormalOne’asaphraseandproducedarangeofofficialmerchandisebearingtheslogan.

FSGpresidentMikeGordonsayshewasnotsurprisedbythehugehypethatgreeted Klopp’s appointment. ‘Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool FC really are amatchmadeinheaven.Thepassionofourfans,theauthenticityofourfansandoursupporters,thewaythattheyfeelaboutourfootballandtheirintelligenceasfootball fans, meant that they understood right away that this was anextraordinaryperson to leadsomething thatwasso important to them.While Ikeepmentioning that the substance of Jürgen actually surpasses the style, thestyle isstillverycompelling.Weallcanagreeon that. It isnotsurprising thatthepeopletooktohimimmediatelyandsopowerfully.Thatstartedattheveryfirst press conference. That is among the least surprising things that havehappenedsofar.’

GordonpredictedtotheLFCpressdepartmentthattheywouldbe‘gettingaFerrari’ in thenewmanager.KennyDalglish, too, anticipated awhite-knuckleride. ‘I just heard Klopp’s press conference and he sounds very, very

impressive,’ the former coach said. ‘I think the supporterswill need to fastentheirseatbelts–I’msuretheywillreallyenjoyhim.’

AcquaintancesfromGermanywhovisitedKloppinLiverpoolduringhisfirstseasoninEnglandnotedthateverybodyatAnfieldandMelwoodhappilyopeneddoors for them as soon as they announced that they were there to see themanager. TV reporterMartin Quast sat in Klopp’s office one day, waiting toshootaninterview,andcouldalreadyhearhisfriend’slaughterechoingthroughthe corridors. ‘I took a peek outside and saw Liverpool employees runningabout,allwithhugesmilesontheirfaces.AndofcourseKloppo’sthereamongthem,making jokes andmaking them feel good.That’s his style, that kind ofopenness. I remember in his place in Mainz, all the doors to the variousapartmentswerealwaysopen,andtheguywhorentedtheflatabovehimwouldjust pop in for breakfast in the morning. He just loves having people aroundhim.’Klopp’ssoapproachablethathe’sunofficiallybeenservingasMelwood’sresidentagonyaunt.At leastoneLFCemployeewith relationship troubleshasturnedtohimforadvice.

BeforetheSwabian’sarrival,goalkeeperSimonMignolethadtakenituponhimself to organise get-togethers and team events. Klopp sought him out andtoldhimthattherewouldbemuchmoreofthatinthecomingmonths.‘Weareone team and one family,’ the manager announced. That ethos expresslystretched to non-playing staff,Kloppmade clear.He learned the names of alleightyemployeesatMelwood, lined themupin thedininghalland introducedthemtotheplayers,explainingthatthesquadandthestaffhad‘aresponsibility’tohelpeachotherachievetheirbest.

InKlopp’smind,thematch-goingpublic,too,hadanimportantroletoplayeven though he was reluctant to make any overt demands. At Mainz andDortmund, he had seen players regularly tap into the stadium’s energy, butAnfield,thecrucibleoffootball,didn’tquiteliveuptoitsbillingasacauldron.Supporters left in droves eightminutes before the end in the 2-1 loss againstCrystalPalaceinNovember2015,Klopp’sfirstdefeatasLiverpoolcoach.‘Ifeltpretty alone at thatmoment,’ he said afterwards, visiblydisappointedwith thecrowd’s premature capitulation. But as a new immigrant member of the LFCcommunity,hehadtobecarefulnottoblametheaudienceforthepaucityoftheshow.Thesupporters’reactionwasunderstandableandamountedtoasilentbutpowerful commandment: he and the team had a duty to produce football thatwould thrill and hold the prospect of success until the very last second, heconceded. ‘We should be responsible that nobody can leave the stadium a

minutebefore[theend]becauseeverythingcanhappen,’Kloppsaid.‘Wehavetoshowthatandwedidn’t.’

TheEtihadprovedamuchmorehospitable environment in thenext leaguegame.Klopp’sRedstorethroughtheshakyManchesterCitydefencetowin4-1andoffermoreevidenceofanupturninfortune.Ayearandahalflater,LallanabelievesthattripalongtheM62marked‘thebestgame’oftheKlopperasofar.‘I really enjoyed it, it was a real team performance,’ he says. A subsequentmeetingwiththesameopponentsinthefinaloftheLeagueCupwasaltogetherlesspleasant forLallanaand the restof thesquad.Liverpooldidwell tocomebackfora1-1drawatWembley,againstaCityteamboastingmoreindividualquality, but lost the penalty shoot-out after extra-time had come and gonewithout furthergoals. ‘Wefeeldownbutnowwehave to standup.Onlysillyidiotsstayonthefloorandwaitforthenextdefeat,’Kloppsaid.Hisfrustrationabout losing out on his first piece of English silverwarewas tempered by theknowledgethatLiverpoolhadfoughtvaliantlywithlittleleftinthetank.

Theleaguecampaignfailedtotakeoff,however.Bigwinswerefollowedbydraws anddefeats against the lesser lights, in anunnervingpattern thatwouldbecome familiar. Six months after he’d started managing on Merseyside, theteamwasstilltreadingwaterinthetableoutsidetheEuropeanplaces.

‘Jürgenhasdonealotofthingsright,’SteveMcManamantoldSüddeutscheZeitung inApril 2016. ‘He’s very popular, even fans of other clubs like him.Over the last fewmonths, IhavehadplentyofManchesterUnited,ArsenalorChelseasupporterscomeup tomeandsay:“I’d lovehimtobeourmanager.”He’sverycharismatic,he says the right things,people lovehispassionon thetouchline. Jürgen’s won over the fans, they believe in him. But there’s anobvious lack of consistency, as far as results are concerned. Jürgen’s squaddoesn’thaveenoughdepthandqualitytodeliverfive,sixreallygoodmatchesinarow.’

Progress didn’t so much register in points as in decibels. The Kop wasbeginning to suspend its doubts, amassed over a near-decade without asignificant trophy, and find its voice again. Inmid-December, Belgian strikerDivock Origi scored a dramatic, very late equaliser to rescue a point forLiverpool athome toWestBrom(2-2).Klopp took theplayers in frontof theKop after the final whistle to show his and the team’s appreciation for theunwavering support to the very end. ‘Itwas thebest atmosphere since I camehere,’hesaid.‘Ofcoursepeoplearedisappointedbuttheydidn’tletusfeelthat.Theysawthat the lads triedeverythingandplayedfootball.’Thegesturewas–

predictably–belittledinsomequartersasanoverblowncelebrationofamediocreresult againstmediocreopposition, butKloppdidn’t care about theview fromtheoutside.Theplayers’tributewasapieceofclevercrowdmanagement,meanttoremindAnfieldofitsextraordinarypowertoinfluencearesult.

You sow thewind to reap the storm.And harvest-time came quickly. Thelast-16 draw in the Europa League pitted Liverpool against their hated rivalsManchester United. Europe’s second competition, previously an unlovedconsolationprizeforteamswhohadfailedtobreakintothetopfour,offeredabackdoor entrance into the Champions League for the winner, and, almost asimportantly, a chance to ruin United’s season. Anfield, crackling with theexcitementbefittingabigEuropean tie,played itsassignedrole inpushing thehomesidetoadevastating2-0wininthefirstleg.Acool,controlled1-1drawinthereturnatOldTraffordsealedqualificationforthequarter-finals.Kloppknewthenextopponentsquitewell:BorussiaDortmund.

‘Thesetwogameswerecertainlychallengingforthebothofus,andalsoforour friendship,’ says Borussia CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, relieved that thesaxophonist in the Marbella hotel lobby has finally concluded his medley ofKennyG’sgreatesthits. ‘Wehad todosomethingsweusuallywouldn’thavedone.’Watzkehadimploredtheplayerstogetinto‘competitivemode,outofthehuggingmode’aheadoftheemotionalreunionwiththeirformermanager.‘Hewants tokillour teamand the fanswithkindness,’ theBVBbosshadwarned.‘But we aren’t playing against our friend Kloppo. We mustn’t lose ouraggression.’

Watzke emphasises that he hadn’t said anything disrespectful. ‘All I saidwas:thesegamescannotturnintotheJürgenKloppfestival.Ihadheardthathewasalittlemiffedaboutthatandfromthewayhisfamilygreetedmeaheadofthe return leg in Liverpool, I could tell he had indeed taken it badly. It alsoannoyed him that it worked.’ It had only worked up to point, however, asWatzke is quick to admit.The crowd at theSignal IdunaParkwere ready forbattlebut theplayers found ithard tocome to termswithKloppsittingon theoppositionbench.‘Inanormalgame,wewouldbeat them,’saysWatzke.‘Butthis wasn’t a normal game. At the beginning, the team were completelyinhibited,youcouldfeelthatwelackedbiteinthefirsthalf.ItprobablywouldhavebeenworseifIhadn’ttalkedsomuchtotheplayersandthepeoplearoundtheclubbeforehand.’

Kloppcouldnothide that thereturntoWestphaliahadtouchedhim, too.‘IliedifItoldyouallthatstuffgoingondidn’tsomehowknockmesideways,’he

saidafterthe1-1draw.Theice-coolfacadehehadputonthedaybefore,henowconfessed,hadbeenjustthat.‘IpreferbeingherethaninNorthKorea,’hehadjokedon theeveof thegame. ‘But Idon’t think therewillbeabigemotionaleffectonme.Wewillchange,getoutthereandplay.That’sit.’

For Dortmund, it certainly wasn’t. Unable to play to the incredibly highstandards of their season thus far, theThomasTuchel-coached side only trulygotgoingwell into thesecondhalf.Due to theawaygoals rule, theadvantagelaywithLiverpool.‘Anfieldwillburn,’Kloppthreatened.Hiscompetitivestreaktrumped all emotional connections to former comrades-in-arms, temporarily atleast. ‘I bumped into him outside the changing rooms–they’re very closetogetheratAnfield–andwishedhim“agoodgame”,’saysBVBteammanagerFritz Lünschermann. ‘Hewent: “Listen, you arse. I don’t want to see a goodgame.Iwanttowin.”’

Atfirst,itwasDortmundthatlaidfiretoLiverpool’shome.TheBundesligaside’s mazy, cutting runs in the final third completely overwhelmed the flat-footed defence of theMerseysiders to give theBlack andYellows a 2-0 leadwithin nineminutes.ThePremierLeague teamneeded three goals to advanceagainstvastlysuperioropposition.Thegamewasover.

Klopp thought otherwise. In the dressing roomat half-time, he showedhisteamclipsofthreeLiverpoolattackingmovesthathadnearlypaidoff,assuringthem thatmorechanceswerebound tocome.Healso reminded theplayersoftheirclub’scapacitytotriumphinthemostunlikelycircumstances,mentioningthe comeback of all comebacks, Liverpool’sChampionsLeaguewin overACMilaninIstanbul2005,aftergoing3-0downinthefirstforty-fiveminutes.‘Hetolduswe shouldcreate something thatwecould tell ourgrandchildrenaboutoneday,’saidOrigi.

TheBelgian striker’s goal shortly after the restart didbring somehopebutDortmundstruckbacktowinthetieasecondtimewhenMarcoReuscompletedanother fine combination on fifty-seven minutes. Liverpool’s heads dropped.Anfieldwasreadytoaccepttheinevitable.

Oneman,dressedinallwhite,wasnot.Kloppsaidhecould‘smell,hearandsense the sensation’.He egged on the crowd to scream until the hopelessnesswas drowned out by defiance. ‘It felt as if he had brought himself on, as atwelfthfactor,asaninstigatorandmotivatorfortheplayersandthefans,’wroteDieWelt.

‘Hecookedupastormon the touchline,he’sgood like that,’ saysWatzke.‘Using the power of the crowd against us was legitimate, it was his job in

retrospect, just as it had beenmy job in the first leg. But it was neverthelessstrangeforus. Ihaverarelyseensomethinglike that,at that levelofseverity.’NorbertDickel, too, felt somehow hurt thatKlopp turned the stadium againstthem. ‘Ididn’t like the facthewhippedup the fans like that,’ says the formerBVBstriker.‘Itwasprofessional,fromhispointofview;itwastherightthinginhiseyes,butnotinours.Hecouldhavedonewithoutdoingthat.Iknowhe’llneveradmitthat.ButI’mnotupsetwithhimanymore.’

PhilippeCoutinhoscoredtomakeit2-3onsixty-sixminutes.Liverpoolhadclawed their way back to a two-goal deficit. The Germans continued to playreally impressively, technically far ahead of their hosts. But this was one ofthosenightswhenthenoiseatAnfieldbecomesaweaponandoppositionheartswiltinthefloodlight.Amythicalforcegrabbedholdofthecontestandpulleditinto the realm of fantasy, or nightmares, depending on your viewpoint. ‘Westartedshittingourselves,’MatsHummelssaidlater.Dortmundweresoshakenthat‘differentpartsoftheteamswereplayingdifferentsystems.’

AssoonasMamadouSakhoheaded in theReds’ thirdgoal twelveminutesfrom time,Watzke knew it was all over. ‘I resigned myself to losing at thatpoint,’ he says. ‘We knew how much power Jürgen could generate on thetouchline.It’snocoincidencewescoredmanygoalsintheeighty-ninthminute.AgainstMalaga,hehadbeentheonlyguyinthestadiumbelievingwecouldstilldo it and we did it. At 3-3, it was only a question of time before we wouldconcedeagain.And then thewholestadium…’Hedoesn’t finish thesentence,overcome by horror and admiration. ‘Karl-Heinz Riedle and Nuri S ahin hadbothplayedatAnfield.Buttheytoldme,theyhadneverseenanythinglikethat.That’sJürgen’sdoing.’

Dejan Lovren made the madness a reality, two minutes into injury-time.Klopp could not believe the ball had actually crossed the line at first.Anfieldwas shoutinghisnameat the finalwhistle,over andoveragain. ‘TheGermanmanagerdeparted thearena likeagladiatorexiting theColiseumfollowingtheslayingofaformidablebeast,’wrotetheIndependent.Hisvanquishedopponent,Tuchel,foundit impossibletocometotermswiththeresult.‘Ican’texplainitbecause there are no logical explanations. Emotions won the day,’ he said,staring into the middle distance in utter desolation. Unlike the experiencedmiracle-worker Klopp, he hadn’t been able to anticipate the approachinginsanity. Such an irrational turn of events was beyond the realms of hisimagination.Hehadnomeanstointerveneeffectively.

‘ItwasoneoftheworstdefeatsduringmytwelveyearsatDortmund,’says

Watzke.‘NotbecauseofJürgen–Iwasevenpleasedforhimattheend.No.Weweresoclosetowinninganinternationaltrophy.Ithinkwewouldhavewonit.Wegot knocked out inLiverpool.But actually,we had already lost the tie inDortmund, I feel.’ It took a month before his relationship with the formerBorussiacoachrecovered,headds.‘Idon’tthinkI’lleverexperiencesomethingsimilar.Butourfriendshipisstrongenoughtoendure.’

‘Iknowitmightsoundfunnybut ifI’mbeingcompletelyhonest,I thoughthe deserved it,’ says former BVB midfielder Ilkay Gündogˇan, now atManchesterCity.‘Eventhoughwegotknockedoutandwerereallyhurt,Iwaspleased for him.’ Lünschermann had noticed the same signs of involuntaryfraternisation. ‘His formerplayers still feel a strongemotionalbondwithhim.YoucouldseeitwhenSvenBenderwenttohigh-fivehimwhilewarmingup.Idon’tthinkeverybodylikedit.Butit’sunderstandable.’

Liverpool’sownersFSGhadseenenough.ThatApril,theyapproachedhimandhisstaffwithanoffertoextendtheircontractsto2022.‘Whenyouhaveanindividual of Jürgen’s quality in the building itmakes perfect sense to securethat person for the long term,’ principal owner John Henry, chairman TomWernerandFSGpresidentMikeGordondeclaredafterthenewdealwassignedin July. ‘To not do so would be irresponsible.’ In exchange for the board’scommitment tohim,Klopppledgedeternal loyalty. ‘Iwillnevergo toanotherPremierLeagueclub,’heassuredtheAmericans.

Both FSG and the coaching staff agreed that the team’s limited resourceswerebestfocusedonwinningtheEuropaLeagueduringthelasttwomonthsoftheseason.Liverpoolstilltriedtomakeheadwayintheleague,ofcourse,buttheemphasishadfirmlyshiftedtowinningthefinalinBasel.

Villarreal were duly brushed aside without too much trouble in thepenultimate round but holders Seville were made from sterner stuff. UnaiEmery’s team were unimpressed by Daniel Sturridge’s wonderful angledopening goal (thirty-five minutes) and staged a powerful comeback after thebreak,scoringthreetimestoclaimthetrophyforathirdconsecutivetime.

Reflecting on the defeat, Krawietz puts Liverpool’s second-half collapsedownto‘amixtureofphysicalexhaustionandgettingitintheneck,mentally’–by conceding Kevin Gameiro’s equaliser one minute after the restart. ‘Thestabilitywasmissing.Thefirsthalfwasallright,withoutbeingallthatgood.Inretrospect, I feel that the spell after the breakwas Seville’s last chance. Theywent for it in a clever way. They picked up momentum and managed theturnaround.Wewerementally prepared that theywould go for it and thatwe

wouldgetchancestocounter-attack,onthebasisofbeing1-0up,theplanwastowaitfor themtolosetheirnerve.Buttheykickoffandtheball’s inthenet.Theywerelike:hurrah.Wewerelike:aargh.Wecouldn’tcomebackfromthatandalsohadnothingleftinthetank,physically.’

‘I know from my own experience how difficult it is to win a Europeantrophy,’saysformerLFCdefenderJamieCarragher.‘That’swhylosingthefinalwasabigdisappointment.Butyouthinkofthejourneyandthelegendarynightsalongtheway:Manchester,Villarreal.BorussiaDortmund–thebigone…’

Happy memories can never quite fill up that empty space in the trophycabinet. But if you’re lucky, they’ll stay with you for ever, just like thesilverwarewouldhavedone.

9.STARTSANDSTOPS

Ergenzingen,Frankfurt,Mainz1983–2001

Wordof the fifteen-year-oldvillageWunderkind swept through the region likethecoolBlackForestmountainwind.Graciousunderpressure,alwaysaheadofthegamebyabouttwoseconds,blessedwithsilkyfeet,hewasevidentlyspecial,andJürgenwashisname.JürgenHaug.

The teenage prodigy played in Ulrich Rath’s SV Glatten youth teamwithHartmut ‘Hardy’ Rath and Jürgen Klopp, and he was so good that TuSErgenzingen, thearea’smost renownedclub forbudding footballers,agreed totakehimon.ButHaug’sparentswerereluctanttodrivethe60kmround-triptotake theirson to trainingandgames in thesuburbofRottenburg.WalterBaur,themuch-respectedErgenzingencoach,hadtothinkonhisfeet.HeextendedhisoffertoKlopp,ontheunderstandingthathismotherLisbethwouldgiveHaugaliftthreetimesaweek.

That’s how Klopp, ever eager to belittle his own football abilities inretrospect, told the story.The lateBaur (he passed away in 2012) admitted toDieZeitthatHaugwas‘clearlythegreatertalent’butKloppandRath,whoalsomadethemoveeast,musthavebeenabletoplayabittoo.‘Ergenzingenwasasfar away as FC Barcelona for us,’ Klopp said in an interview with DerTagesspiegelin2012.‘IfyouwereconsideredgoodenoughbyWalterBaur,youhadmadeit.’UlrichRathsayssomepeopleinGlattenarestillupsetwithhim,over thirty years later, for letting the three boys go. ‘They don’t realise thatErgenzingenwas a hugeopportunity for them, a real chance toget ahead,’ hesays.His sonHartmut ultimatelyproved too slow tomake it intoprofessionalfootball,andHaug’sprogress,too,cametoahalt.‘Wehadatleastfiveplayerswithsimilarbasicskills,’Baursaid.‘Butthat’snoteverything.IfKloppputhismindtosomething,hemadeithappen.’

Supportedbyhisparents,whothoughtnothingofgettingupwellbeforesixin the morning to drive him to games, Klopp duly established himself asErgenzingen’scaptainanda regulargoal-scorer.Baur’sapproach–far aheadofits time–was key for the youngster’s development. The Ergenzingen coach

wantedhisplayers tospendasmuch timewith theballaspossible rather thanclockuphoursonendurancerunsaroundthepitch.HehadtravelledtoBrazil,metPelé there, andbeen inspiredbyFutsal, a five-a-side version of the gamethatforcedplayerstohonetheirskillsandcreativity.‘Wehadtojuggletheballfor thirty minutes before every training session,’ Klopp recalled. ‘After sixmonths,wecouldhavestarredasperformingsealsatChristmasparties.’

Baurhadbeendiagnosedwithcancerofthestomachin1977butrefusedtogive up. Hewas one of thosemenwhose limitless love for footballmakes itpossibleforsixmillionregisteredplayerstokickaballaroundinGermany.

Hermann Bauer (no relation), the team’s general manager, has a finecollection of photos and press clippings from TuS Ergenzingen under-19s’exploits in 1984–85. They only finished third in the league but picked up anumberofothertrophies.ErgenzingencamethirdinanindoortournamentwithteamsfromtheSovietblocinKatowice,Poland,inMarch1985.TheGermans,hailed as ‘great ambassadors for their country’ in a local newspaper report,visitedAuschwitz(‘Itwasverymoving,’Kloppwasquotedassaying)andgavetheirhostsasetoffootballkitsandfiveballs.Theyreceivedavasemadefromcoalinreturn.‘ItwasarealcomingtogetherofEastandWest,’saidthearticle.Thecoldwarwasstillongoing.

Laterthatyear,Klopp,HaugandteammateRalfScheurenbrandtravelledtoHamburgtopickupthesecondprizeinacompetitionsponsoredbyaftershavebrandHattric.Ergenzingen’sstrikeforcehadnotcheduptenhat-tricksatunder-19 level that season; only Chemie Wirges had done better, with thirteen. InHamburg, a selection of the competition winners, including 1990World CupwinnerBodo Illgner in goal, lined up against anHSV legends team featuringUwe Seeler. The iconic striker handed Klopp the second-place award at thefestivebanquetatthePlazahotel.Klopphadscoredthewinnerintheexhibitionmatch.

WalterBaur’s teamwent on towin the annual InternationalPentecostDaytournamenthehadbeenorganising inhis hometown since the early seventies.VítkoviceOstrava ofCzechoslovakia had been the better side in the final andBaurwasmindedtoletthemwinonpenaltiesafterthe120minuteshadendedgoalless.Klopptoldhiscoachhewasmad.‘Wewillconverteverysinglekicknow,’hevowed.Thehomesidewon3-2.

KloppadmiredBaursomuch thathe threatened theclubhewould leave ifthecoachwasn’tallowedtotakeoverthefirstteam,wherehewouldbeplayinginthe1986–87season.Ergenzingenrelented.Inoneofhisfirstgameswiththe

seniors,thenineteen-year-oldKloppcameupagainstBundesligaclubEintrachtFrankfurt,whohaddecampedto theBlackForest for theirpre-seasontraining.‘DielaunischeDiva’(thetemperamentaldiva),astheywerecolloquiallyknown,weren’t in a forgiving mood. Dietrich Weise’s side hammered their hosts,despitemissingsevenregularsandnottryingtoohard.

Beingonthewrongendofahumiliating9-1scorelinemighthavepersuadedoneortwooftheErgenzingenamateurstotrytheirhandatadifferentsport,butforTuSforwardJürgenKlopp,thematchon21July1986wasabreakthroughofsorts. ‘That summer day,whenDietrichWeise visited theBlackForest,manydecisivethingsformylifeweresetinmotion,’heacknowledgedinaninterviewwithTagesspiegelin2012.‘HetookmetotheFrankfurtregion–amuchbiggerstageforfootballthantheBlackForest.’

KlopphadscoredErgenzingen’sconsolationgoaland,thestorygoes,nearlyaddedasecond,sprintingpastelegantFrankfurtdefenderThomasBerthold,theGermanyinternationalwhohadjustcomebackarunner-upfromtheWorldCupinMexico.Weisewasimpressed.Asaformernationalyouthteamcoach,hehadan expert’s eye for up-and-coming talent and would play a key role in thereformationofGermany’sgrassrootssystemattheturnofthemillennium.

BertholdcanstillvividlyrememberthetrainingcampintheBlackForest(‘itwasverybeautiful’)andhowhehadgonebackintofull trainingwithbarelyabreakafterthefinalagainstDiegoMaradona’sArgentinaattheAztecastadium.But the former AS Roma and Bayern Munich defender admits he has norecollection of the game versus Ergenzingen itself, let alone Klopp as anopponent. He finds the suggestion that he was outrun by a lanky amateurincongruous,vergingonoffensive. ‘Hedidwhat?Hedashedpastme?Never!’helaughs.‘Iran100minlessthan11secondsatthattime.MaybeIlethimgo[togiftthemagoal]?’

What is certain is thatWeise approachedKloppabout amove toFrankfurtafter thegame. ‘Iwas so excited that I brokemySpezi glass,’Klopp said. (ASpezi is amixture of Coke and Fanta, the non-alcoholic cocktail of choice inmid-1980sWestGermany.)Nevertheless,hehadtopolitelyturndowntheoffer.‘JürgentoldmethathehadtofinishhisAbitur[Alevels]first,’Weise,eighty-two, says. ‘We agreed that we would speak again in a year’s time.’Weise’sfriend Walter Baur promised to send regular updates about the forward’sprogress.

Frankfurt, almost three hours away by car from Glatten, was not a viabledestinationas longasKloppwasstill inschool.ButOberliga (fourthdivision)

club 1. FC Pforzheim were a different proposition. Situated in a 120,000-inhabitant town seventy minutes to the north of the Black Forest, the sidecoachedbyBerndHoffmann, a formerBundesliga2 striker forHeilbronnandKarlsruhe(norelationtotheHamburgerSVCEO),offeredausefulstepupforKlopp.‘Hewaswellknownintheareaasayounganddangerousattacker,’saysHoffmann. ‘I hadwatched him inmany games forErgenzingen and saw howmanygoalshescored.Hispresence in thebox,due tohisheight,andalsohispace,wasimpressive.’

PforzheimandErgenzingenofficialsmetataservicestationhalfway,whereDM12,000(€6,000)incashwashandedoverinexchangeforKlopp’ssignature.Hespentsixmonthsdrivingthereandbackforgamesandtraining,inhissisterStefanie’syellowGolf.

Between3,000and5,000peopleturnedupattheStadionimBrötzingerTalfor thegames.Kloppwas largelyaspectator, too.He featuredonly four timesanddrewblanksinfrontofgoal.‘Hecouldn’tmakethetransitiontoOberliga,’Hoffmann says. ‘Hewas frustrated, asyoucan imagine.Buthe respected thatthere were people in the team that were tough to displace. His attitude intraining,apartfromtheodd,quickoutburst,wasalwaysspoton.’

Pforzheimwas a dead end. But Eintracht Frankfurt hadn’t forgotten abouthim.

‘Jürgen, me and a few schoolmates were on a post-Abitur trip, travellingaround southern Europe by train in the summer of 1987,’ saysHartmutRath.‘About tendays in,wehad reachedavery remotespoton the islandofCrete.Jürgen hadn’t spoken with his parents in a while but there were no mobilephonesthen.Atinyfisherman’sboattookhimtoapoststation.“Goodofyoutocall,”hismotherLisbethsaid.“YouhavetogotoFrankfurtforatrial.”Jürgenthoughtaboutitforacoupleofdays,thentookatrainbyhimselffromAthens–a48-hourridetoStuttgart.’

Norbert Klopp, Isolde Reich adds, agreed for Klopp tomove to Frankfurtonly if they arranged a place at theGoetheUniversity inFrankfurt for him tostudysportsscience.

Kloppdidwellenoughat the footballingcastingsessionwith theEagles togetacontract,butitwaswithEintrachtFrankfurtAmateure,theBteammadeupof reserves and young talentswho played competitive football in the regionalthird division (OberligaHessen) andweren’t allowed to be promoted into theproperprofessionalfootballoftheBundesligaandBundesliga2.Klopp’smentorWeisehadbeenrelievedofhisdutiessixmonthsearlier.Karl-HeinzFeldkamp,

analtogethermoreold-fashionedcoach,hadnousefortheteenageprospectinthefirstteam.

‘Thisblond,tall,verytannedguywithamoustacheandsteel-framedglassesshowedup,speakinginaverystrongSwabiandialect,’saysEintrachtAmateurestrikerSvenMüller.‘Hewassupposedtobemypartnerinattack,soIthoughtI’d better take a closer look. Jürgen told me he had just been on holiday inGreece and that it had been so hot that he’d sweated driving a scooter.’ HeimitatestheSwabianinflection,ahigh-pitchedmelodycomposedof‘sh’soundsthat grates a little in the ear of non-locals: ‘You shhit on the shcooter andshweat.’(‘DaschitschtaufderVeschpaundschwitscht.’)

Müller,twoyearsKlopp’ssenior,wastechnicallymoreaccomplishedandamuchbetterfinisher.KlopphardlygotanystartsundercoachHubertNeu,who–perhapspredictably–dislikedthefactthetwenty-year-oldwasworkinglateshiftsin a bar in Frankfurt’s nightlife district, Sachsenhausen, to supplement hismeagreincome.

HissubstituteappearancesforAmateuredidn’tleavethebestofimpressionseither.Klopp’smostnoticeablemomentinabarrenseason,Müllersays,cameinagameagainstSGHoechst.‘Thematchwastied1-1or0-0withonlyacoupleofminutestogo.Kloppwasbroughton.Wewereawardedafree-kick.Oneofourplayerssteppedup…andsmasheditintothecorner!Westartedcelebratingwildlybutthentherefereeblewhiswhistleandchalkeditoff.Klopphadpushedovertwoopponentsinthewall.Theteamwerenotbestpleased.’

Football aside, the Black Forest lad had a very good time in the big city.MüllerhadbeeninstructedbyNorbertNeu,thegeneralmanageroftheOberligaHessenside,tolookafterKloppandteammateArminBohn,whowerebothnewintownandlivinginstudentdigs.Hetookhistaskveryseriously.‘Wewentoutin Sachsenhausen at night, drinking cider. Never the night before games–wewere too professional for that–but after, and during the week sometimes.Wewererivalsbutwebondedduetoasimilarloveforlifeandsenseofhumour.Werockedthecity,wewenteverywheretheyhadsomenice,shininglights.Luckily,therewerenocameraphonesthen.Nobodycaughtusout.’

Müller is convinced that those days–or rather nights–prepared Klopp fordealing with young players as a manager later on. ‘He knows exactly whatyoungmenarelikeatthatage.You’restillachild,really.Yougoofftherailssometimes.Youhaveto.Hecanrelatetothat,becausehewasthesame.’

AtFrankfurt,Kloppgothisfirst tasteofcoaching.TogetherwithAmateureteammate Michael Gabriel, he took charge of the under-11s–‘for DM400, a

winter coat and an Eintracht season ticket’, as he told the Sunday Times’JonathanNorthcroftinJanuary2017.‘We,thetwocoachesandtheplayers,hadalotoffuntogether,’Gabrielsaid.Kloppenjoyedtheexperiencesomuchthathecontinuedcoachingthesamesquadofplayersinthefollowingseason,afterhehadlefttoplayforViktoriaSindlingeninthecity’speriphery.‘Itwasmyfirstrealdecisionasacoachtokeepalloftheseguys,’hesaid,‘theclubwantedtochangethemforyoungerkids.’Kloppwonthatparticularbattlebuteventuallyfoundhehad toomuchonhis plate to keep instructing theyoungsters.Right-sidedmidfielderPatrickGlöcknerwastheonlyoneofKloppo’skidstomakeitinto the Bundesliga (fourteen games for Eintracht Frankfurt and StuttgarterKickersin1997–98).

ThefriendshipbetweenMüllerandKlopplastedwellbeyondthatoneyearatFrankfurt’ssecondteam.Müller,aneventorganiserandPRexpert,arrangedthefestivities forKlopp’sbeachwedding toUlla,his secondwife, in2006. (Theyhadearliermarriedcivillyattheregistrar’sofficeinMainz-Gonsenheim.Kloppwore bleached-out jeans, a striped blazer and an untucked striped shirt, andChristianHeidelhadarrangedforsingerThomasNegerandhisbandtoperform‘ImSchattendesDoms’,‘Intheshadowofthecathedral’,aMainzanthemthathad become part of the stadium DJ’s repertoire on direct orders of the FSVcoach.)‘Jürgenisjustagreatguy,’Müllersays.‘Funny,authentic,andagoodmanwhoknowswhat’simportantinlife,hasn’tforgottenwherehecamefromandvaluesagoodfriendship.He’sthecoolboynextdoor.’

Unlesshe’sinvolvedinanykindoffootballgame.Thenallcoolnessgoesoutofthewindow.OnafamilyholidayinTurkeyacoupleofyearsago,Müllerwasplaying in a five-a-side team with Klopp’s sons, Marc and Dennis. Klopphimself was injured but coached the team with real passion, giving detailedinstructionsfromthesidelines.‘IhadtogooffbecauseitwasextremelyhotandI’mquiteold,’Müllerrecalls.‘Ithinkwewerenarrowlyinthelead.Kloppo,inhisinimitablestyle,cameuptomeandslappedmesoftlyacrosstheface.‘Youwillscoreonemoregoal,you’llscoreonemore!’hetoldme.Iwentbackonanddidindeedscoreonemore.He’sgotthisdoggednesswhenitcomestowinningfootballgames.Evenwhen it’s just for funonabeach somewhere.Hecannothelphimself.’

ButasfarashisEintrachtFrankfurtcareerwasconcerned,nohelpfromthemeninchargewasforthcoming.HubertNeu’sdesignatedsuccessorasAmateurecoach, Jürgen Sparwasser–the famous goal-scorer in East Germany’s 1-0 winoverWorld CupwinnersWest Germany in 1974–toldKlopp in the spring of

1988 thathedidn’t feature inhisplansfor thesubsequentseason. ‘Jürgenwasbasicallypushedout,’saysMüller.

DietrichWeise still felt the young Swabian had potential, however.WeisewasbynowcoachingAlAhlyinCairo,EgyptandhadsetupthefirstregionaltrainingcentrefortalentedyoungstersintheFrankfurtarea,tenyearsbeforetheGermanFAwouldaccepthisblueprintforyouthdevelopmentandrolloutthese‘Stützpunkte’allacrossthenation.Weise,too,actedasaconsultantforViktoriaSindlingen,athirddivisionpart-timerteamunglamorouslysituatedrightnexttotheHoechstchemicalplantinawesterlysuburbofFrankfurt.NorbertNeuhausremembersWeise’ssalespitch.‘Hecameuptomeandsaid:“Ihavebroughtinthisplayer fromPforzheim–hedoesn’t reallygetonatEintracht.But Ibelievehe’sgotsomething, Ibelieve thathehassomething togive to football.Maybeit’llworkifhetakesadetourviaSindlingen…”’

Neuhaus’diaryshowsthathemetKloppatthegroundofFCHomburgon16April1988fora first talk.ByMay, theyhadanagreement.Sindlingenboughtthe striker from Eintracht for DM8,000 (€4,000), and he was paid DM1,200(€600)permonth, incash–butonlyduring theseason.Littlemore thanpocketmoney.

Sindlingenwereintherelegationzoneformostofthecampaign.TeammateAxelSchubertsensedKlopp’sfrustration.‘Hehadn’tmadethesortofprogressasaplayerhehadhopedfor.Heprobablyfoundithardconcentratingonfootballin those days,whatwith his sports science studies in Frankfurt and a heavilypregnant girlfriend.’ (His son Marc was born in December 1988.) The yearwasn’t without some sweet moments, however. Away to his former teamEintrachtAmateure,Kloppscoredfourgoalsina6-0win.‘Itwashorribleforusandgreatforhim,’saysMüller.‘HesentanicemessagetoSparwasserthatday:lookatwhatyou’remissing.’

Neuhaus, seventy-one,hasproudlykept amatch reportofSindlingen’s2-0defeatawaytoRot-WeißFrankfurtfromNovember1988.Hewasinchargeofthe team as caretaker that day, after coach Günter Dutiné (an ex-Mainz 05captain) had been fired. ‘I’ve toldmy grandchildren that Imanaged the greatJürgen Klopp for one game,’ he laughs. ‘He wasn’t a Rakete [rocket], to behonest,butalwaysinvolvedandpresentforeverytrainingsession.’

Sindlingen’snewboss,RamonBerndroth,had the teamplayagame inhisfirsttrainingsession,tolearnabouthisplayers’strengthsandweaknesses.Lessthanthirtyminutesin,Berndrothstoppedthesessionandsingledoutoneplayerforabollocking:Klopp.‘Kloppenjoyedrevisitingthatstoryinfrontofeveryone

intheVIProomofDortmund’syouthteamstadium,RoteErde,whenhespottedBerndrothwatchingagamethereyearslater,’saysNeuhaus.Berndroth,whohasbeenworkingasayouth teamcoach in recentyears, toldNeuhaus thathehadneverbeforecomeacrossaBundesligacoachwhodidn’tjustknowallhisyouthteam players, down to the reserves, but also all of their backgrounds andbiographicalinformation.

Asaplayer,‘Kloppwasambitiousandknewhowtolookafterhimselfonthepitch,hewasnosnowflake,’Schubertreports.‘Healsohadnoqualmstellinghisolderteammateshowtheycouldimprovetechnically.Afterthegame,hewouldthinkabouttheteam’sperformance.I’dsaythereweresmallhintsthathecouldreadagame.’

Klopp’saerialprowesssawBerndrothdeviseaset-playroutine.ItcameoffatthecrucialmomentofSindlingen’sseason.TheywereplayingFCErbachinaone-gamerelegationplay-offataneutralground,andweretied2-2withtwentyminutes to go whenWalter Braun floated in a corner towards the near post.Schubertheadedtheballontowardsthesecondpost,whereKlopprosetopoweritintothenet.Sindlingenwon4-2.

In2009,NeuhaussentKloppaDVDwithshakyhomevideofootageofthegame. ‘Youdon’tmakeabad impressionat all,’hewrote, adding thathehadseenthetrickreplicatedbyKlopp’sMainzteam.Kloppphonedandthankedhimprofusely.HeandSchubertmetonthepitchatMainzagain,butnotasplayers.‘IwasworkingasagroundsmanforthecityofMainzandlookedafterthepitchoftheBruchwegstadion[whichwasownedbythemunicipalitythen],’Schubertsays.‘Thefirstdayonthejob,Mainzweretraininginthestadium.Kloppwasverysurprisedtoseeme.Hewasontheothersideofthepitch,wherehisteamwere stretching, and ran across to hug me, full of joy. “What are you doinghere?”andsoon.Wespokeforalongtimeandthestretchingexerciseslastedalittlelonger…Hehasalwayshadtimeforformerplayersandcoaches.FortheircoachHelmutJakob’sbirthday, theSindlingen teamorganisedforhimtodoacoaching session with Klopp in Mainz. He agreed straightaway. Jakob camebackbuzzing,withaposter showinghimandKloppnext toeachotheron thetrainingpitch.’

Klopp’s total of fourteen goals in 1987–88 had played a part in savingSindlingenfromthedropbuttheclubhad‘expectedmore’,Neuhaussays.‘Byourstandards,thewageswereveryhigh.’FortunatelyforKlopp,anotherteam,stuck in the same lowly division but with deeper pockets and much biggerambitions,hadshownaninterest:Rot-WeissFrankfurt.

‘A friend ofmine had toldme: there’s this right-winger at Sindlingen thatyou’ll like,’ Dragoslav ‘Stepi’ Stepanović says. Stepanović, a formerinternational for Yugoslavia, had moved to Germany in the late seventies,playing for Eintracht Frankfurt before an outing at Manchester City (1979–1981). After retirement, he opened a well-frequented pub (Stepi’s Treff) inFrankfurt city centre and became friends with many of the city’s influentialpeople. Eintracht Frankfurt’s general manager Bernd Hölzenbein, his formerteammate,appointedStepanovićascoachin1991andhisyoungside–featuringluminaries such asUweBein,AndyMöller andAnthonyYeboah–very nearlywon the Bundesliga with football so fast and exciting that it was dubbed‘Fußball 2000’ by the German media. Stepanović, a cigar-smoking naturalshowman with a Mexican bandit’s moustache, an idiomatic Hessian-Serbiandialectandalikingforsalmon-colouredblazers,wasthenascentcommercialTVstations’ darling. He once sang Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ on a footballprogramme.

AcoupleofyearsearlierStepihadbeenentrusted to takeEintracht’smuchsmaller neighbours Rot-Weiss Frankfurt from the semi-amateur division threeinto Bundesliga 2. RW had a bit of money courtesy of benefactorWolfgangSteubing. ‘The champagne club,’ the localmedia dubbed them. ‘Wewere theBayernMunichoftheHessenliga,’Stepanovićsays.

StepanovićwenttoseeaSindlingengametocheckoutthattip-off.Theright-wingerturnedouttobeJürgenKlopp.‘Inthatmatch,heplayedlikeagod,’the68-year-oldsays.‘Hewentpasthismanontheflankathousandtimesandputingreat crosses. I would have never guessed from watching him that he hadtechnical deficiencies. I liked playerswhowere fast andwanted to have veryattackingplayerson theflanks.’RWFrankfurtpaida transfer feeofDM8,000(€4,000)toSindlingen.

Kloppwas‘perhapshimselfsurprised’togetacontractwithRW,Stepanovićsays. Pre-season brought disillusion for both men. Klopp clearly wasn’t theplayerStepanović thoughthe’dbought. ‘After three, four leaguegames, I senthimtothesecondteam.Igotintotroublewithpeopleattheclub;theywonderedwhyIhadgothiminthefirstplaceandcalledhimafailure.Heevensatonthebenchinthesecondteam.Hesimplydidn’thaveenoughtoplayinthestartingeleven.Ithought,isitpossiblethatIgotitsowrong?’

‘StepitoldmethatIwashiswifeanddaughter’sfavouriteplayerbutthathecould not playme, regardless,’ Klopp said in a talk withRuhrnachrichten in2014. ‘I think I could have sat in my jeans on the bench for half a year, he

wouldn’thavenoticeditatall.’TheRWcoachresolvedtogivetheforwardanotherchanceafterthewinter

break.Hebroughthimback into the foldwith the first team, andchangedhisroletoa‘9’.Asatargetman,Kloppsuddenlystartedscoringgoalsinindustrialquantities. ‘Three, six, ten–he hit the net in every training session. In the air,nobody got near him. His headers were sensational. He got fourteen in thesecondhalfof theseason forus, to takeus to theHessenliga title in1989–90.Hisgoalswonusthechampionship.’

Stepanović believed that Klopp was predestined for a career in footballwithoutboots.‘Ialwaysthought,thisguyissuchagoodtalkeratsuchayoungage; he’ll probably become a generalmanager or sporting director one day. Ineverthoughthe’dbeacoach.Thatcameasagreatsurprisetome.Healwaysspoke hismind, never hid his thoughts.After the ups and downswe had,weweren’tthebestoffriends,butIlikedthathenevergaveup.’

Legendhas it thatMainz coachRobert Jung signedKlopp afterRot-WeissFrankfurt twice played (and lost) against Mainz in the Bundesliga 2 play-offroundinthesummerof1990,butStepanovićrevealsthatthestrikerhadalreadysignedforFSVattheendoftheregularseason,afewweeksearlier.‘Whenwecelebratedwinningthedivision,IsawJürgensitinthedressingroom,smokingacigarette.Iwasasmokermyselfandhadtolaugh.Isaidtohim:“IfIhadknownyousmoked,Iwouldhaveplayedyoumoreoften.”Thatday,hetoldusthathewasofftoMainz.Weweredisappointedbutforhimitwasalogicalstep.’

Agedtwenty-three,JürgenKlopphadbecomearealprofessionalatlast.

On the other end of the phone line, you can hearHermannHummels chucklebeforehe’sevenstartedthesentence.‘WithKloppo,itwashardtotell,’hesays,pausingforeffect.‘Wasitafirsttouchorashotatgoal?’

JürgenKlopp,byhisownadmission,wasnotashort-trouseredmagician.Hedescribed himself as ‘an aggressive arsehole on the pitch’ (taz, 2004), as ‘amentality and fightingmachine, extremely good in the air and very fast’ (DerTagesspiegel,2012).But‘technically’,heconceded,he‘wasn’tgoodenough’;‘Irealised my own limits before others did. To sum it up: in my head, I wasBundesliga, and my feet were Landesliga [fourth division]. The result wasBundesliga 2. I quickly accepted it. To be upsetwould have been awaste oftime.’Hewasfar toothrilledtodwellonhisdeficits.‘Icouldn’tbelievethatIwasaprofessionalfootballer,’hesaid.‘Iwouldhavepaidforbeingallowedtoplayfootballatthetime!’

AtChristianHeidel’stwentiethanniversarypartyasMainzsportingdirectorin2012,KlopprecalledthetimeHeidelsawaHomburgplayermis-controltheballhorriblyinagameandexclaim:‘Look,theyalsohaveaKloppo!’

His ineptitudeasaplayermighthavebecomeexaggeratedabit,byhimselfandothers,forgoodeffect.HisformerMainz05teammateGuidoSchäfer,nowafootballjournalistbasedinLeipzig,hasamorenuancedtake.‘Jürgenwaswellawareofhisstrengthsandweaknesses,’hesays. ‘Hedidn’tattempt todribble,becausehecouldn’t.Buthewasincrediblyfast.Hedidn’tlookthatquickoverthefirstfewmetresbutoncehegotgoing,youcouldhardlykeepupwithhim.His time over 100mwas very good.He certainlywasn’t a total disaster.Youdon’t get to play 325 league games in the second division if you can’t kick aball.Hewas a very important player for the team formany years, due to hisperformancesandhisexemplaryattitude.’

Startingoutasacentre-forward,Kloppscoredarespectabletengoalsinhisfirst season at the Bruchweg (1990–91) and notched up another eight byFebruaryinhissecondcampaign,whichincludedhismostgloriousmomentasaprofessional:afour-goaloutingawaytoRWErfurt.(Mainzwon5-0).‘Thatwashis shining hour,’ says Martin Quast, who reported on the match for a localpaper. ‘Kloppo mounted the fence to celebrate with the two-dozen Mainzsupporterswhohadmadethetrip.ThephotoItookhasbeenprintedhundredsoftimes since. Klopp, times four. In a white shirt with a big four on the back.Fantastic.’

Soon after that feat, the lanky but mobile forward was contacted by averitable Bundesliga giant:Hamburger SV. ‘They had the hots for him,’ saysSchäfer. ‘But they couldn’t get him, for whatever reason. Years later, theymissed out on appointing him as their coach, too. One club, two dramaticmistakes.’Kloppwasunderstandablydesperatefortheswitch,tradingthetoughseconddivisionslogforamuchmorefinanciallyrewardingshotatthebigtime.ButaccordingtoMainzpresidentHaraldStrutz,FSVcoachRobertJungvetoedthemove.Hethreatenedtoresigniftheclublethisfirst-choiceattackergo.

‘Kloppwasvery angry at the time.Youdon’t get a chance like that everyday,’Strutzsays.‘Butheacceptedit.Heunderstoodthatwewerestrugglingtostayupwiththeplayerswehadandcouldn’taffordanyoneleaving.Youhavetosay,wegotveryluckythatitpannedoutthisway.’

At first, however, the effect was entirely negative. In the wake of HSV’sfailedattempt to takehimnorth,Klopp scoredonly threemore timesover thecourse of the next eighteen months. He was moved back into defence, and

Mainz’sgoalsdriedupaltogetherastheirrelativeilliquiditybegantobite.‘Yearafteryear,theonlyaimwastosomehowstayup,’saysHummels,whocoachedthe team for a six-month spell in 1994–95 after a couple of years as assistantmanager. ‘Come April and May, the bosses would go and light a candle inchurch,prayingforsalvation.’

‘Wehadbeenpromoted in 1988 after twelve years as amateurs, then gonedownandcomeupagain.Intruth,wedidn’treallybelongintheseconddivisionatall,’saysChristianHeidel.‘WhenIarrivedin1992,wewereintherelegationzoneandwentintothelastgameoftheseason,atDarmstadt,knowingwecouldonlyafford to losebyonegoal.Andwe lostbyonegoal.Wehadno trainingground, no proper stadium, and nomoney. In 1994, our budgetwasDM3.5m(€1.75m).Thatincludedalltheyouthteamsaswell.’

It wasn’t until 1998 that FSV had their first player, Michael Müller, onDM10,000(€5,000).Permonth,notperweek.Klopp’ssalarywassignificantlysmaller, in the low thousands, as was Schäfer’s. ‘In 1988–89, our firstBundesliga 2 season, we had three basic tiers,’ he says. ‘DM1,500 [€750] amonthfortheblind;DM2,500[€1,250]amonthfortheone-eyed;andDM3,500[€1,750] for thosewho could see. Iwaswith the one-eyed.HaraldStrutz, thepresident, said to me: “Guido, it’ll be great, because you’ll get DM2,000 foreverywinasabonusontop.”Theproblemwas:weneverwon.’

KloppjokinglysaidtohiswifeUllathatHeideldidn’twarrantapresentforhistwentiethanniversaryinchargeatMainz:‘Ialreadyplayedforfreeforhimfortenyears.’SigninghisplayercontractsatHeidel’sBMWcardealership,thede-factoclubofficesatthetime,hadbroughthismodestwagesintosharpfocusearly on. ‘With the money he paid me, I could never afford the cars he wasselling,’Klopplaughedlater.

The club’s only employee, an administrator, was a part-timer, showing upeveryotherdaytosortthroughthemailinacontainer.MainzstadiumannouncerKlausHafnerworkedforfreeastheclub’sCEO.Hesoldticketstothegamesatweekends, and another volunteer provided the stadium catering: homemadebuttersandwiches.QuastremembersHafnerstalkingfansinthecitycentrewithacollectionboxatChristmastime,askingforfundstopayfortracksuitsfortheunder-17s.Theiroldsetwaswornout.

‘The only club merchandising they sold in 1995 were towels,’ Hummelssays.‘I thinktheysoldfour.Istillhavemine.IfanyonehadsaidtomeMainzwouldbeintheBundesligainfive,sevenoreightyears’time,IwouldhavebeteverythingIhadagainstthat.Ievenwouldhavetakenoutaloantobetmore.It

wassimplyunforeseeable.’Mainz’sreserve team(theunder-21s),whoHeidelhadagreedto lookafter,

weretheworstinallofGermanprofessionalfootball,playinginKreisklasseC,atthelowestleveloftheorganisedgame.‘Theydidn’tevenhaveacompletesetofshirts,andcameupagainstteamswhocouldn’tactuallyplayfootballatall,’hesmiles.

Trainingforthefirst team,whoweresplitupintoVWminivans,wasonlypossible if the groundsman of the publicly owned playing field agreed. Thechanging room inside the stadium was a mould-ridden ‘wetland biotope’,Schäferbristles.‘Youwereafraidtohangyourtowelupinthere.Therewasonerustybigbathtubinthere,withroomforfourorfiveplayers,andifyouspenttoomuchtimeinthereyoucontractedallsortsofdiseases.Tonevergetrelegated,atthatclub,withthoseplayers,reallywasatremendousachievement.’

Mainz’s perma-desperation chewedup coaches. InKlopp’s elevenyears asan05player,hewasmanagedbyfourteendifferentmen.Theinstabilityat thetopbredacertainlawlessnessinthedressingroom.‘Itwasahordeofprettywildplayers,’saysHummels.‘Thepolicehadtobecalledinacoupleoftimes.’

AttackingmidfielderAnsgarBrinkmann(nickname:theWhiteBrazilian),forexample,hadawell-deservedreputationforpartying.PlayingforOsnabrück,hehadoncebeenstoppedfordrivingundertheinfluenceinhisPorscheBoxsterbutmanaged to break out of the police car and run awayon foot before they hadcheckedhislevels.Hewasletoff.‘HeidelandStrutzputmeupwithKloppoinhotelsforawaygames,forhimtokeepaneyeonme,’hesays.‘HealwayshadhisheadinabookandIalwayswatchedalotoftelevision.Hewaslike:“Turnthat thingoff,wehaveagametomorrow.”“Kloppo,”Ireplied,“there’sastopsignforyouatthehalfwaylinetomorrow.Justgivemetheball,I’lldotherest.Becauseyoucan’tplay.”He’dchuckapilloworotherthingsatme.Onenight,Ithrew theTVout of thewindow from the eighth floor.Hewoke up from thebang.“Where’stheTV,Ansgar?”“Ithrewitoutofthewindow.”“Why?”“Thefilmhadashitending.”’

Schäfer, still rocking a marvellous peroxide mane at fifty-two, was a freespirit,too.He’dsometimescomelatetotraining,ormissitaltogether.‘Ihadtopay a lot of fines thanks to Kloppo, who was on the players’ council. Thecoacheswouldusuallyletthecouncildecideonthesizeofthefees,andKlopposhowed no mercy. Thank you, Kloppo. I once paid DM500 [€250]. I hadn’toverslept or been to a pub. I was late because my cat had gone missing.Obviouslynobodybelievedme.Kloppolaughed:“Yourcat?Pulltheotherone.

DM500it is foryou.”Threedays later,welostagameatChemnitz.HermannHummelssaid:“Thatwasthefirsttimeaseconddivisionteamhaslostbecauseofacat.”Anothertime,theytookDM1,000[€500]offmeforbeingouttoolongduringatrainingcamp.’

In his early twenties, Klopp was a saint by comparison: a good-natured,pretty quiet, moustachioed lad, a husband and young father who prayedunderneathatowelbeforematches.Onthewayhomefromawaygames,heandotherswouldgatheraroundtheflamboyantSchäferinthelastrowofthebusandlistentotalesofhisrowdypubcrawlsandwomen.Schäfer:‘Hewasthefirstonetosit there,he laughedassoonasIsaid thefirstsentence,andhewas the lastonetostoplaughing.Hecaughtfireeasily.Healwayslikedtolisten,hewasn’taloudmouththen.Heoncetoldmethathepickedupsomeof thequickwitandcharmfromallthoseridesinthelastrowofthebus.’

Klopp,Schäferrecalls,didn’teatlikeatopathlete–‘grilledsausageandchipswerehisthing’–andhesmokedtheoddcigaretteunderneaththeextractorfaninahotelbathroom;butBrinkmann’s recollectionofKlopp’shotel rooms ‘beingsofullofsmokethatyouneededtohangupadiscoglobetoseeanything’areinall likelihooda littleembellished.Bothagree thatKloppveryrarelydrankanyalcohol.Schäfer: ‘HealwayswentstraighthometoFrankfurtafter training;hedidn’thaveachancetopaintthetownredwithus.Onthefewoccasionshedidhaveadrink,ona teamnightduring trainingcamp, it didn’tmuchagreewithhim.Hewouldhave two longdrinksand then throwup.Hewasn’tcapableofgoingthedistanceatall.’

Duringthegame,itwastheopposite.Klopp’spassionandcommitmenttookhimfar in the rough-hewnenvironsofBundesliga2,possibly too farat times.‘Noopponenthas ever insultedmeasmuchashedid, asmy teammate,’ saysBrinkmann.‘That’safact.Iplayedrightinfrontofhim.Heconstantlyscreamedatme:“Ansgar,youidiot,getbackintotheformation!”Or:“Ifyoudon’tcomebackrightnow,I’lldoyou,youdonkey!Getamoveon!”IwasmoreafraidofhimthanIwasofmyopponent.Hewasalwaysthefirstpickintraininggamesbecause nobody wanted to play against him. When his team was down, hestartedbendingthecoach’searuntilheforgotthatthegameshouldhavealreadybeenover.EveryoneofthosegameslasteduntilKloppohadwon.Youalwayswantedtobeonhisside.Hewouldn’tandcouldn’tlose.’

Klopp’s desire to win, Schäfer concurs, was literally frightening. ‘It gotuncomfortable at times. He was very impulsive, hysterical, you might say.Choleric.Atonegame,inSaarbrücken,hecamerightuptomeandscreamedin

myfaceforhalfaminute.Ihadconcededacorner,Ithink.Oneminutelater,itwasforgottenagain,andhewasyourmateagain.He’snotalwaysthatsmilingand hugging guy; he can bewild and he can be unfair.But he doesn’t bear agrudge.Whichisjustaswell.’

JürgenKramny,anotherMainzalumniwhohadthepleasure–ormisfortune–ofplayingdirectly in frontof thehighly-strung right-back,has similar tales totell.‘Iwasagoodfootballer,anditwasn’teasyformetohaveKloppobehindme.Hewasloud.IfIdidn’thelpoutenough,hemoaned.Boy,couldhemoan.Heusedtoloseitonthepitch.Wewould,shallwesay,exchangefrankviews.Igot in the odd bit of repartee. Things like: “If you played better passes, Iwouldn’thavetorunsomuch.”Butusingdifferent language.’Helaughs.‘Wecould both handle it. By and large, it workedwell for the two of us.’ StrikerSvenDemandt,too,hadagoodworkingrelationshipwithKlopp,aidedbyabitofdistance:‘Luckily,hewasfarawayfrommebackindefence,Icouldn’thearhimscreamthatmuch.’

Kramny remembers one training ground incident that left Klopp a littleangry,however.‘Hesatonamovable,smallgoal,andIstoodbeforehimoveraball.Ipretendedtotakeashot.Hejumpedup,thegoaltoppledoverandhefellbadlyonhislowerback.Hegotupandchasedmearoundthepitchuntilhehadtogiveupbecausethepainwastoobad.Hemightstillfeelittoday.’

InBundesliga2,aleaguemadeofmud,debtandfears,everybodyhurt.Mostof the time.Mainz, like themajorityofclubs, foughtanever-endingbattle forsurvival, and aggression–on the pitch and in the stands–was considered aprerequisite. In a typically raucous affair atWaldhofMannheim’s Carl-Benz-StadioninApril1994,KloppmadethemistakeofputtinghisheadthroughthegapsintheterracefencetoflinginsultsbackatsomeMannheimsupporters.‘Hewassmackedintheface,’saysSchäfer.‘Thatwasthelasttimeheeverputhisheadthroughanystadiumfence.’

Klopp’sessentialproblemwasthatofthedivisiononthewhole.Hewantedtoplaybetterfootball,buthecouldn’t.Schäfer:‘Heoftensaidthathehadhadtherightidea–ofwherethepassorthecrossshouldgo–butsadlynotthemeans.’‘Heknewhowthingsworkedbuthisbodywasnotabletomakeithappen,’saysQuast.‘Heoncetoldmethathefeltlikeaprisoner.’

Thattypeofincarcerationultimatelyprovedliberating,asKloppwaspushedtoovercomehisshortcomingsbelowtheneck-linebythinkingalotharderaboutthegame.Initially,hisinterestwasn’tsomuchintacticsasinthesocio-dynamicaspectsofafootballteam,Hummelsobserved.‘Hewascuriousaboutthesocial

relations,insidethedressingroomandtheclub.Jürgenhadastrongfeelforthat.He didn’t say: “I couldn’t care less, I’m only here to do a job.” He alwaysthoughtoftheteamasagroupofpeople.Hewasneveranegotisticalarsehole.Never,never.’

‘The experience he had at Mainz 05 in terms of group dynamics underextreme pressure left a huge a mark on him,’ says Peter Krawietz, Klopp’ssecond assistant coach at Liverpool. ‘Mainz constantly had their asses to thewall, to put it bluntly.Thehousewason fire, all the time.Theydependedoneverybodybeingpreparedtoputineverything.Helearnedanincredibleamountabout the things that make a football team tick in those years, and about thedifferentcharactersyou’llfindinthegame.Ibelievehe’stakenalltheseyearsinthedressingroom,reflectedonthemandfoundthatmanythingscanbesortedwithabitofcommonsense.Hehasafeelforthesituation,forsayingtherightthingattherightmomentintherightmanner.’

LookingbackathissportssciencecourseatFrankfurt’sGoetheUniversity–which he continuedwith until graduatingwith the equivalent of a Bachelor’sdegree in 1995–Klopp believes his studies were just as beneficial, however.‘They are the basis of everything I later did,’ he said in December 2013. Helearned about training theory, ergotherapy and psychomotility, the connectionbetweenmentaltraitsandbodilymovement.‘Withoutknowingitat thetime,Iwasworking on the thing I could do best andwanted to domost: coaching.’Klopp added that studying also taught him ‘to work independently’, and theimportanceofeffort:‘Youeitherbenefitverydirectlyorthingsblowupinyourface,ifyoudon’tputenoughin.Youcan’tlearnthesethingsaseasilyatotherplaces.’

InaninterviewwithDerTagesspiegelin2012,headmittedthathewas‘notamodelstudent.Ihadafamilyandhadtoearnmoneyplayingfootball.’But,headded, ‘dealing with educators, psychologists and sociologists, and knowingaboutmethodologyhasperhapshelpedmefindsolutionsasacoach,withoutmerealising.Studyingpossiblysavedmefromearlyfailure[asacoach].’

Despitehistightfinancesandeventighterschedule,hefoundbeingastudentenjoyable.Hisonlyproblemspertainedtothecourse’squaintpracticalmodules.Swimmingwasn’thisthing,norwasgymnastics,pole-vaultingevenlessso.Butwhydid amanwhose football is so concernedwith running do his universitythesisonwalking?

According to Klopp, he had at first wanted to write about Rückenschule(preventative back pain therapy). ProfessorKlausBös, his tutor, didn’t agree:

therehadbeendozensofsimilarpapersalready.(Thatmighthavebeenpartofthe attraction for Klopp, in fact.) Bös instead pointed him to walking, a new‘trend sport’ from the US that nobody had examined scientifically before inGermany. ‘Together with a fellow student, we conducted a proper study andcollatedstatistics,itwascool,’Kloppsaid.

Klopp’s footballing higher education was provided by Mainz coachWolfgangFrank.HisfirstspellattheBruchweg(1995–1997)wastantamounttoa tactical awakening forKlopp.He suddenlyunderstood that agamecouldbeseen in structural terms, as a series of patterns that a well-drilled team couldimposeontheotherside.ButneitherhisnorFrank’sinterestwasdrivenbyanabstract concern for artistic expression or aesthetics. Tactics, Professor Franktaught,wereameanstoanend.‘Iwasneverinterestedinre-inventingfootball,’Klopplatersaid,‘allIwantedwastofindwaysthatmadeuswinmoreoften.’

HavingservedasFrank’s‘right-handmanonthepitch’(Schäfer),KlopphadnotoleranceforanyoftheinferiorcoacheswhopopulatedtheFSVbench.Quastrecalls an incident when the late Dirk Karkuth was in charge, shortly afterFrank’s second spell at theBruchweghad finished inApril 2000. ‘Kloppwassubstituted three minutes from the end, Mainz were leading 2-0 againstStuttgarter Kickers. Machado, a Brazilian, was supposed to come on, andKarkuthwastalkingtohimonthetouchline.Kloppwentover,pushedKarkuthout of theway and gaveMachado a different pep talk, slapping his back andgesticulating,tellinghimwhathewassupposedtodoonthepitch.ThenKloppowentoffandkickedabucketinfrustration.’

As the repurposed defender got older and slower, his game–‘in your face,strongchallenges,goodatheaders,dangerousintheoppositionbox’,asformerFSV midfielder Sandro Schwarz puts it–became a testament to the idea thatapplicationcouldtrumpability.Morenaturallytalentedteamswereshownthatitwasfeasibletoconsistentlyplayattheverylimitorevenbeyond.‘Hemadetheimpossiblepossible,’Schwarz says.Agednineteen, hehadonly justmade themoveupfromtheyouthteam,andfrequentlysoughtoutKlopp,thenthirty,forsupport and advice.Manyplayersdid. ‘Hewas theoneguyyou’dgo to, as aplayerorasthecoach,ifyouhadanyquestionsorproblems,’hesays.‘Hewastheabsolute leader in thedressing roombutalsovery socially-minded.’Whenthe teenagemidfielder tore his cruciate ligament in 1998,Klopp became evenmore of a personal rolemodel to him. ‘He had suffered the same injury [twoyears earlier] and come back in record time, in only three months. He reallyhelpedmethroughtherehabilitationprocess,makingsureIstayedoptimistic.’

Professionals usually need aminimum of sixmonths before playing againafteracruciate ligament tear.Klopp’s rushbackon to thepitchunderlinedhisextraordinary devotion to the team and his profession, but also reflected hisprecariousfinancialsituation.Germanfootballclubsare legallyrequiredto thepayfullsalariesofinjuredplayersforonlythefirstsixweeksoftheirabsence,afterwhich national insurance pays out 80 per cent of themonthlywage. ForKlopp,20percentlessofverylittlewasmorethanhecouldafford.‘Asaseconddivisionplayer in themid-nineties,hefearedforhisexistence,’saysKrawietz.‘HewasonafewthousandDMamonth,hehadasmallchildathomeandheknewthatrelegationcouldmeantheendoftheclubandofhimasafootballer.’Klopp’s will to win went well beyond the sporting competitiveness he hadinheritedfromhisfather.Hewantedtowinsobadlybecausehehadto.Thelifehewaslivingdependedonit.

‘Wewereofteninextremelydirestraits,’saysSchäfer.‘Afewweeksbeforethe end of the campaign, we usually didn’t know whether we would still beprofessional footballers next season. Can I keep paying the rent for my flat?Thesewerereal,seriousquestionsatourlevel.AftertenyearsatMainz,twointhethirddivisionandeightinthesecond,Ihadearnedenoughtobuyhalfofaflat.’

Klopp felt heowed it tohimself toplayhisheart out,Krawietz says. ‘Theabilitytoworktowardsthegameforthewholeweek,tocompletelyfocusonthechancetowinandstayalive,asitwere,andthentoputeverythingintoitduringthoseninetyminutes–that’s somethinghedeveloped forhimself atMainz as aplayer.Today,hepassesthatnotionontohisteamasamanager.’

10.FIREONTHERHINE

Mainz2001–2006

Klopp’s1-0winoverDuisburginhisdebutgameascoachearnedhimasecondmatch.‘Everybodywantedtoknowwhowewouldappointas“therealcoach”after the Duisburg game, because I had sold him to the press as a caretakermanager,’ saysChristianHeidel. ‘So I said: “JürgenKloppwill stay until theweekend at least.”’ The weekend came and brought a 3-1 home win overChemnitz.Mainzwere still in the relegation zone (fifteenth) but only on goaldifference. Klopp was appointed manager until the end of the season. Hereluctantlyemptiedhisteamlockerandmovedintothesmallofficeofthecoach.‘Itwashardforme,’hetoldReinhardRehberg.

‘Wehadmomentum,’saysSandroSchwarz.‘Wefeltthatthecoachwasoneofus,thatwewereonebigcommunity,withoneguy,ourKloppo,carryingtheflagatthefront.Therewasasensethatitwasallinourhands,thatitwasallupto us.We had this indomitable belief, but also a good plan forwinning.Onethingledtoanother.’

Kloppwouldwatch the sessions on top of a little hill next to the council-ownedpitch thatMainzused for training. ‘Ididn’thave theeye then, toget aclearoverviewfromthepitch,’hesaid.‘Theteamplayedeleven-v-eleven,andwhen I blew my whistle, everybody had to freeze, like in the “MannequinChallenge” andwait forme to run down and show themwhere the distances[betweenthelines]hadbecometoobig.’

‘Klopp could not stand losing,’ Jürgen Kramny remembers of those earlydays. ‘Thatwas a very important factor, the tactical changes aside.Hewouldoften join with the reserve players for a five-a-side the day after a match.Whoeverwasonhisteamdidnothaveanicelife.Hewasdrivenbyambition.Hecouldbeverydirectwithpeople.’

Schwarz recalls training sessions of ‘maximum intensity’, geared towardsgetting the team into shape for the upcoming final. There was a final everyweekend. ‘We thought of nothing else but to perform in that next game.Wewerecompletelyblinkered.Wewentonarun that tookona lifeof itsown. It

was a logical consequence of the way we treated each other and of ourperformances.’

Mainzpickedupeightpointsfromthenextfourgamestoleavetherelegationzone.Aftera4-2winatHannover96,wherethey’dbeen2-0downathalf-time,theywereasgoodassafewithonemonthtogo.‘DrivingbackfromHannover,we stopped at a service station and Christof Babatz’s parents gave us somedrinkstotakeonthebus,’Schwarzsays.‘WedrovestraighttoanightclubcalledEuroPalaceoutsideMainz.Kloppowasatthecentreoftheparty.Hewantedtobewith us, his boys, not sit at home on the sofa. But the next day, 10 a.m.,everyonewasthereandwecarriedon.Videoanalysis,lookingatmistakes,waysto improve.Hewas our coach but hewanted to be therewhen itwas time tocelebrate.Thatwasgreat.’

Mainz’simprobableescapewasconfirmedwitha2-2homedrawagainstLRAhlen on the penultimate matchday. ‘Jürgen, Jürgen, Jürgen,’ the fans wereshoutingasherantowardsthem,lockingarmswithhisplayers.‘Ifeltuneasy,’hesaidlater,‘Ihadn’tplayed.’

TherewasnothinglefttoplayforawaytoWaldhofMannheimbutKloppandHeidelfeltaspecialcelebrationwiththesupporterswasinorder.Theclubhiredaround sixty buses for the away fans and then chartered ‘the biggest boatallowed on the Rhine’ (Heidel) to take them, the team, and the entire staffupstreambacktoMainz.‘Flareswerestilllegalthen,’saysHeidel.‘Thewholeboatwas in flames.An incrediblescene.Awallof fire, floatingdownriver intheeveningtwilight.’

Heidel and Klopp learned an important lesson in those weeks. Little oldMainzcouldonlygrowasaclubif thesupporterswereonboard.Theyhadtofeel truly involved, feel that they were an important part ofMainz’s success.‘Youhavetogetpeopleonsideatanemotionallevel,’saysHeidel.‘Wehadtobeonebigunit.Thatwastheprogrammeandtherewasnootherway.Youhavetoexplainwhatitisyouwant,andyouhavetomakesuretheytakepartinthesuccess. You can only do that with someone likeKlopp leading theway. Hecould go into the hardcore section at the stadium and tell them: “You’re allmad.” They accept that, coming from him. He always pushed for getting thesupporters involved.He’s aMenschenfänger [literally somebodywho capturespeople, andwins them round]. That’s clear.Heworkswith emotions but alsowithaplan.Webouncedoffeachotherinthatrespect.’

Thegamblehadpaidoff.Klopp’stenureonthebenchwasmadepermanent,hesignedatwo-yeardeal,afteraskingforabitofadvicefromfellowmanager

RalfRangnickonthephone.KloppwasofficiallydeclaredTeamchef,teamboss,sincehelackedtheprolicencenecessarytocoachaBundesligaorBundesliga2team. He was able to satisfy the German FA’s strict criteria for coaching aprofessional side by upgrading his badge a couple of years later. ‘We noticedthat the team accepted their former player as coach. It wasn’t a huge changebecausehealreadyhadaspecialstatusasaplayer,hewastheintellectualleader,or perhaps I should say he was the team’s brains,’ says Strutz. ‘He saw thebiggerpicture.Youhavetoappreciateweweren’ttheclubwearetoday.Peopleeither tookpityonusor found it funny thatwewanted togetpromoted.Theysmirkedandsaid:“You’llnevermakeit.”ButIneverdoubtedthatKloppwouldworkout.Notoneminuteofdoubt.Notonesecond.Hewaspredestinedtobeacoach.’

Quast isn’t so sure. ‘Strutz toldme the same thing one day. I said to him:“Nonsense.Ifyoureallyhadn’thadanydoubts,whydidn’tyouappointKloppback in the autumn, before getting Krautzun in?” With hindsight, everybodyknew.It’sthesamewiththeoldcoaches.TheytellyouhowamazingKloppwasintraining.“Healwayshadthevision,”etc.It’stheirwayofskimmingoffabitoftheglory.Bullshit.TherealityisthatyouneededsomebodyasnutsasKloppoto take such a risk:ChristianHeidel. Itwas likepoker,whenyoumove all-inwithnothing.’

Klopp himself told Oliver Trust of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung inDecember 2001 that he had been ‘more prepared [for coaching] than foranything else in life, as strange as that sounds. I havemore confidence inmyabilitiesasacoachthanIhadinmyselfasaplayer.’Yearslater,headmittedthatwasn’tperhaps100percentaccurateatthetime.‘Ihadathousandquestionsbutnoonetogivemeanyhelp,’hesaid.‘Icouldn’tevenaskthequestionsatfirstbecauseIhadtopretendIkneweverythingalready.’Kloppwasawareheneededaconfidant.Onlyonemanwasintherunning:ZeljkoBuvac,hisformerMainzteammate.‘Hewasmyfirstchoice,andhewouldhavebeenmysecondandthirdchoiceaswell,’Kloppsaidof the tight-lippedSerbian,who is sixyearsolder.‘Heisfootballknowledgeincarnate.’

The ex-playmaker, at theBruchweg from1992 to 1995, had the ability ‘toreadthegame,toknowwhattheopponentwasaimingtodo,andtodotherightthing,intuitively’,asAnsgarBrinkmann,putit.‘Kloppwantedonlyhim,’saysHeidel.‘Theyhadspentmanyhourstalkingtacticsasplayersinthethreeyearstheyplayed together, theyput theirheads together to findhowtheycouldbestgetthispoorteamthroughtheseason.’

The Serbian had leftMainz to play forBorussiaNeunkirchen (third/fourthdivision)in1995andstarthiscoachingcareerthere.‘Kloppandhimhadmadeapact,’saysMainz-basedTVeditorJanDoehling.‘Theysaid:whoeverbecameacoach and had a big job first would bring in the other one. In theory, BuvaccouldhavebeentheMainzcoachandKlopptheassistant.Butwhenyouthinkaboutit,ithadtobethisway:Kloppisthesalesman,Buvacistheguyfordetailin thebackground.Henever talks. Inall thoseyears inMainz,heneversaidawordtoanyoneoutsidetheclub.Notaword.IrememberoncestandingnearthechangingroomwithgoalkeeperPéterDisztl,theHungarianinternational.Hehadplayed alongsideBuvac at RWErfurt.We knocked.Buvac opened awindownear theshowersandsaid:“Ah, it’syou.”Thenheclosedthewindowagain. Iwasshocked:heactuallytalked!ThatwastheonlythingIeverheardfromhim.’

‘Chucky’, as Buvac was known to the players, was more vocal on thetrainingground.Healso joined in sometimes,earning the respectof thesquadwith his excellent technique. Most importantly, however, he was the newcoach’stheoreticalsparringpartner,‘abrotherinspirit’(Klopp).Conveniently,he also had the necessary pro licence to coach in Bundesliga 2, unlike hissuperior.

‘Everybodythoughttheywerealwaysineachother’sarmsbutno:theyhadbigarguments,’revealsHeidelabout theduo’sdynamics.‘Itwasalwaysaboutfootball, though.Buvacisveryemotional:“Kissmyass!Shit!”He’dleavetheroomandslamthedoor.Andfiveminuteslater,they’dbeineachother’sarmsagain.’

Their training sessionswere all open to thepublic, but fewcame to take acloserlook.DoehlingandbuddingfootballcoachKostaRunjaicweretwooftheregulars at the Bruchweg and at the barracks of the state riot police, whereMainztrainediftheirownpitchwaswaterlogged.Theywitnessedaset-upthatcontaineddifferent elementswoven intooneall-actionexercise.Everyonewasmoving, all the time. ‘There’s nothingworse for players than to stand aroundwaitingwhileothersdoanexercise,’Doehlingsays.‘Mostpracticesessionsbearno relation to the constant movement and shifts in pace during matches.’Buvac’s ideawastosimulateprecisely that.HehadtheMainzplayersrunningthroughobstaclecourses,gettingtheirpulseracingbeforeshootingongoal.Butthere was more. Walls and poles were put up to make the ball ricochetunpredictablyoncethegoalkeeperhadmadeasave,achancetoreactandscoreagain.Thesamerandomnessthatplayersencounteredonthepitchbecamepartof the programme. Doehling: ‘They did train to make certain moves second

nature, automatisms.ButBuvac ensured they never knewwhatwould happennext.’

KlopplaterdescribedZeljkoas‘thebesttransferIhaveevermadeandwillevermake’.Heidelsays theappointmentprovedthatKlopp‘doesn’t just listentohisgutinstincts;hethinksthingsthrough,andconsidersthebiggerpicture.’In2001, the 34-year-old rookie was honest enough to admit to himself that heneeded help. ‘It’s one of the biggest strengths in a game that teems withegomaniacs and people high on their own self-importance: to knowwhat youcanandcan’tdo,’Doehlingsays.‘Andhisabilitytolearnandabsorbknowledgequickly.That’sagreatadvantage.’

The team instantly responded to the more refined set-up, as Mainztransformedtheir4-4-2intoamorefluid4-3-3goingforward.Afewweeksintothe new season, the inexpensive squad of ‘players that nobody else wanted’(Klopp) were leading the Bundesliga 2 table, playing a football that was‘qualitatively and tactically superior than the majority in the division’, asSüddeutsche Zeitung noted. National newspaper reporters despatched to theBruchwegtoexaminethisuglyducklingstorycamebackwithstartlingquotes.Kloppprofessed thatMainzplayed their game ‘independentof theopposition,dead-balls aside’ and that ‘winning and losing should be explainable, not aquestionofcoincidenceoralosttacklesomewhere.’Carefulnottocomeacrosslikeaswottyknow-it-allinhissteel-rimmedglassesandsufferthesamefateasRangnick–who had been widely mocked as ‘the professor’ after extolling thevirtuesofabackfouronstatetelevisionin1998–Kloppseasonedhistheoreticalutteranceswithheartychanging-roomspeak:His‘onlyproblem’hesaid,wasa‘lackofdistance’fromhisformerteammates.

Mainz had spent the grand sum of nil on new transfers. Six leavers hadbroughtinthesameamountofmoneyinrevenue:nothing.Theplayingbudgetfor theyearwasDM14m,€7m,and thestadiumwasstill acrumblingheapofsteel and wood, two-thirds empty. After barely surviving the drop in May,supportersgreetedtheseriesofwinswithself-mockinghumour.‘We’reonlyacarnival club,’ they were singing in the stands. Klopp’s mysteriousaccomplishmentsandvaguephysicalresemblancetoacertainapprenticewizardhadtabloidBildnicknamehim‘theHarryPotteroftheseconddivision’.‘Peoplewant explanations for why we’re up there,’ he shrugged. From the secondmatchdayonwards,Mainzwere in thepromotionplaces.Aglorious4-1homewinagainst rivalsArminiaBielefeld in frontof14,700fans inmid-April2002opened the door to the Bundesliga. Mainz needed just three points from the

remainingthreegamestocapthemostextraordinaryseasoninthehistoryoftheclub.Theydrew1-1 againstDuisburg.Theydrew1-1 at home tobogey teamGreutherFürth.Onlyadefeatat1.FCUnionBerlinon the finalday,coupledwithwins for bothBochum andBielefeld, could see them slip to fourth spot.‘Wewill go toBerlin, do our job and return as a first division team,’Heidelprophesied.

MainztravelledtotheAltenFörstereistadium–andstraight intoanambush.Many neutrals had taken a liking to the high-flying minnows and theirentertainingfootball,butintheeasternsuburboftheGermancapital,theairwasheavywith politically-charged rancour. ‘It was a very aggressive atmosphere,brutal,’saysHeidel.‘Eventhoughtheyhadnothingtoplayforatall,therewasrawhatred.Theyattackedtheteambus,theyspatatus,theycalledusarrogantWestGermans.Insidethestadium,itfeltasifthehometeamwerecontestingtheWorldCupfinal.’Mainzweren’treadyforthispressurecooker.

Theatmospherehadbeenpoisonedbysome‘creative’writingfromatabloidreporter in Berlin’sKurier. (‘An idiot,’ Strutz bristles.) Some very innocuouslines from Klopp from December about Union’s penchant for full-bloodedfootball were heavily spun, making it sound as if Klopp was denigrating thewell-supportedsidefromtheformerGDRasa‘gangofthugs’(Kloppertruppe).In addition, Klopp was portrayed as a smart-arse, a self-proclaimed footballinnovatoràlaRangnickandastheloudmouthdarlingofDSF,theBundesliga2broadcasters.

Unionplayedwithaknifebetweentheirteethandtooktheleadinthefifty-eighthminute.SwissstrikerBlaiseNkufocameon,hislegheavilystrapped,andscored theequaliser twentyminutesbefore theend. ‘Wethoughtwehadmadeit,’ says Heidel. ‘But then we conceded in the eighty-second minute, threweveryoneforwardandconcededathird.Theteamsbelowushadwon.Wewerefourth.ThewholestadiumsangsardonicsongsaboutKlopp’sfailure.Itwashisworst defeat ever. He’d always been the Sonnyboy, the guy who everybodywanted to interview because of his silly jokes, the guy whomade everybodylaugh.He’dnevertastedsuchdisappointmentbefore.’

Klopp cried bitter tears in the dressing room. ‘Our life’s dream has beendestroyed,’hesaid,ashen-faced.Heidel,too,wasdistraught,certainthatMainzwouldneverget a chance toplay in the top flight again: ‘A fewgoodplayersweresuretogo,Iwasafraidthewholeteammightfallapart.Ithought,that’sit.Itfeltliketheendoftheworldforus.Littledidweknowthatnextyearwouldbemuch,muchworse.’

InBerlin,theMainzplayersandcoachingstuffdrownedtheirnon-promotionsorrows in the teamhotel ‘until the sun cameup’, SandroSchwarz says. ‘Wesaidthatwesomehowhadtoturnthemoodonitshead,totransformthesadnessintosomekindofeuphoriaforthenextseason.’SchwarzremembersarrivingattheMainztrainstationandbeingsurprisedthattherewereacoupleofhundredfans there, greeting the teamwith flags and banners: ‘You used to be able towalkthroughthecitywithnobodycaring.Itwasonlythenthatwerealisedthatthesupporterswerereallybehindus.Thedayafter,thatdeepsadnesswasgone,replacedbyarealfightingspirit,withKloppleadingfromthefront.’

Butpickingupmomentumwasn’t thateasy thesecond timearound.Mainzhad to rebuild. Three important players (striker Nkufo, centre-back ManuelFriedrich and left-back Markus Schuler) had all left, and two terraces of thestadium were being reconstructed in anticipation of a first-ever Bundesligaseason thathadfailed tomaterialise. (ThefederalstateofRhineland-Palatinatepaid for the €5.75m refurbishment, the city council gifted the property to theclubandstoppedchargingthem€100,000fortheannuallease.)Injuriestosomekeypersonnelmadelifedifficult,too.

Following awin in the opening game away toUnionBerlin, of all places,Klopp’steamspenttheentireseasonjustbelowthethreepromotionplaces.Theclubwerebynowthoroughlypersuadedthat theSwabian(stillwithouthisprolicence at that point)was the rightman to take them forward. ‘He didn’t justcoach the team, he also understood and accepted the financial framework wewere operating in,’ says Strutz, implying that the situation had been differentwithpreviouscoaches.

Klopp’scontractwasextendedbytwomoreyearsinOctober2002,despitealeanspellwithoutahomewinthatwouldstretchtotwomonths.‘Myinteresttoextendwasasbigasthatoftheclub,’hetoldFrankfurterRundschau.‘It’sstillapleasure towork here and to be allowed to develop as a coach. Besides, youdon’toftenhavetheopportunityinlifetobeexactlywhoyouarewhereyouare.That’spossiblehere.Idon’tthinkIwouldevenhavetherightclothes[towork]foranotherclub.’

Threegamesbefore theendof the season,adramatic3-2win in thederbyagainstbigneighboursEintrachtFrankfurtliftedFSVtothirdspot.‘Nothinginmecries“yippie”or“that’salmost it”,’Kloppwarned.The remaining fixtureswere kind. Relegation-threatened Ahlen away, minnows Lübeck at home,relegation-threatenedBraunschweigaway.‘Wewantthiselectrifyingfootballallthetimenow,’Strutzsaid.

Sparks certainly did fly at the tinyWersestadion in Ahlen.Mainz fell 2-0downbeforegoingup3-2withninetyminutesgone,butstillmanagedto lose.Twogoalsfromthehomesideininjury-timesawthemdropdowntofifthplace.KloppandkeeperDimoWachenearlycametoblowsafterthefinalwhistle.Butjustastheythoughttheyweredownandout,theywerebackin.A5-1winoverLübeckpavedthewayforanotherfinal,thistimeatBraunschweig.Mainzhadtooutscorethird-placedEintrachtFrankfurt(athometoReutlingen)byonegoaltoquench their Bundesliga desire at last. Klopp took hismen to amini trainingcamp to clear their heads, aware that further failure might turn the erstwhilepopularunderdogintoabitofalaughingstock.Somehadtakentocallingthem‘aBayerLeverkusenofBundesliga2’, a reference to theperennial runners-upfromthefirstdivision.

On the day, there are no signs of any jitters. Mainz are 2-0 ahead withintwentyminutesandleading4-0beforeBraunschweigscoreaconsolationgoalintheeightiethminute.Gameover inLowerSaxony.As thingsstand,Mainzareup!Frankfurtareonlyleading4-3againstReutlingen.Kloppmoveshishandsupanddown,asiftosuppresstheflamesofjoy.BecausethematchinFrankfurtisstill…ongoing.Thehomesidehavejustscoredafifthgoaltomakeit5-3.Thecoach and his players lock arms and form a circle aroundAxel Schuster, theteammanager,who’s on the phone to a journalist inFrankfurt.There are lessthanthreeminutesofinjury-timelefttoplayattheWaldstadion.Twoandahalfminutesofanxietyandprayerslater,theinconceivablehappens.Eintrachtscoretomakeit6-3atthefinalwhistle.Mainzarefourthandintearsforasecondyearrunning.‘Wethought,isthisCandidCamera?’saysSandroSchwarz.‘Wehadenoughchancestowin5-0,6-0.Igetgoosebumpsthinkingaboutit.WewerealllookingatAxelSchuster’s face.Everyonewas completelygone after that, notreallyinthisworldforafewminutes.Itsimplybeggaredbelief.’

‘DieMeisterderSchmerzen’,thechampionsofpain,FrankfurterRundschaucalled them with heartfelt pity. Others were sneering that Mainz should beknownas‘TheUnpromotables’.‘Ahorrificexperience,whatelsecanyousay?’Strutz recalls.He sobbed uncontrollably on the pitch alongsideHeidel.Klopphadquicklyruninsidetoescapethemediaattentionandgleefulchantsfromthehomeside.Strutz:‘Hehadacigaretteanddidn’tsayaword.IknowbecauseIdid the same. You would have thought that it couldn’t get any crueller afterBerlin.’

Klopp cried when his son Marc, thirteen, asked him whether there’d beschoolthenextday.Butonthewhole,hekepthiscomposureremarkablywell.

‘Ibelievethateverythinginlifehappensforagoodreason.Oneday,we’llfindoutwhytodayhappened…’hesaid.

Thenextday,8,000peopleturnedupattheGutenbergplatzcentralsquareinMainz (namedafter JohannesGutenberg, the inventorof theprintingpress) towelcometheteambackinaspiritofdefiance.Mainzhadbeen‘smackedintheface twice’, says Heidel, ‘but Klopp got on the stage and gave these roaringspeechesthatgoteverybodygoing.Heemotionalisedandinspiredpeopleinanincredibleway.’

‘Wewillpickourselvesup,’thecoachsaid.‘Weareallstillyoung,nobodyhastogiveupjustyet.We’redeterminedtodosomuchmoreforthiscityandour fans. I know that people say “Mainz will never do it.” But they have aproblem.We’llbeback.Anyonewhowritesusoffismakingaseriousmistake.’

Themessage,Schwarzexplains,wasbelievablebecausethemessengerwas.‘Thatday,yousawwhoKloppoisasaperson.He’safighter.Youfeltthathewastrulycommittedtohiswordshimself.Isuspectthathefeltfromthefirstdayonwardsallthesethingswerepartoflife’strialsandtribulations,thatwecouldmasteritallbydoingtherightthing,byfocusingonthehereandnow,andbydisregarding the past. That, in my view, is the essence of Kloppo. He wasconvincingbecausehewasconvinced.Heneverfeignedanythinginfrontofus.He’dask:“What’s thealternative?Wecan’tdissolvethefootballclub.”Itwasobviousthatwehadtogoon,andobvioustohimthatthenextattemptwouldbesuccessful. I still remember him saying: “Wewere a point short in 2002.Wewereagoalshortin2003.Youknowwhatcomesnext,don’tyou?”Andthat’showithappened.’

Itdid.Butnotquite in themanneranticipated.Klopp’s third full season inchargewashisworst,points-wise.UkrainianstarforwardAndriyVoronin,whohadbecometooprolificfortheseconddivision(twentygoals)andmovedonto1.FCKöln,had left ahuge,pony-tailedgapup front.Theperformanceswerelargely indifferent.Heidelwarned that toomany playerswere dreaming aboutlife in the Bundesliga instead of concentrating on the hard slog ahead.Kloppdefended his team vigorously against outside criticism (‘I can’t stand it whenmanagerstakecreditforwinsbutblameplayersfordefeats’)butinconsistencydegenerated into a full-blown crisis. Between mid-December and mid-April,FSVwon only two league games.Theywere eighth, six points adrift of thirdplacewithfivegamestogo.

‘Theseasonwasoverforus,’saysKramny.‘Therewastalkaboutchangingthe team.After three failures, you couldn’t see the same faces in the dressing

roomanymore.Quiteafewplayersweretoldtheycouldleave.Iguesstheideawastotryoncemorewithanewsquad.’Mainzalsohadtocutcosts,urgently.The club had lostmoney over the last two campaigns and needed to generatefundstoplughigherthananticipatedcostsforthestadiumrebuild.

That spring,Kramnyadds,Kloppseemed ‘a littlebereftof answers for thefirst time’.Themanager conducteda changing-roomsurvey, askingplayers toanonymouslywrite down their explanations for themalaise. No one came upwithanythinguseful.Inasubsequentteammeeting,Klopptoldhismentostopruminatingonthenegatives;theyalonewereresponsibleforchangingthemoodanddrawingfreshspirit.‘That’sourmissionforthelastfivegames,’hedecreed.

LuckilyforMainz,Duisburgprovidedlessthanfeebleoppositioninthenextgame,goingdown4-1attheBruchweg.InLübeck,Mainzwon4-1again.Then2-0athomeagainstUnterhaching.ButawaytoBavarianminnowsRegensburg,Klopp’steamfailedtogetonthescore-sheet.The0-0drawleftMainzinfourthplace.TheycouldonlygoupiftheybeatEintrachtTrierathomeandAlemanniaAachen(third)didn’twinatKarlsruherSConthefinalday.

Klopp put up a banner in the changing room: ‘Jaaaaaaaa!’ it read. ‘Hewanted to take the huge pressure off the team, by creating a sense ofanticipation,’writeRehbergandKarn,‘theprospectofexperiencingamomentofjoywassupposedtotakecentre-stage,inplaceoftheneedtowin.’Mainzdidwininfrontofasell-outcrowd,2-0.Butonceagain,theywerereliantonaresultgoing theirwayelsewhere.Thegame inKarlsruhewasstillgoingonafter thefinal whistle at the Bruchweg. Aachen were 1-0 down. A couple of tenseminuteslater,Mainzhadfinallydoneit.

Theirtallyoffifty-fourpointsmarkedthemoutastheworstteamtoeverwinpromotiontotheBundesliga.Itdidn’tmatter.‘Thewholecityexploded,’Heidelsays. ‘It’s an emotional town, because of carnival, they love to party and arevery proud. What went down on that Sunday, however, no one had everexperienced.’Mainz,atownwithoutanysignificantfootballingbackground,hadfallen in love with the game and their team ninety-nine years after FSV’sinception.‘Itwaschaos.Peopleeverywhere.’Theteambustookaneternity totraveltheshortdistancefromthestadiumtoGutenbergplatzthroughanoceanofsmiling,deliriousfaces.PlayersandstaffwentupontheStaatstheaterbalconytoaddress thecrowd, andof course itwasKloppwho took themic,drenched inchampagneandtears.Hescreamedoutonewordonly:‘Jaaaaaaaa!’

Onecelebrationwasnotenoughaftertwoheartbreaks,Heidelandthecoachspontaneously decided. ‘We announced thatwewould allmeet again the next

day for anotherpromotionparty at the sameplace.Thirty thousand turnedup.On aMonday! The citywas packed. The face of it all, you have to say,wasKloppo.Without a doubt. But he never, to this day,was vain enough to takemuchcreditforhimself.Peoplewhodon’tknowhimatallwilltellyouthathe’sastraight-upguy,thathe’sauthentic.Becausehereallyis.’

Klopp’sspeechin thecitycentre‘brought tears toeveryone’seyesandhadmothersholdinguptheirbabies,yellingthattheywouldnamethemafterhim’,Doehlingsays,withonlyahintofexaggeration.

‘Goingup in the thirdyearwas thebiggestmiracleofall,’ saysStrutz.Hisfatherhadbeenpresidentoftheclubbeforehim.Mainz’sfirst-everpromotiontothe top flightwas the crowning achievement ofmore than one person’s life’swork. ‘Usually, teams in our situation break apart after two setbacks of suchmagnitude.Inhindsight,notgoingupearlierwasthebestthingthatcouldhavehappenedtous.Youknowwhy?Everyonepassionateaboutfootballwashappyforus.Becausewewere likeable.Becausewe said: “Wewon’tgiveup,we’llpickourselvesupagainfromthefloor.”Noonehadreallylookedatusbefore.ButnowwewereMainz05.’Thedwarf-sizedclubwhowouldn’ttake‘no’forananswer,theserialloserswhoyelled‘yes’intofate’suglyface.‘Thatwasonlypossiblebecauseof thespecial relationshipbetweenKloppandhisplayers.Tothisday,noonefeelsindifferentaboutplayingforus.Playersloveplayinghereandthosewhoplayedheretenyearsagolovecomingback.’

It’satruismthatfootballteamstendtoresembletheircoachesafterawhilebut at Mainz the similarities were more blindingly obvious than elsewhere.‘Theywerelimitedplayers,therewasnooneoutstandinginthesquad,[centre-back]ManuelFriedrichexcepted,’saysQuast.‘ManyremindedmeofKloppo.TherewasTonidaSilva, ‘theonlyBrazilianwhocan’tplay football’,Kloppooncesaid.Hemadehimastar.Therewereallthesejourneymen,quiteaverageplayers with no chance to do anything special elsewhere. A guy like MarcoRose.Hegotoutof the teambusyelling“MarcoRose isaBundesligaplayer.Anyobjections?”intothecamera.Hewouldn’thavebeenabletoplayinthefirstdivision in any other city on the planet. Only in Mainz. They all had thatmentality thatKloppohimself had.Theywent for it, theygave their all.TheywouldgofordrinksattheBallplatzcafétogether,playersandcoach.Tellmeonecoachwhodoesthat.’

Promotion for Mainz doubled the club’s budget to €20m per season andeasedfinancialconcernsaboutthestadiumbuildingworks.Long-servingplayerssuch as SandroSchwarz and JürgenKramnywere offered new contracts after

all.Buttherestillwasn’tanymoneyforstars.‘MainzwillbeincompetitionwithSCFreiburgforbeingthenicestclubin

the Bundesliga,’ wrote Süddeutsche Zeitung, ‘but no one should overlook thefactthatit’llbeverydifficultforthem.Thisisateamwhoworkhardbutaren’tsuspectedofcommittingartistry.Theyslaveawaywhile the fanssingcarnivalsongsinthestands,andtheirgamebetraysthecoach’sloveoftheEnglishstyleofplayingfootball.’

‘TheBundesligacanlookforwardtohavingus,’Klopppronounced.‘Weareupforit.’

InJune2004,Germanfootballwasdownandout,disorientatedanddemoralised.The national team of Rudi Völler had just crashed out of the Europeanchampionship at the group stage without a win for the second time running,havingembarrassedthemselveswithpainfullyslow,negativeperformancesthatweredubbed‘sleepertrainfootball’andRumpelfußball(fromrumpeln:tostutterandstumble)byaghastpunditsandpapers.

Thegameplayedbythecountry’sfinesthadlookedsohopelesslybehindthetimes that not one experienced coach wanted to take over the side two yearsahead of theWorldCup on home soil. Bereft of anymainstream choices, theGermanFAreluctantlyentrusted the task toJürgenKlinsmann, theCalifornia-based reformist who preached the need for more speed and an aggressive,youthfulrepositioningofthenationalteam’sbrand.‘Germanyhasalwaysbeenadoernationbutwehadstoppedplayingdoerfootball,’herecalledadecadelater.

It would take until the end of the competition two years later before theformer striker’s widely mistrusted ways were formally vindicated. But in theBundesliga,changecameabitquicker.2004–05wastheseasonthatGermany’sdull,plodding,tacticallyantiquatedleaguegotamoveon.ThreeyoungSwabiancoacheswhohadlearntintheseconddivisionthatsmallteamscouldgetbiggerandbettercourtesyof ingeniousstrategyanddedicatedexecutionwere findingthat their formula worked just as well against the traditional giants of thedomestic game. ‘There’s a surge in the Bundesliga,’ wrote FrankfurterAllgemeine. ‘Risky football, defending from the front, pressing and a generalsenseofacceleration:thesearethecharacteristicsofamovementepitomisedbythese “poor” underdogs.’ Sweepers and lazy playmakers had no place in asystemic approach in which the emphasis on the collective pierced thecommonly held conviction that individuals made the difference at that level.‘They play concept football, not hero football,’Berliner Zeitung noted of the

newwaveof‘improvementmanagers’shakingupthestatusquo.At Schalke 04, Ralf Rangnick outlawed the back-pass in training and

stipulated a maximum of two contacts on the ball. Arminia Bielefeld’s UweRapolder,whohadledtheEast-WestphalianstopromotionaheadofMainz,wona surprising amount of gameswith a well-below-average but perfectly drilledsquad that overpowered and outsmarted much more skilful opponents. AndMainzcoachJürgenKlopp,thethirdandbyfarloudestpartofthistriumvirateofsouth-western football auteurs, oversaw an exhilarating debut campaign thatsoon disabused cynics of the idea that FSV were set to party all the way tocertainrelegation.Fivewinsandthreedrawsinthefirst tengamesprovedthatthecash-strappednovicescouldprevailinthebigtime.

Despite the weighty theoretical underpinnings of their game, Schalke,Bielefeld andMainzwere admired as Spaßmannschaften, as fun teams. Theircoachesdidn’t justplayagood,moderngame.Theytalkedone,too.Klopp,inparticular, sparkled in the spotlight, wooing the public with elaboratedescriptionsofhisteam’sstrategiesandeulogiestotheirfightingspirit,stressingthatthebestschemewasnothingwithoutthelegsandthepassiontobringittobear.TwobiginterviewswithDerSpiegelandtazprovidedenoughinterestingquotes to last a decade. They didn’t read like regular question-and-answersessions,morelikeamanifesto:foradifferentkindoffootball,andadifferentkindofcoaching,basedontheprinciplesofhumanityandrespect.

‘Wewant to dominate the game,’ the second-youngest coach in the leagueafter Matthias Sammer said about his game plan. ‘Especially when we don’thavetheball.Wewanttheopponenttoplaytheballintopreciselytheareaswewanthimtoplayitinto.Theopponenthavingtheballisourbuild-upforscoringagoal.Wewanttowinbacktheballsoquicklythatwe’llonlyneedonepasstoget infrontofgoal.Wedon’trunmorethanothers,butwerunwithout takingbreaks.Whyshouldwe[takebreaks]?Wetrainallweektobesharpforninetyminutes.Andwehaveawell-definedsystem.Wedon’tstingeverythinginsightlikeaswarmofhornets.Weluretheopponentandthenstinghim.’

‘The experience,’ he added, ‘is more important than the result. We playErlebnisfußball [football that provides an experience], exactly the kind offootball that Iwant towatch.Wewant to run incessantly. That’s our code ofarms.Wearethevanguardoftheregularguysinthepub.Theywantustorunandfight.Ourentryticketiswell-defined,weekafterweek:passion,willingnesstorun,will. Ifoneguyleavesthestadiumthinking,“theyshouldhaverunandfoughtmore today”,wegot itwrongcompletely. I love thisgamebecause it’s

about power, because it stirs up the dust.You can only get in touchwith thegame’s emotionality via pace and action. A win alone is never emotional. Agoodgamemakesthehairsat thebackofyourneckstandupuntilMondayorTuesday.Footballistheatre.Ifwedon’tputonasuperbperformance,onlytwoguyswillbesittingthereattheend.’

Mainz’s elevated levels of coherence on the pitch were underwritten by aspecialbondoffit,Kloppexplained.Twoyearsearlier,hehadtakenhisteamtoa remote Black Forest hut where they had to cook and clean for themselves.AheadoftheirfirstBundesligaseason,anextremelyunpleasantsurvivaltriptoSwedenhadyieldedfourdaysofalmostnon-stoprain,plentyofmosquitobites,anear-mutinybythesquad(‘theywantedtocharterahelicoptertogetusoutofthere’) but also a new-found closeness as a result of the shared experience.Klopp asked the players to write a letter to themselves in the glow of thecampfire,detailingtheirimpressionsandfeelingsaboutthejourneytotheheartoftheScandinavianwilderness.Theletterswereputinenvelopesandcollectedby Klopp, who told his men they’d be kept, to be revisited in case the teamexperiencedacrisisinthemonthsahead.‘Eachofthemcouldthenreadwhathehadwritten down at that time, sitting around the firewith his teammates, andrememberthosespecialandinvigoratingemotions.’

TheMainzplayerswerealsoshownadocumentaryontheNewZealandAllBlacksrugbyteam.KloppaskedhismenhowtheyfeltaboutcallingthemselvestheAllReds.Would they feel embarrassed?Orcould theyputon the05 shirtandvowtothemselvesthattheywouldpushtotheverylimitsaslongtheyworeit?Mainz never performed the haka in the changing room. ButMaori chantswereplayedontheteambusstereodrivingintostadiums.

Since the club couldn’t afford to buy players that didn’t fit the footballingandpsychologicalprofile,HeidelandKloppconductedextensivejobinterviewswithprospective recruits. Ifpossible, theplayerwas invited toMainzwithhiswifeorgirlfriend.Kloppwouldspeaktohimaloneatfirst,forthree,four,fivehours, talking football while Heidel was showing off Mainz’s most beautifulspots to thewife or girlfriend.Afterwards,Heidelwould talk to the player. ‘Iwanted to find out about his background and his family, I wanted to get animpression of him as a person,’ he says. ‘And I told himmany things aboutJürgenKlopp.Itwouldhavebeensillytodothatwithhimintheroom.Isaidtotheplayerthathewouldeventuallylovethiscoach.Thatkindofstuff.

‘Therewere two key questions. “Do you like to train?” If somebody said:“Well,notreally,butI’matmybestattheweekend”–goodbye.Nochance.And:

“Doyoulikerunning?”Ifsomebodysaid:“Ipreferdoingitwithmytechnique,”or“Idon’tneedthat”,wedidn’ttakethem.Ialwayssaidtothem:“Ifyouthinkyou’llscorethreegoalsattheweekendwithouttraininghardpleasetellmenow.Becauseyou’llneverplayhere.Regardlessofyourname.”Playersrespondedtosuch honesty. Thereweremanywe didn’t take becausewe felt they couldn’tdeliverwhatwas needed.Also if someone said: “It’s onlyMainz…”We senthim away. Kloppo always said: “I want to get the feeling that you can onlyimagineplayingforoneclubrightnow:Mainz.Ifyoudon’thavethatfeeling,ifyouthinkyouhavetotalktoothersfirst,leaveit.Ifyouhaven’tcaughtfireafterI toldyouabout theclub,youshouldn’tcomehere.Andbehonest,because itwon’twork.”Theplayerswereimpressedbythat.Andthenwesenthimhome,without a concrete offer.We said: “Think about it. Can you imagine playinghere?”Wetoldhimthatwewouldalsodeliberate.“Wewilltellyouifwewantyou. If it doesn’twork out because ofmoney, so be it.”But it almost alwaysworked. The players we hooked we got. We knocked them out. Once theysigned,KloppoandIhigh-fivedeachother.Itwasclockwork.’

Egyptian striker Mohamed Zidan was a good case in point. His agentdismissed amove to 05 fromWerder Bremen, saying ‘Mainz?What does hewantinMainz?’Heidelremembers.‘Butafterwehadtalkedtohim,hewasaskeenascanbe.Heonlywantedtojoinus,nooneelse.’Apartfromafunctioningsystem that made the most of everybody’s qualities and thus increased theplayers’marketability(‘whoeverperformsinMainzwill,atsomestage,getthechancetoearnwhatothersareearning,’Klopppredicted),theclubalsoofferedanappealingwork–lifebalance.Heidel: ‘Thereareworsecities to live in.Youcan live a normal life as a footballer there. In Cologne, you can’t go on thestreet. InMainz, that’s stillpossible.Youwillhardly findaplayerwhodidn’tenjoyplayingforus.Weneverhadtopenalisepeopleforindiscretions.Itwasn’tnecessary.’

Thatisnottosaythattheusualrulesdidn’tapply.Latearrivalsfortrainingweresanctionedwithacoupleofhundredeurosfee.Therewasalsoatariffforthecoachhimselfbeingtardy:500euros.Oneday,whenMainzwerestillinthesecond division and Klopp was still living in Frankfurt’s lower middle-classGallusviertel area, he arrived at Michael Thurk’s apartment in the sameneighbourhood to pick up the striker for their daily commute down thenotoriouslycongestedA66Autobahn.Repeatedringsofthedoorbellbroughtnoanswer. Klopp rang all the bells until someone let him in, then knocked onThurk’s door. After a while the door opened: Thurk, in pants. ‘Oh, Coach,

sorry…’‘I’llgiveyouexactlytwominutes,otherwiseI’lldriveoffwithoutyou.’Agoodninetysecondslater,Thurkwasdownatthecar,wearingajumbleof

thrown-togetherclothes.Thedrive toMainzwas ‘pretty stressful’, saysQuast,who shared the ride. ‘Traffic jams, everything blocked. Kloppowas sweatingbecausehewasn’t onmuchmoney then.Fivehundred euroswas a lot.Thurkalsostartedsweating–Klopp toldhimhe’dhave topay if theywere late.Theysomehowmadeitwithtwosecondstospare.’

Kloppmadeapointoftreatinghisplayersthewayhewishedformercoacheshad treated him as a player. Midfielder Fabian Gerber was given a day offtrainingtocelebratehismother’sbirthday–anewsworthy,fiercelydebatedeventinthemachismo-infusedBundesliga.‘Iwasn’tallowedtobewithmysonforhisfirstdayofschooltenyearsagoandstillaskmyselfwhyIwasstupidenoughtoheed that order from the coach,’Klopp explainedhis leniency. ‘Iwant peoplearoundmetodowell.That’swhatlifeisabout.Okay,weplayfootball,there’sroughlanguageandsometimesmore.ButIdon’thavetosteponpeople’stoes.Idon’thavetothreatenpunishmenttogetthemtoperform.Ihavetoshowplayerstargets in a way that they automatically want to achieve them. That’s what Ibelievein.’

05strikersBenjaminAuerandThurksometimesarguedforamorerelaxedplayingstyle,withoutsuccess.Kloppwasuncompromisingwhenitcametohisfootballingagenda.‘Butonlyoneplayer,’Heidelinsists,‘didn’tgetalongatallinMainz:HannoBalitsch.HealwayssaidthatKloppandtheteambehavedlikeacult,thattheywerelaughingtheirheadsoffallday.Hecouldn’tstandthat,andhealsothoughtitstrangethatplayerswereaddressingthecoachwith“Du”[notthemoreformal“Sie”].Hannoandmestill laughaboutitnowwhenwebumpintoeachother.ButIchallengeyoutofindothers,eventhosewhodidn’tplayregularly, who’ll say one bad word about Mainz. They won’t. I always toldprospectiveplayerstocallandaskformerplayersabouttheiropinion.Theyhadnoreasontolie.’

Mainz won plenty of plaudits for a courageous showing in the 4-2 defeatagainstFelixMagath’sBayernattheOlympicstadiumattheendofNovember.Butdarknesswasclosingin.SevenmoredefeatsandonegoallessdrawagainstRapolder’s Bielefeld left them in fifteenth place, four points ahead of therelegation zone. There were no more insightful interviews in highbrowpublicationswiththemanager,butquestionsabouthisjobsecurity.TheMainzboard,however,madeitclearthatKloppwouldstayonasmanagereveninthe

caseof relegation.Thequestions recededagain. ‘Getting ridofhimwasneverdiscussed,’ says Strutz, ‘we were convinced of him as a coach and a humanbeing.’

Klopp told the fans at theBruchweg to stop swaying to the carnivalmusicand celebrate every won tackle instead. He had sleepless nights and lateradmittedtofeelinglonelyamidstthewaveofbadresults(‘Icouldn’taskanyonebecausecoachesdon’ttendtooutliveeightdefeatsinarow’)butstayedupbeatinthedressingroomandprojectedcalmness.‘Theplayersneverstarteddoubtingthemselves,thatwashisrealachievementasacoach,’writeRehbergandKarn.A tactical tweak–Mainz started playing 4-3-2-1–also helped them to find theirfeet again. Wins against Freiburg (5-0), Schalke (2-1), Hannover (2-0) andBochum(6-2)easedfearsofthedrop.Aftermatchday32,a4-2homedefeatbychampions Bayern, they were mathematically safe. Both teams celebratedtogetherwiththefans,swillingbigjugsofbeeronthepitch.Mainzfinishedtheirfirst-everBundesligaseasonineleventhplace.

Klopp’s ability to sell himself, his football and his club to others, even attimes of struggle, distinguished him from Wolfgang Frank, says Doehling.‘Frankdidn’thave that talent.He losthisnerveafter everydefeat, bemoaningMainznotdoingbetterand thestadiumbeingempty.Klopp learnedfromthat.Heknewhowtotalktopeople.Doyousaytothem:“You’reallidiotsbecauseyoudon’tunderstandhowgreatourfootballis”?Ordoyousay:“Thisisafull-throttle event. Everyonewho doesn’t come to experience thatwill reallymissout.You’dbettercome.”He’sgotatalentforbeingpositive.And,youwillhaveheardthatbefore,hecapturespeople.Therearen’tmanypeopleinGermanywhocan do that. Can you get people behind you, behind your idea? Politics is nodifferenttocoaching.He’sabornpolitician.Butyoumustn’tdrivepeopleintothefire.Youcanonlydothatonce,thenthey’regone.Youhavetoleadtheminand out of the battle again–alive. You have to deliver them. Then they willfollowyou.’

Staying up in 2004–05 was a ‘football fairy-tale’, says Quast. People inMainz had almost become used to miracles; the extraordinary had becomeroutine.HerecallsBayernfansstandingoutside thegroundwithopenmouths,staring at Klopp partying with supporters in the club’s stadium pub, theHaasekessel, after the final whistle. ‘“Hold on, isn’t that your coach?” thevisitingsupporterswondered.Theywentuptohimtotakesomephotos.Hewasalways there, drinkingwith the twenty-five fanswhohad seen him score fourgoalsatErfurt.Hedidn’twanttochange.Thatwashim.AndthatwasMainz.’

A couple of weeks after securing top-flight survival,Mainz’s fortunes took aturn for the evenmore fantastical.TheBundesliga’s smallest club found itselfexperiencing a dream within a dream, like the marks in Christopher Nolan’sInception.Thanks to thecongenialdemeanourofplayers,officialsandfans–aswellasaheftydoseof luck–FSVbecameoneof twoEuropean teamsallowedintotheUEFACupbywayoftheFairPlayranking.(Theirroleastheleague’snicest,mostfun-lovingclubdidn’twinuniversalapproval,however.UltrasfromHannover96heldupabannersaying‘Yourlikabilitymakesusvomit’monthslater.)

Jürgen Klopp played things cool. ‘UEFA Cup feeling? Is that like heartburn?’he replied toquestionsaboutMainz’scompletelyunexpectedexcursioninto European football. Worries about the heightened demands on theinexperienced,close-knitsquadweresimilarlybrushedaside:‘Weshouldn’ttalkourselvesintohavingaproblem.Theonlydifferenceisthatwe’llseelessofourwives.’

But thatwasn’t the only difference.Adventurous trips toArmenia (4-0 onaggregate v FK Mika Ashtarak), Iceland (4-0 on aggregate v Keflavik) andSpain (0-2 defeat on aggregate v Seville) brought huge excitement but alsofatigueandexhaustionintheearlystagesofthe2005–06season.MainzlostthefirstfiveBundesligagames.Ah,second-seasonsyndrome,manysaid,thepartywasover.Gravitywasbringingthehigh-flyersbackdowntotheirnaturallevelat last. ‘It’s questionable how longMainz’s fun societywill continue to existunderincreasedpressure,’wroteNeueZürcherZeitungominously.

Kloppsoughtinspirationinacomicstriphehadreadasateenager.‘CleverandSmart’, drawnbySpanish illustratorFrancisco Ibanez (‘Mort andPhil’ inEnglish), are secret agents who constantly suffer terrible mishaps and gravemutilationswithout any lastingdamage, appearingasgoodasnew in theverynext panel. ‘I loved these comics,’ Klopp said. ‘The time needed forregenerationby the characterswasbrilliant. It didn’tmatterwhetheryouwereflattened by a steamroller or fell off a cliff 800 metres high–things simplycarriedon!’

In‘CleverandSmart’,thelawsofphysicsandbiologydidn’tapply.ButtheBundesliga was a much less forgiving environment. Mainz’s form recoveredafter their UEFA Cup exit at the end of September. The results didn’t. Tengamesintotheseason,FSVwereintherelegationzonewithsevenpointsontheboard. A 3-1 defeat away to Hertha BSC was typical of an inexplicabledisconnectbetweensplendidattackingfootballanddepressingscorelines.Klopp

instructed everybody to look past the numbers. ‘We will analyse this matchindependently of the result,’ he told reporters in Germany’s capital. Localbroadsheettazwasalittlesurprisedtonotethattheplayerscontinuedtokeepthefaith, determined ‘to stay the good-mood-gang of the league, to keep actingcourageously,tokeepplayingoffensively,fastandwithaplan,andaboveall,tokeeppresentingthemselves insuchawaythateventhemostcriticalobserverscan’thelpbutnoticethatthesemenenjoyplayingfootball.’

Klopphimselfstillenjoyedfootball,thatmuchwasobvioustothoseclosestto him.He regularly turned out as a player for the team ofKemweb, a smallmedia agency whose offices were close to his house in the suburb ofGonsenheim.Kemwebplayedagainstotherfirms–banks,supermarkets,buildingfirms–in a dedicated amateur league, and theywere often short ofmen. PeterKrawietz,whoworkedforthem,hadonedayaskedKloppifhefeltlikemakingup the numbers. He did. Every three or four weeks, whenever Mainz’sBundesliga scheduled allowed it, he’d play somewhere in the countrysidebetweenvineyardsandfieldsofturnips‘againstmenwithhugebeerbelliesandincredibly bad players who were all world champions of the “third half”’, asMartinQuastrecalls. ‘Kloppowasathishappiest there,amongthoseguys.Hestoodonthepitchandkeeledoverlaughingwhensomebloketriedtoshootongoal and hit the corner flag instead. Afterwards, everybody huddled aroundKloppoinatentorinapub,andhedidn’tstoplaughingallnight.Thatbarkinglaughofhis.Allyousawwerehisbigteeth.CompletelyrandompeopleworkingatabankoratBlendax,thetoothpastefactory,wenthomesaying:“HerrKlopp,weknewyouasacoach,butwehadnoideayou’resuchacoolguy.Sensational.Youcouldstillplayintheseventhdivision,right?”Thatwasthebiggestpraisetohisears.Becauseheneverpretendedtobesomeonehewasn’t.’

Asthedaysdrewshorter,Mainz05’sstrongattackingdepartment–playmakerda Silva, strikers Michael Thurk, Benny Auer, Petr Ruman and MohamedZidan–startedtoturnaheapofgoal-scoringopportunities intotangiblesuccessat last. ByChristmas,Mainz had amassed 16 points. The positivemomentumcouldnotbeoverlooked.Kloppwasofferedatwo-yearcontractextensionuntilthe2008winterbreak,andheaccepted.ChristianHeideldidn’tdenyreportsthecoach’ssalaryhadbeenraisedto€1.2m,whichwouldhaveputhimnotfarofftheBundesligaeliteatthetime.

‘Mainz 05 are a fantastic club,’ Klopp told Frankfurter Rundschau in adouble-interview alongside Heidel in January 2006. ‘They have literallyexploded in terms of their development over the last five years, without

changing theircharacter.Working there is stillagreat, funchallenge.Lookingforanotherchallengerightnowwasneverupfordebate.’

Klopp,thefuseforMainz’sexplosion,deniedbeingchangedbythespotlightbutdidconcede thathishighprofilewasbeginning tohaveanegative impact.‘You get used to getting recognised, your private life suffers,’ he said. ‘Ifsomebodyhadbeamedmeintotheyear2005fiveyearsago,Iwouldhavebeenshocked. I would have been able to run through Mainz naked then, nobodywouldhaveknownmyname.’

Streaking throughthegenteelstreetsofGonsenheimwasperhapsno longeranoptionbutKloppdidn’texactlyhideeither.Hisnamewasonthedoorbellofhishouse.(ItwasstillthereinNovember2016.)YouwouldfindhimonthesundeckofCaféRaabashortwalkawayorrentingDVDsfromVideoToniintheevenings.Oneday,Toni,theowner,saidtoKlopphe’dgetfreevideosforlifeifhisshopwasshownontelevision.Hearingthat,MartinQuastincludedToniinafeatureonKloppforSport1.Tonikepthisword. ‘NowKloppowillneverpayagain,’hesaid.

HeideldidwarnKloppthathewouldgofrombeing‘themostfamouspersonin Mainz’ to somebody known ‘by eighty million Germans, including everygrandadandgrandma’,afterworkingforZDFattheWorldCupinfivemonths’time. If the subtext of the Rundschau conversation–that Klopp was slowlyoutgrowingMainz05–was lostonanyone, thecoachmadesure tospell itout.‘Mywillingness to be a coach atMainzwon’t last for ever,’ he said. ‘I can’timaginestillbeinghereintenyears.I’mtoocuriousforthat.I’dkickmyselfuptheback-side[tomakeamovethen].’

Klopp’swinsomenessmighthavecreatedunwantedattentionforhim,butittranslatedintocoldhardcashfortheclub,Heidelsays:‘Noonewasjealous.Onthecontrary:wetookadvantageofhispopularity.TheKloppoeffecthelpeduswinsponsorsandselltickets.’Theclubwerebeginningtothinkbig,farbeyondthenextgameandtheimmediateneedtostaveoffrelegationforasecondtime.Theyconductedafeasibilitystudyintobuildinganewstadium.Andafterfifteenyearsinthejob,Heidelfinallywentfull-timeastheclub’sgeneralmanager.‘Wehave a chance here to create an infrastructure that we wouldn’t have dreamtabout a coupleofyears ago,’Klopp said. ‘Iwant tobepart of that challenge.WhenIleave,Iwanttheclubtohavebenefitedfromme.Thatwasalwaystheplan.Iwanttoleaveamark.’

‘NegotiationswithKloppo lasted twominutes,’Heidel says. ‘I gave him apieceofpaperwithanumber.Hewasallowedtoputtheyearnexttoit.Shakeof

hands,endofstory.Wenevernegotiated.Healwaysagreedtomyproposal.Youknow,healwayscomplainsaboutearningso littleasaplayer,buthewas, forsure,thebest-paidmanagerintheseconddivision.Byadistance.Andhewasn’tapauperinthefirstdivisioneither.BecauseIknewhowimportanthewas.Heearned asmuch as three, four players put together.Hewould say: “Comeon,that’s toomuch.”“No.You’reworth it.”Sometimespeoplecalled to lurehimawayandhewould laughhisheadoff.Becausenoonerealisedhowmuchwewere paying him. Seven figures. There were many Bundesliga coaches whodidn’tmakethat.Kloppfilledupthewholestadium.Hewasanadvertisingiconfor Mainz 05. You can’t measure that effect in pecuniary terms. It went farbeyondhisworkintraining.’

Theteam’sobvioustop-heaviness,meanwhile,necessitatedatacticalrethink.Mainz’sbestplayerswereallinattack,soanew4-4-2systemwithadiamondinmidfield–andThurkbehindtwostrikers–wasputinplacetobringtheirqualitiestobear.AwaytoDortmundinFebruary,thenewformationseemedtoleavethemidfield far too exposed, however. The coaching staff were mulling overabandoning the experiment at half-time, withMainz 1-0 down and not in thegameatall.Buttheystuckwithit.Somehow,thingsfellintoplace,Thurkscoredandthevisitorswereintheendunluckynottotakeallthreepoints.‘Thatwasavery toughmoment,’Klopp later said, ‘one ofmany valuable lessons for us.’Sevenpointsfromthenextthreegamesliftedthemclearoftherelegationplaces.

Recognition for Klopp’s good work also arrived in another shape: centre-backManuelFriedrichwascalledupbyJürgenKlinsmann–thefirst-everMainzplayerintheNationalmannschaft.‘Manuisaclassdefenderandsuperlad.I’mhappy for Jürgen Klinsmann that he’ll be able to get to know him,’ Kloppquipped,beamingwithpride.

Mainzonlylostonematchinseven,3-0awaytoNürnberg,intheirmodifiedshape.Nevertheless,resultselsewhereconspiredagainstthemaheadofthehomegameagainstleagueleadersFCBayernMunichonmatchday31.Theteamwereconfined to a bleak, cheerless place. But that had nothing to do with theirunexpected slip into the relegation places. On the invitation of Rhineland-Palatinateminister of justiceHerbertMertin,Klopphad taken the squad for avisittotheRohrbachfederalprison.Oneinmatetoldthecoachthathehadoncesat next to him on a fan bus journey to aMainz second division gamewhenKlopp had been suspended and travelled with the supporters. The Mainzmanager listened attentively to the inmate’s life story. ‘Man, you have to getyour life in orderwhen you get out,’ he advised him,Frankfurter Rundschau

reported.Klopptoldthepaperitwasimportantforhisplayers‘toexperienceacompletelydifferentworldthat’sanythingbutfunandluxury.Thatkindofthinghelpsyougrowasahumanbeingandasaplayer,evenif itdoesn’tquitehelpyouwinagainstBayern.’

Thebestpartoftheunusualtrip,however,wasthechance‘togettheboysinhereafewextrahoursoutsidetheircells’,headded.Havingbeentoldthattherewasnolivefootballontelevisioninsidethejail,KloppaskedMertintoinstallapayTVdecoder to enable the inmates towatchMainz’smatchvBayern.Thepoliticianonlysmiledatthebrazensuggestionbutfeltthattheteamvisitmighthaveservedasa‘kick-start’fortherehabilitationofsomeoftheconvicts.

Back on the pitch, Mainz drew 2-2 with Bayern. ‘It would be disaster ifMainzwere to go down,’ Bayern generalmanagerUliHoeness said after theevenlycontestedninetyminutes.Anervy3-0winaway toVfLWolfsburgputtheclubintoaverypromisingposition.Andonthepenultimatematchdayitwascarnival timeat theBruchwegoncemore.MainzbeatSchalke1-0.Theyweresafe.A tearful, beer-drainedKloppmounted the stadium fence to sing punch-drunk songs with the fans. ‘He’s the ultra among the Bundesliga coaches,’Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote, and ‘Mainz 05 has become the expression of hispersonality’, a club where both players and the crowd were ‘whipped into afrenzy’ by theman on the sideline and ‘tens of thousandswere living in stepwiththeemotionsprescribedbytheircoach.’

Aftera0-0atDuisburgonthefinaldayoftheseason,thepoorestsideintheleague(theirwagebillof€13mwas less thanhalfof theaveragefor theotherseventeen sides, €28m)were once again ranked the eleventh-best team in thecountry. Some players wondered whether they had actually underachieved inviewof their playing capabilities, butFriedrichmaintained that the clubknewexactlywhat they had done. ‘Being able to play in theBundesliga again nextyear is thegreatest thing forus,’he said. ‘Westill experienceeachgameasapresent,likeakidwithwideeyes.’

Like a discreetly out of tune violin among a philharmonic orchestra,however, two small, annoying quibbles jarred with the celebrations ever soslightly. Mainz fans had angrily jeered former FSV midfielder MimounAzaouaghduring theSchalkematch; a sign, perhaps, that the self-styledpartyclubwasbecomingabit lessspecial,more likeanormalone. ‘That’snotwhoweare,’Kloppcastigatedthesupporters.Secondly,regularobserversnotedthatHeidel protested a little too vigorously when someone put it to him that thelossesofplaymakerdaSilva(toStuttgart)andkeystrikerMohamedZidan(back

toWerder)wouldbetoughtocompensate.‘We’vebeenhearingthatforfifteenyearsnow,’hesaiddismissively.

But that summer, the floodgatesopened. Inaddition todaSilvaandZidan,striker Benny Auer and defender Mathias Abel also left. Most damaging, inmoreways thanone,was thedepartureof a fifth regular,MichaelThurk.Theforward’stwelvegoalsin2005–06hadgonealongwaytokeepingMainzsafe,ashadhissixgoalsinthesecondhalfofthepreviousseason.ThurkwasthetypeofstrikerGermanscallaSchlitzohr,literally:acut-upear.Theexpressiongoesbacka fewhundredyears, towhenapprentice craftsmenworegoldenearringsandhadthemrippedoutasapunishmentformisdemeanours.Thurkwasastreethustler on the pitch, a lovable hoodlum and serial irritant for defenders.He’dgrownupintheGallusquarterofFrankfurt,anindustrial,working-classdistrictwedgedinbytwomajorrailwaylines.Localsreferredtotheareaas‘Kamerun’,duetoitshighlevelofimmigrants.

Thurk’sbraceonthefinaldayofthe2003–04seasonagainstEintrachtTrierhadliftedMainztotheBundesliga,buthehadcastasolitary,distraughtfigureamidsttheecstaticfestivities.ThurkhadagreedtomovetoEnergieCottbusforthecomingseason, inanticipationof theEastGermanclub’spromotion to thetopdivision.But inEnergie’splace,Mainzhadgoneup. ‘I feel likeshit.DoIreallyhavetogothere?’Thurkmutteredthroughoutthepartyinthecitycentre,cryinginconsolably.

Heidel had promised the forward that he’d be welcome to return if histransfer to Cottbus didn’t work out. When it didn’t, Thurk paid part of histransferfeetofacilitatehisreturninJanuary2005.‘InMainz’shistory,wehavemade two incredibly [good] personnel decisions,’ Strutz said later, ‘One isKlopp.TheotheronewastotakebackThurkfromCottbus.Whatthisguyisonthepitchisincredible.’

InJuly2006,ThurklearnedofinterestfromEintrachtFrankfurt.Themovetohishometownwashugelyattractivetohim,emotionallyandfinancially.Mainzwantedhimtostay.Thurkprovokedafalling-outwithHeidelandKlopptoforcethrough his sale. He professed himself disappointed that the Mainz generalmanagerhadnotinformedhimofEintracht’senquiries,thenattackedKloppfornotbackinghimenoughinrelationtoapossiblecall-upbythenationalteam.‘Ihave to think about that,’ the Mainz coach had–truthfully–answered whensomeone had asked him about Thurk’s prospectswithKlinsmann. ‘That’s notsimplyanegativestatementaboutaplayer,’Thurkcomplained, ‘I feltas ifhewas making fun of me.’ But the thirty-year-old went further, much further.

Klopp, Thurk said, was some kind of ‘super guru’ whose man-managementprowesswasvastlyoverrated:‘Thisconstantcheerfulness,alwaysafunnyquip.The stuff he says in the team meetings, his way of motivating. I switch off,becauseI’vehearditathousandtimesbefore.It’swornthin.Manyofthethingshesays,Ican’thearanymore.’

Therewasnogoingbackafterthat.Mainzsoldhimtotheirlocalrivals.Theswitchdidn’tworkoutforThurk,however.Heonlyscoredfourgoalsinthirty-six games before moving on to FC Augsburg. ‘The stuff Thurk said wasunforgivable, it was scorched-earth stuff,’ says Quast. ‘Kloppo was God inMainz, you can’t do that. It got very personal. After theirmany car journeystogethertoandfromFrankfurt,theyhadbecomeveryclose,likeTopfundArsch[potandbum]. ItwascalculatedbyMicha.Heknew theclubhad to sellhim.Buthowdoyoudealwith a guy like that?For awhile, their relationshipwasvery tense. Iwas sureKloppowouldbreakoffall contact.But then,2015–16,AugsburgareplayingatLiverpool.Andwho’sthere,sittingintheVIPboxnexttoUlla [Klopp’swife]?MichaelThurk!Kloppohad invitedhimas a guest ofhonour.ThurkhadplayedforAugsburg,soitwashisgame,too,inaway.Therewas no grudge, no ill-feeling at all. That’s cool. I respect peoplewho can letbygonesbebygoneslikethat.’

Thestarttothe2006–07seasonwasspectacular.RafaelBenítez’sLiverpoolweredemolished5-0inafriendlyattheBruchweg.MainzbeatVfLBochum2-1inthefirstBundesligagameoftheseason.Butthatwasit,asfaraswinswereconcerned. The newly built team couldn’t make the demanding systemwork.Eight draws and eight defeats left them propping up the table at the halfwaymark.

Thurk’s attack supplied an easy explanation for Mainz’s terrible results:Klopp could no longer inspire the dressing room. Maybe he was too busyanalysing the national team’s games for ZDF to pay attention to mundaneBundesligamatters,thetabloidswondered.

Strutz says thatwasn’t theproblem. ‘Beforeonegame,againstSchalke04,Kloppmadeanunbelievablespeechinthepressconference.Hejusttalkedandtalked,andattheend,Iwassurethatwewouldgoandwin.Iaskedoneofthecameramen to giveme the tape.’ ‘Wewill keep our naive belief,’ Klopp hadsaid, ‘wewon’t go to Schalke feeling smallwith our backs bowed or broken.Whoeverstaysthecourse,nevergivesup,neverstopsworkingwillberewardedat the end. That’s my fundamental belief. We will keep on fighting untilsomeonetellsus:“Youcanstopnow,theseason’sover.”’Mainzlostthegame,

4-0.Thematchbeforethewinterbreak,athometoFCBayern,broughtthesame

scoreline. A Mexican wave swept through the sold-out Bruchweg, one partdefiance,twopartsgallowshumour.Strutzdidn’tlikeit.‘Iwouldhavepreferredif thecrowdhadreally jeeredtheplayers instead.’Theclubbossesagreedthatthe team, especially some of the new recruits, lacked ability and application.Therewouldbesomechangesduringtheholidays,butnotonthebench.HeideldeclaredKloppunsackable.‘Wewouldjumpforjoyifheextendedhiscontractbeyond2008withus,’hetoldthepress.

KloppdeniedthathisteamhadbeenafraidoftheBavarians’visit–‘wedidn’tshitourselves,Ihadalookbefore’–andstayedstoicallyupbeat.Thebreakwouldoffer a chance to make the requisite changes. In any case, he told reporters,finishing the year bottom of the Bundesliga wasn’t his worst-ever Christmas:‘When I was five years old, I wanted a Bonanza bike. I got one but ourneighbourFranz,whoplayedSantaClaus,satdownonitasajoke.Thewheelrimwasbentlikean“eight”.Icouldn’trideitandwasveryupset.’

‘Itdidn’tfeelasifthehousewasonfire,’saysNevenSubotić,sittinginthequaintTastyPastyCompany,anexposedbrickcaférunbyaverychattyBritishexpatinCologne.‘Thatseason,itwasn’tpurechaosoranarchy.Itwasbusinessasusual.Wetrainedhardandplayedwithaclearplanattheweekend,knowingthatwinningapointwouldbegreat.Thatwasourfocus.Therewasnosenseofgrave frustration, it didn’t feel as if nothing was working for us. I thinkeverybody knew that we didn’t have the quality of the bigger sides, that webasicallybelongeddownthere.Asayoungplayer,Iwasverypreoccupiedwithmyselfanyway.’

Heidel spent money to stem the tide. Mohamed ‘Little Pharaoh’ Zidan, ahappy-go-lucky striker who–like Thurk–only ever fulfilled his potential underKlopp,wasbroughtback fromWerderBremenfor€2.8minJanuary,a recordsigningforMainz.DanishmidfielderLeonAndreasen(alsofromWerder)cameinonasix-monthloantoshoreupthecentre,ColombianwingerElkinSotowasplucked fromutter obscurity (hewas out of contract after a spell atCDOnceCaldas). The supporters, too, got a move on. They started a campaign called‘Mission Possible 15’ to saveMainz 05 from relegation. (Fifteenth placewasenough for survival.) The Mainz ultras promised themselves to make theBruchwegstadion,whereFSVhadbecomeabitofapushover,anoisycauldrononcemore.

Klopp,describedas ‘ayoung,unshavenmanforever jumpingupanddown

onan imaginarybouncycastle’ in theGuardian,made themostof the restart.Zidan,Andreasenand,toalesserextent,thesoontobeinjuredSoto,werekeyfactors inwinning five of their first six games in theRückrunde.Mainzweretenth. There was talk about reaching the UEFA Cup for a second time. ‘Myteammatesfightasiftheopponentsarethreateningtotakeawaytheirchildren,’Andreasen said admiringly. Strutz hailed the team ‘the Bravehearts of theBundesliga’. Any similarities with Scottish insurgents proved superficial,however.UnderneathMainz’skilts,therewasn’tthatmuchgoingon.

Refereeingmistakes, injuries, goal-scoring opportunitieswasted, silly goalsconceded.Thefamiliarlitanyofrelegatedsidessincetimeeternal.Allofittrue,allofitwastoblame,toanextent,forMainzlosingsevenofthefollowingninegames.More importantly, the disastrous first half of the season hadmade themarginforerrortoosmallforasideof05’slimitedcapabilities.Ahomewinonthepenultimatedayoftheseason,3-0vGladbach,cametoolate.Mainzwouldhavehad tobeatFCBayern7-0away tohavehadashotofstayingup.TherewasnorealisticprospectofachievingsucharesultonaPlayStation,letaloneintheAllianzArena.TheBundesligaadventurewasover.FSVweregoingdownafter102gamesatthetop.

For Subotić, it was relegation in his first season as a professional footballplayerbut, surprisingly, not thatpainful. ‘Themood in thedressing roomwasgooduntil theveryend,’hesays.‘Westayedateam,westayedtogether.Thatwas a very important experience forme. It helpedme to grow as a player. Itdidn’tgetsignificantlyworseorloudertowardstheend.Maybealittle,butnotbymuch.’

TheBruchwegcertainlydidn’tloseitsvoice.StandingovationsaccompaniedalapofhonourafterthefinalwhistleintheGladbachgame.‘Wewanttoseetheteam’ chants forced the squad to come out of the dressing room for a secondround. They sang ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ again. ‘My handkerchiefs arewet,’ German FA president Dr Theo Zwanziger admitted. ‘Football can’tachievemorethanithashere,withus,’Strutzsaidabouttheemotionalfarewell.

Klopp took the microphone. Once again, a cartoon figure provided theimpulse forhis speech.Paraphrasing the endcreditsof theGermanversionofthe animatedPink Panther show, he promised that ‘this is not the end of alldays, we’ll be back, without doubt–like the pink philosopher said.’ Klopp‘almost sounded happy about the relegation, for bringing out the true footballsoulofMainz’,FrankfurterAllgemeinefelt.Thedropdownwasn’ttreatedasacatastrophebutacceptedasaratherinevitablesetback.‘Allthathashappenedis

what everybody had always expected,’ the broadsheet wrote. Klopp: ‘It’samazing to see how people deal with relegation. That’s what life is about. Ifyou’vegivenityourallandhavefailed,youcandealwiththesituation.Peopleandtheclubhavereactedinaclassymanner.Here,playerswillneverbeidiotsfor losing a game.’ In Munich, FSV players and officials wore red top hatsbeforekick-offandheldupabannerinfrontoftheirtravellingsupporters.‘Wetakeourhatsofftoyou,’itread.

Klopp confessed to a spell of introspection (‘I questionedmyself. If I hadfoundIwas90percentresponsibleforrelegation,Iwouldhavehadtodrawthenecessaryconclusions.That’snotthecase.’)butpledgedhisallegiance.‘Idon’thavetherighttostopnow.IwanttomakesureIcanliveinMainzafterIretireorget fired somewhere,without therebeing anyopenquestions.’He acceptedthatsomeplayerswantedtoleaveforotherBundesligaclubs,headded,butthesituationwasdifferentforhim.‘I’mnearlyforty,Icandomyjobforafewmoreyears.I’mnotrunningoutoftime.Playershavelesstime,theyhavetodothesethings.Forme,it’saboutlivinguptomyresponsibility.I’mhappytodothat.’

11.ONE,TWOANDALMOSTTHREE

Dortmund2010–2013

NuriŞahin,MatsHummels,MarcelSchmelzer,NevenSubotićandSvenBenderlookedateachotherandstartedgigglingindisbelief, likeschoolboyswhohadjustpulledoffthemostelaborateprankontheirteacher.Themomentlastedonly‘two seconds’, saysHummels, ‘but it felt like two hours’. The 80,000 punch-drunk,screamingsupportersontheterraceswereshakingtheSignalIdunaParksohardthattimeitselfbecameunstuck.

StadiumannouncerNorbertDickelhadsetofftheearthquake,cryingoutthatKölnwere 2-0 up at Leverkusen,Dortmund’s last remaining rival for the topspot.BVBwereleading2-0against1.FCNürnberg,onlytwentyminutesawayfromwinningtheBundesligatitle,withtwogamestospare.‘Weknewthenthathe had done it but couldn’t quite comprehend it,’ says Hummels of thatunforgettabledayinApril2011.Subotić:‘Wewerebabies,mostofusweren’teventwenty-threeyet.Wehadnoideawhatwashappeningtous.Weknewwewere there.Butwe didn’t quite knowhowwegot there andwhat being thereactuallymeant.’Bender:‘Ihadgoosebumpslikeneverbeforeinmylife.Itwasabrutally emotional moment, a realisation: we, a bunch of kids, had done it.LookingbackI’malmostsadIcouldn’tenjoyitmore.Butitwasjusttoounrealandovertooquicklytotakeininitsentirety.’Kloppwasequallyunabletofullyappreciatetheoccasion.‘Ithoughtitwouldfeelbetter,moreeuphoric,’hesaid,almostapologetically.‘Perhapsthepressureonuswasalittlestrongerthanwewerepreparedtoadmit.’

Foreveryoneelse,theminutes,hoursanddaysafterwardswereablur.KevinGroßkreutz, running around with a partially shaved head like a madman (thebatteriesoftheelectricrazorhadrunout).KeeperRomanWeidenfeller,tellingan Al-Jazeera reporter in a hilarious mix of German and English ‘we have agrandiossaisongespielt’.‘Fanshugging,crying.Fivehundredthousandpeoplein the streets of Dortmund. Beer. Champagne’ (Subotić). ‘Two weeks ofemergency rule’ (BVB president Reinhard Rauball). ‘It was total ecstasy,impossible to put into words,’ Hummels says. ‘You had a town mad about

football,aclubmadaboutfootball,andacoachinKloppowhoalwaysputthesupportersattheheartofthingsinaveryextrememanner.Thecombinationofallofthatcreatedanenergythatpeoplestilltalkabouttodayandwillneverstoptalkingabout.’

Sebastian Kehl, one of a handful of players over thirty, had experiencedwinningthetitlewithDortmundbefore,in2002,ashadWeidenfeller.Borussia’sfinancial near-death experience in the intervening years made the 2010–11leaguewinmorespecialstill,heexplains.‘Toseethejoyinpeople’seyesaftertheyhadbeenworriedforsolongaboutthefutureoftheirclubandhadwishedfor the glory days to return…we felt so incredibly happy for them.Wewereable to give something in return to them after all those difficult years. I thinkpeopletherehaveneverforgottenandwillneverforgetiteither.’

Nothing had prepared anyone of a Black and Yellow disposition for thistriumph. ‘Nodisrespect to theguys from the1950sbut inmyview this is thebiggest success in the history of the club,’ said Michael Zorc. The sportingdirectorhadwontheChampionsLeaguewithBorussiaasaplayerin1997butfeltthatthisside,theyoungest-everBundesligachampions,hadachievedmore.‘Nooneexpectedustohaveachance,letalonedominatetheleaguetosuchanextent,’ he said. ‘When we won previous titles, we were at least among thefavourites.’AnotherEuropaLeaguespothadbeenseenasarealistictargetforateamwithoutexpensivestars–strikerRobertLewandowskicommandingtheonlysignificantoutlay–andacoachwhohadnevercomeneara trophyasplayerormanagerbefore.

Klopp’sguidancewas‘theessential factor’ inmakingBorussiagreatagain,Hans-JoachimWatzkesays,buttheclubalsobenefitedfromZorcfiringmagicbullets in the transfermarketaheadof thecampaign. ‘Wegotvery luckywithquiteafewofthesigningsZorcmade,inclosecooperationwithJürgenandme,’Dortmund’sCEOadmits.Inthatrespect,thesummerof2010wasprobablytheluckiestofall.ThearrivalofLewandowski,amuscularbutverymobilecentre-forward, reducedKlopp’s relianceon the less technicallygiftedLucasBarrios,and increased his tactical options. The unknown Pole, a future world-classnumber 9, was often deployed as second striker or number 10 behind hisArgentinian teammate in his debut Bundesliga season. In attacking midfield,ShinjiKagawa(twenty-one),boughtfromJapaneseseconddivisionsideCerezoOsakaforthebargain-basementsumof€350,000,addedagilityandguilenexttoanotherde-factonewaddition,eighteen-year-oldMarioGötze.ThesonofanITprofessor and product of Borussia’s youth system effortlessly fizzed past

opponents to inject evenmore speed intoBorussia’s offensive game.MatthiasSammer, theGermanFAsportingdirector,hailed‘SuperMario’(Bild)as‘oneofthegreatesttalentsweeverhad’.

Thetrio’sinterlockingmovesgaveDortmundanotherdimensioninthefinalthird, ‘they opened up our game’, says Subotić . The biggest improvementstemmed from the squad’s tactical progress, however. After two full seasons,Klopp’sJagdfußball(huntingfootball)wasbecomingsecondnature,acollectiveritual,acceptedandpractisedwithouthesitation.

‘Wekeptthecoreoftheteam,mostofus,veryyoung,’saysSubotić.‘Wedidn’tgetinplayerswhowerealreadyattheheightoftheirpowersandperhapson their way down again. Our guys hadn’t fulfilled their potential yet; theywantedtodoanythingtoget there.Thatwashugelyimportant,aswasthefactthatwehadpeoplewhohadcompletelyboughtintothesystem.Theybelievedinit, they lived it.’Theyhadsignedup to it, too.Aheadof thecampaign,Kloppaskedhisplayerstoputtheirnameto‘apromise’,containingsevenrules.BVBplayers agreed to: ‘unconditional dedication’, ‘passionate devotion’, ‘adetermination [to win], independent of the scoreline’, a readiness ‘to supporteverybody’, a readiness ‘to accept help’, a readiness ‘to put [their] qualitywholly at the service of the team’, a readiness ‘to take on individualresponsibility’.

‘Itmight sound stupidbutwhen thingsgo likeclockwork,you’rehappy torun,’saysBender.‘Youdon’tevenfeel itanymore.Weweresounitedinourpurpose, so clear, eager to help each other. We were blood brothers.’ ‘Westopped asking questions,’ adds Hummels. ‘We knew exactly what the coachwantedustodo,anditwasactuallyfuntoplaythatway,almostaddictive.Hisclassicphrasewas:“Runlikethereisnotomorrow.”Itcameeasilytous.’

The teamcould see itselfgrow, saysSubotić : ‘Manywereon thewayup.Thatwasfun.Wehadthisconfidence,wefeltthatwewouldplayeverybodyoffthepark.Whenwedidn’t,wesimplysaid,“Okay, lesson learned,we’ll smashthemnexttime.”Thefirsttwoyearswerelikethat.Andinthethirdyear,wedidsmasheverybody.’

AnyremnantsofinhibitionwerediscardedwhenDortmundrackedupsevenconsecutive wins after a 2-0 opening day defeat in the Signal Iduna Park toBayer 04 Leverkusen. The irresistible run included a 3-1 win in the derby atSchalke, an edgy 2-0 home triumph over FCBayern inOctober–Klopp’s firstleaguesuccessagainsttheBavarians–andafortuitous2-1over1.FCKölnthatshowedthateventheteam’sdeficienciescouldworkintheirfavour.Klopphad

workedinpre-seasonontoningdownthewildness,tomakeDortmund’sgameabitmorerational,especiallyinpossession.But‘fullthrottle[was]whattheydobest’,WatzkeremarkedafterthewinagainsttheBillyGoats,‘they’renotgoodatwindingdownagame’. Insteadof settling fora respectable1-1drawat theRheinEnergieStadion, Dortmund pushed forward with abandon in the finalminutes,propelledbyawilltowinthatwasmuchgreaterthanthefearoflosing.‘Noneofushadwonanysignificanttitles,ofcoursewewerehungry,’Hummelssaid.NuriŞahinpoppedupwitha last-secondstrike thatsecured threepoints–and topplace in the table for thevery first timeunderKlopp.Borussiahadn’toccupiedfirstplacesincewinningtheMeisterschaftin2002.

AtMainzandintheearlymonthsatDortmund,Klopp’swatchwordhadbeengeil.Bothanadjectiveoranadverb,itcarriesafaintwhiffof1980spopcultureand literally translates as ‘horny’, but it can also refer to something veryinspiring or impressive. ‘Geil is theword that best describesmy excitement,’Klopptoldtazin2004.‘ThelanguageIuseisimportant,Ineedtogetthroughtomyplayers.ButIdon’tusegeiltocomeacrossasyoungorcool.Isimplydon’thave a better word to describe something I happen to find exorbitantlybeautiful.’GeilwascomplementedbyGier,greed,inKlopp’sphraseologyin2010–11.

The teamneeded tobegreedy inchasing theball, incovering thepitchand inthe pursuit of results, he stipulated. Traditionally sinful traits–lust, gluttony,avarice–were thus recast as footballing virtues.Therewas to be no distinctionbetween work and play, pain and pleasure: self-sacrificial toiling could be asensual, arousing experience. Klopp, feverishly saluting won tackles andclearancesonthesidelines,wasthephysicalmanifestationofhisteachings.‘Hesaidthingslike“I’mlookingforwardtothisgamewitheveryfibreinmybody”anditwassobelievablethatonesecondlater,youfeltthesame,’Bendersays.‘Welearnedtobecompletelyinthemoment,tothinkonlyfromgametogame.’Theideathatbigtargetshadtobeclearlyarticulatedinordertobeachievedwasdismissed as counter-productive. ‘Whoever says that has no idea,’ the coachexplained.He set hismen immediate, achievable targets.Theyhad towin thenext game. ‘A slalom skier would never throw his hands up in the air incelebrationafterclearingthefirstgate,wouldhe?’heasked.

Kloppset‘anexampletotheboys’bybehavinginaccordancewithhisownconvictions, says Fritz Lünschermann, theBVB teammanager. ‘His style, hismentality… He’s quite a unit, too. He’s not a 1.75m man, he’s 1.93m. Ademolition bomb, pure dynamite.You only have to light the fuse.He used to

say:“Getonthewildride.”Mostof thetime, that’swhathappened.Theotherimportantadvantagewastheageoftheteam.Ithadbecomequiteyoung,quitequickly.Neven,Mats,alltheseguys.TheywereallstillkidsandfollowedhimlikeJesus’disciples.Theyhadaverystrongbond.’

The extraordinary togetherness of the players wasn’t limited to footballmatters.‘Weusedtogettogether,tenofus,andplayonline,forhoursonend,’says Subotić . ‘We knew that wouldn’t last for ever–you get older, you haveotherinterests–butatthetime,itwasahugelyimportanttoolforusthatbroughtustogether.’Lookingback,Hummelssays,‘itwasauniquesituation:ahighlytalentedgroup,withworld-classplayers,happytohangoutwitheachotherlikeagang.Thatspecialcombinationmadeeverythingpossible.’Dickel:‘There’sanoldsayinginfootball:“Youhavetobeelevenfriends.”It’snottotallywrong.Ifthereareeightfriendsintheteam,that’salreadyquitegood.’

A united team, created in Klopp’s image, delivering a string of victories:therewasnolongeraneedtodealwithtacticaldissidentsbecausethereweren’tany.Evenifsomebodydidharbourprivatedoubts,theintensityintraininghadramped up so much that natural selection precluded any deviation from thecourse. Only the fittest, most devoted followers could survive life in the fastlane.

‘Inthefirstyear,itwasrathernormalfootball,withapinchofKlopptactics,’saysSubotić . ‘In the secondyear, it got spicier. In the third year: boom!Wereached a whole new level, because all twenty-five players now truly got it.Trainingfeltlikewar.Thestartingelevenplayingvsubs.Bythemiddleoftheweek, you sort of knew the line-ups. You can’t imagine how difficult thesegameswere.Youwereusedtohavingabitofspaceandairtobreathebutthatwasallgone.Everyoneattackedtheball,everyonedefended.Everyonepressed.Thesegameswereashardastherealones,perhapsevenharder.’

Thetrainingweekhadafixedpattern.Mondaywasarestday.Tuesday:gymsessions,sprints,four-a-sidegames,tournament-style,thewinnerstays.(Subotić:‘Funtostartyourweekthatwaybutverydemanding.Yousprintallthetime,challenge for the ball all the time. It’s a workout, but you don’t realise it.’)Wednesday:eleven-a-side.Twohalvesof tenminutes.Precededbyawarm-upwithpassing.Thursday: shootingongoal.Foreverybody, includingdefenders.‘Aftertwoextremelytoughdays,youneededtohaveabitoffun.Wesometimesadjustedthesessionstoconcentrateonaparticularweaknessoftheopponent,tocross the ball in a certain way, for example. But you could shoot on goalunobstructed.Ithinkeverypubplayerwouldhavesaid:“I’llbehappytojoinin

thatsession!”’Fridaysweredevotedtodead-balls.Free-kicks,butmostlycorners.Thesame

twoteamswerealwaysupagainsteachother,andtheballwaslive–therewouldbecounter-attacks,andcounter-counter-attacksonaverysmallpitch,30metreslong,withboardsalong the touchline tokeep theball inplay.Subotić : ‘Shortandsweetbuttoughashell.Twohundredmilesanhourforafewminutes.Thescorewas kept throughout the season. Themotivationwas very high, nobodywanted to lose.No prisoners. Itwas also your last chance to show the coach:“I’m here, I’m ready.” A last short, sharp jolt.’ Saturday was game time.Sundays were spent regenerating and doing warm-downs. On top of thesephysicalexertions,therewereshortandconcisevideoanalysissessions.AfteraquickintroductionbyKlopp,Krawietztookoverandshowedtheteamclipsofthe next opponents, their dead-ball pieces, their basic defence and attackingshapes,wheretheyhadproblemsorgaps.

The whole routine was ‘so brutal that there was no time to think at all’,Subotić recalls.Which is just as well, because Klopp mandated that his menshouldliveonlyforthemomentandnevercontemplatemattersbeyondthenextgame. Metre by metre, tackle by tackle, and goal by goal, Dortmund wererunning away with the league, racking up win after win, while championsBayernwereignominiouslystuckinmid-table,slowlyself-destructingunderthehigh-handedleadershipofLouisvanGaal.BayerLeverkusenweredoingmuchbetter, but they were Leverkusen, weren’t they? A club with a well-deservedreputation for being bottlers. Three months into the campaign, it dawned onKloppandhismenthattheycouldgoalltheway.

Tokeep thepressureoff the team, anymentionofwinning the leaguewasstrictly banned, from the very top down. ‘We are not talking about theMeisterschaft,Icouldn’tcarelessaboutthetable,’Kloppkeptinsisting.‘Ihave0.0percentinterestinthetable.Anyonetalkingaboutwinningtheleaguenowhasnoideaaboutfootball,’saidZorc.Watzke,too,preachedsilence.‘It’stotallyunrealistic to talk about the championship. We are not ready to burden ourseven,eightplayerswhoaren’teventwenty-threeyearsoldyetwiththatkindofbaggage.Setbacksareguaranteedtohappen.’

A few weeks later indeed, Klopp found himself answering uncomfortablequestions in a TV interview. ‘Why did the team play so poorly againstHannover?’ WDR’s Arnd Zeigler enquired. ‘We have problems, so manyproblems,’Kloppsaid,rubbinghiseyesunderneathhisglasses.‘Theboysdon’tadhere to instructions, I can’t get through to them. I’m not sure I’m the right

coach anymore.We have to analyse the situation critically during the week.Maybetheplayerswanttogetridofme.I’mabitcluelessatthemoment,tobehonest.’TheBVBcoachalsolamentedthattherewerenoalternativestothe29-year-oldRomanWeidenfeller ingoal.‘Todayhewasokaybut inthemorning,aftergettingup,helookshorrible.Wehavenochoiceotherthantodrinkenoughuntilhelooksbetterinoureyes.’Itwasallaverygoodjoke,ofcourse,afeatureforZeigler’ssatiricalfootballshow.Dortmundhadinfactwon4-0atHannover.Andyet,theskitservedaseriouspurpose,too,likemanyofKlopp’sfunnylines.Hiscomedicqualitieshelpedtoreleasetensioninsidethedressingroomandalsoguaranteedthathisplayerslistenedattentively.‘Hispunchlinesareperfect,’saysWatzke. ‘Jürgen is never monotonous or predictable. That keeps everybody’sconcentration.’

ByJanuary,BVBhadopenedupatwelve-pointgap.MarioGötzeperformedsowellinthe3-1winatLeverkusenthatKloppwasforcedtosubstitutehim,tosavehimfromevenmoremediahypeandpotentialretributionfromhumiliatedopponents.Hehadplayedhimselfintoadream-likestatewhereeveryflickandturnwas coming off. ‘Playing thiswellwas somuch fun,more thanwinningitself,’ Subotić smiles. ‘Our systemgave us a huge advantage over everybodyelse.Itwaslikefishingwiththebestbaitintheworld.Orwithashotgun.’TruetoKlopp’smaximof‘stayinggreedy’,theteam’sphysicaloutputneverdropped.TheyweretospacewhatWorldCupwinnerTakeruKobayashiwastohotdogs:they ate it up until the oppositionwas blue in the face and going downwithcramps.Subotić:‘Weranouropponentsintotheground,andtheyweretotallyshell-shocked.’ Their pressing game had by then become so refined that theywereabletosystematicallydirecttheotherteam’sattackingmovesintothemostcongested areas or dead-ends. ‘When there’s little pressure on the oppositiondefence and midfield, you can’t stay too close to an attacker as a defender,’Subotićexplains.‘Theycansimplyplayalongballoverthetop,andtheattackercan run pastme, and it’s a goal. But by pressurising their build-up play, youforce them toplay theball early, underduress.Knowing that, I can anticipatewhere theball is going to go, get really close to the attacker andget ready totacklebeforethepasshasevenbeenmade.’‘Gegenpressingistheworld’sbestplaymaker,’Klopp later saidabouthis team’spropensity towin theballwhenopponentswere in total disarray, in areas on the pitchwhere only one or twoclevermoveswereneededtogetthroughongoal.InŞahin,theyhadtheperfectman for those killer balls. ‘Sometimes it felt as if he was 90 per cent of theteam,’saysSubotić.‘Itwaslike:gettheballtoNuri,he’lldosomething.Ifyou

sawhimwithoutashirtyouthought,“what,thistinyguy?”Butyoucouldn’tgettheballoffhim.Hewasthebrainandtheleader.’

ItwasŞahinwhoeffectivelyswungthegameatBayernonmatchday24witha wonderfully executed free-kick, Dortmund’s second on the night. Borussiahadn’twoninBavaria’scapitalfornineteenyears,‘mostofmyboyswerestillbeing breast-fed then’, Klopp joked. Before the game, general manager UliHoeness had predicted ‘a win with two goals or more’, noting that ‘man forman’,thechampionshadthebetterside.Asfarastheteamswent,therewasnocomparison, however. ‘Bayernwere driftwood in a sea ofYellow andBlack,’wrote Süddeutsche Zeitung in view of the hosts’ helplessness againstDortmund’stargetedaggression.WhereverstarwingerArjenRobbenwent,twoBVBplayerswere already there, stepping on his toes. So emphatic, definitiveand hugely symbolic was the visitors’ 3-1 triumph that Bayern officials werequeuinguptocongratulatethemonwinningthetitle.

Klopplostapairofglassesandafewdropsofbloodhugginghisplayersabittooforcefullyafterthefinalwhistle.ButthatwasasmallpricetopayforaresultthatknockedBayernoutofthetitleraceandmadetheMeisterschaftDortmund’stolose.Theyweretwelvepointsclearwithtengamestogo.‘We’venowcometo a point where we can say: we can and want to be champions,’ Watzkedeclared, irrespectiveofKlopp’sprotestations.‘Icouldn’tgiveashitabout thechampionshiptoday,I’mtoohappywiththewayweplayed,’thecoachinsisted.

Almostsevenyears later,Watzkerecallssitting in the teambusoutside theAllianz Arena after the game. ‘I was sat next toMichael Zorc. I asked him:“Wasthatit?”Hesaid:“Notyet,butit’scoming.”I’llneverforgetthatmoment.Wehadbeendeadasadodoafewyearsbefore.Andherewewere,onthevergeofaleaguetitle.Itwasunfathomable.’

Followingasmallwobble,withadefeat inHoffenheimandadrawagainstMainz,Bayernemployedmindgamesonemore time.‘If Iwaswearingblack-and-yellowpants,Iwouldn’tsleepsoundly,’HoenesssaidaheadofDortmund’shomegame againstHannover.ButGermany’smost decorated club found thattheyweren’tevenbestinclassintalkingagoodgameanymore.‘IwonderwhatHoeness’pants looked likebeforehewent tobed,’Kloppresponded.Borussiawon the game 4-1. Seven points ahead of Leverkusenwith five games to go,theywerealmostchampions.

Watzkewasperhaps the last remainingpessimist. ‘I’mabornsceptic.ThatmadeforagoodpartnershipwithKlopp,becausescepticismiscompletelyalientohim.Heoncesaid tome:“Idon’t thinkaboutdefeats.” It’s true,he’snever

spentaminutewonderingwhatmighthappenifagameislost.I’mthecompleteopposite.And I just could not believe thatwe couldwin the leaguewith thisteam.Oneweekbeforewewonit,Idoubtedeverythingagain.Wehadlost1-0atGladbach.’ButDortmundcouldnotbedenied.Theywereunstoppable.

‘Witheverygame,Klopp’steamtalksgotclearer,louderandmoreprecise,’saysBender.‘Heexplainedthatwewereinchargenow;itwasalldowntous.Wehardlyneededanymotivationbuthisspeecheswere the icingon thecake.Wewentoutandranevenmore.’

Theteamweresoinfusedwiththeneedtoexertmaximumefforteachtimethattheyhatedthemselvesformeeklycapitulating2-0atWerderBremenaweekafter the title celebrations. Possibly still suffering from the after-effects of theparty,Dortmundwereashadowofthemselves.‘Weallsatinthebusinsilence,ashamed,’ says Bender. ‘But thirty minutes in, we looked at each other andthought: “Havewe lost ourminds?Arewe totally insane?”WewereGermanchampions!Who cares about losing that game. Let’s sing!’ They sang all thewaybacktoDortmund.

Bayern’s unimaginative transfer dealings and discontinuity at a coachinglevelhadletinoutsidersbefore,VfBStuttgart(2007)andVfLWolfsburg(2009)seizing the crown had come as shocks as well. This was different, however,muchbigger.Borussia’sMeisterschaftunderKloppopeneduppeople’seyestothepotencyofacollectivistapproach.Ingenioustactics,faithfullyimplemented,could lift a team of youngsters, cheap left-field foreigners and a handful ofveterans to the point where they didn’t just upset the odds but set a newbenchmark.Thedisruptiveinnovationunderpinningtheirsuccesswasespeciallyrelevant to the Bundesliga, a league that had been steadily losing groundinternationally due to financial restraints and a culture of passive coaching.Klopp’sDortmund showedaway to increaseproductivitywithpurelynatural,renewableresources:ablue-collarworkethic,humility,cleverness.

OutsideGermany,expertstooknote,too.Threemonthsbeforethetitlewin,thetechnicalstaffofItaly’snationalteam,coachedbyCesarePrandelli,cametolook at Borussia’s training. The team’smovement reminded them of Sacchi’sMilan,theytoldabeamingKloppafterwards.Watzke:‘Thefootballweplayedwas our unique selling point at the time. One shouldn’t forget that Bayernweren’t as good then, they didn’t have today’s quality and didn’t spend thatmuchmoneyyet.Itwasabiteasierforus,butwewereonthisunbelievablerun.Youcouldfeelthatthisteamwasonlyatthebeginningofitsdevelopment.’

Successbroughtitsowntrappings.Halftheteamreceivedlucrativeoffersto

switchclubs.Butof the regulars,onlyŞahinmovedon. JoséMourinho’sRealMadridexerciseda€12mreleaseclausetotakethemidfieldertotheBernabéu.

Şahin’s successor was twenty-year-old İlkay Gündoǧan, from 1. FCNürnberg.Sitting in aSpanish restaurant inManchester’s city centre sixyearslater, the Gelsenkirchen-born son of Turkish immigrants remembers meetingZorcandKloppinaDüsseldorfairporthotelinspring2011.‘IwasplayingforNürnbergandtheseasonwasstillgoingon,itwasveryhush-hush,’hesays.‘IhavetosayIwasalittleintimidatedbyhimatfirst.Hewassotall.Wetalkedforhalf an hour by ourselves and it was obvious to me that I wanted to go toDortmundafterwards.He’sgotthisgift:hecantotallycaptivateyou,dazzleyou,makeyoufeeleuphoric.I’venevermetanyothercoachlikehim.Heaskedme:“Whatwouldbeyourtargetsifyoucametous?”Isaid:“Toplayasoftenandwellaspossible.”“Yousee,that’salreadythefirstmistake,”hereplied.“It’snotabout playing often but making the most of your time on the pitch. I can’tpromise thatyou’llplayoften.That’snotpossible.But Icanpromise thatyouwilllearnanincredibleamount,andthatwewillbeextremelysuccessfulifyouallbringyourpotentialtobear.”Irememberthatclearly.Thatwasthefirsttimeinfootballthatsomebodydidn’tpromisemethestarsbutwasopenandhonestwithme.Ifoundthatfascinating.’

Gündogˇanfoundthestep-upfromNürnbergverydifficult,startingwiththepre-seasonfitnessregime.Playershadtogoonthenotorious‘Chuckyruns’setup by assistant coach Zeljko Buvac. Eleven runs back and forth, with andwithouttheball,onaparkourthatstretchedtheentirelengthofthepitch.Afterthe eleventh run, players had to hit the crossbar from the halfway line. Thosewhomissedhad togoona twelfth run. ‘Thehardest thing Ihadeverdone. Itwas sick,’ Gündogˇan sighs, reliving the horror in his mind. ‘But it wasimportant:survivingthatsessiongaveusplentytotalkabout,itbroughttheteamcloser.Youfeltcamaraderiewithyourfellowsufferers.Mats[Hummels]alwayscomplained.Butheran,too.’

Gündogˇan’s problems extended into the first half of the season. He wasintrovertedandimmature,hesays,spendinga little toomuchtimewithfamilyand friends, playing with the handbrake on, worried about making mistakes.‘Kloppsaw that,’he says. ‘Andhe scaredmeabit, tobehonest. I sometimesdidn’timmediatelyunderstandwhatitwashewantedmetodo.Ittooktimeuntilthepennydroppedforme.’

Forthelegsandforthehead,Dortmund’sspecificwayofplayingwastoughto adjust to, let alone the higher quality of his teammates. Gündogˇan: ‘We

practised a lot ofGegenpressing. Klopp said the first one, two seconds afterlosing the ballwere decisive.We shouldn’t be upset about losing the ball butactuallybehappyaboutbeingabletowinitback.Theideawastoattacktheballstraightaway,tosurprisetheopponent.Theyfeltsecure,theyweren’treadyforthat.’

The new arrival’s strife in the first half of the season coincided withDortmund’s failure to make their mark on the Champions League. Historyrepeateditselfontheinternationalstage.HavinggotknockedoutintheEuropaLeaguegroupstageinthepreviousyear,whenParisSaint-Germain,SevillaandKarpatyLvivhadproved too strongandDortmund toogung-ho,Klopp’smenfinished last in a group with Arsenal,Marseille and Olympiacos. ‘We lackedexperience,’ says Watzke. ‘Neither the team nor the coach had been in theChampionsLeaguebefore.WeturnedupinAthens,MarseilleandLondonandplayedthewayweplayedintheBundesliga,butthelevelisbeyondcompare.Inthe Champions League, every little mistake gets punished.We pressed reallyhigh up the pitch, that didn’t work. Every game was the same.We were thebetterteam,wecreatedgoodchances,wedidn’tscore;welost2-0or3-0.Theyear after that, we changed our style of playing. We were up against RealMadridandManchesterCityinthegroupstagethen,andwewentthrough.’

Itwasa learningprocess for the team,Gündogˇansays. ‘Wewereallquiteyoungandnaive,theseEuropeanteamswerealittletoostreet-smartforus.Butweheededthelessons,justasIdidformygame.’Introspectioncamebywayofaninvoluntaryspellinthestands.‘Klopptookmeasideonedayandsaid:“Thiswon’tbeeasyforyou,butyouwon’tbeinvolvedattheweekend.”Therewasnoexplanation.Hehadnevercriticisedmeortoldme“you’replayingshit”,orstufflikethat.Buthe’sacleverguy.Youknewhehadhisreasonsfornotincludingmeinthesquad.ItwaslikeariddlethatIhadtosolve.WhatwasIsupposedtodo?WhatamIdoinghere? Ihada thousandquestions inmyheadbutafter awhileIcrackedit.Idecipheredthecode.’

Gündogˇan came on nine minutes into the game against Hannover inFebruary2012, afterSvenBenderhadpickeduponeofhismany injuries.Hewasarevelation.‘Itkindofclicked.Theshackleswereoff.Ibecamepartofthefirst team and everything kind of just happened, it all flowed naturally. Myfootball,therelationshipwithmyteammatesandwithJürgen.’

Oneawkwardincidentintrainingsealedtheirbond.GündogˇanhadbeenduetoplayinthefirstteamagainstthereservesintheimportantWednesdaysession,whentheweekend’smatchwassimulated.Gettingupinthemorning,hefelta

tightnessinhishamstring.Playerswithinjuryconcernsweresupposedtocomeinninetyminutestotwohoursearly,togetassessedbythephysioandenablethecoachingstafftofindareplacementfromtheamateurteamorunder-19sifneedbe.Gündogˇanthoughthecould trainbutdecidedtoseekout thephysio thirtyminutesbeforethesessionstarted.‘Helookedatitandsaid:“Ihavetotellthecoach,there’sadangeryoumightgetinjured.”Isaid:“Okay,butpleasetellhimthatIcanplay.”Afewminuteslater,thedooropenedandJürgenwalksin.Thisgiant of aman, looking atmeangrily. “What thehell areyouplaying at?”heshouted. “It’s okay, Coach, I can play, I just wanted to make sure…” Heremindedmeaboutcominginanhourandahalfearly.Hewasquiteupsetwithme.“Dowhateveryouwant!”he saidand left. I thought: “Shit.Whatdo Idonow?”’Gündogˇanwas the firstmanouton thepitch.Kloppcalledhimover.‘Hewalksafewstepswithme,awayfromtheboys,andgoes:“Myfriend,youcan understand me, right?” “Yes, I do. I just wanted to—” “No. You don’tunderstand.Thenexttimeyouhaveanyproblems,evenifit’sjustalittletwinge,oryourbum is itchy,orwhatever,youcall thedoctor,or thephysio.Youcanevencallmefirstthinginthemorningandbreakmyballs.Justtellus.”“Okay,Coach.” “You’ll join in the warm-up, but then you go off before the gamestarts.” “But Iwant to train.” “Be quiet.You’ll go off.”Then he laughed andhuggedme. I askedoncemore if I shouldn’t stay for training, but he sentmebackinafteranotherhug.Hebecamemorethanacoachformeafter that.Wehadaspecialconnection,andaverysuccessfulone.’

Dortmund’s European woes had no negative impact on their form in theleague.Onthecontrary:fromOctober2011onwards, theywentonadomesticrampageoftwenty-eightgameswithoutdefeat.Oncemore,awinoverBayern,Dortmund’sfourthsuccessivedefeatoftheBavarians,decidedthetitlerace.Thehomeside’sperfectmidfieldpositioningcreateda ‘killzone’near thehalfwaylinewheremostBayernattackingmoveswenttodieinthefirsthalf.Bayerndida littlebetterafter thebreakas theBlackandYellows tiredbutArjenRobbenmissedapenaltyandLewandowski’sgoalsecuredallthreepointsintheheavingSignalIdunaPark.Dortmundmovedsixpointsclearatthetopwithfourgamestogo. ‘Wecanhardlyplayanybetter,’Kloppexclaimed.The44-year-oldwasreluctant toacknowledge the true importanceof thewinas faras the title racewasconcerned. ‘A lotcanhappenbefore theendof theseason,’hecautioned.‘Butwe’llhavethreedaystocelebrateandenjoytonight’sextraordinaryevent.’

Afewplayerstookthatdeclarationperhapstooseriously.Gündogˇan:‘ThatWednesdayaftertheBayerngame,fiveofuswentoutpartying.Wedidn’tdrink

but stayed in a club until two or three.’ The problem was: they had a gameagainstSchalkeonSaturday.Thederby.Schalkewent1-0upbutDortmundwon2-1.The playerswent partying again.The nextmorning,Klopp addressed theteamat the trainingground: ‘Somebody toldmea fewofyouwentoutduringtheweek…Idon’tknowwho, Idon’twant toknow.But Ican tellyou: theseplayersshouldbehappywewonyesterday.Otherwisewewouldhaveseenthebiggestpunishmentinthehistoryofclubfootball.’‘Theplayerslookedateachotherandthought:“Fuck,thankGodweturnedthatgamearound!”Wewentoutquite often as a team then, eight or ten people at a time, there were a lot ofsingles in the squad.Sometimes, you could see the after-effects in trainingonSundaymorning.ButIdon’tthinkweeveroverdidit.Itmadeusmoreofaunit,Ibelieve.’

Klopp’sambition towineverygamedidnotdiminishafterDortmundwereconfirmedaschampionsagain.Histeamdulywentontosetanewpointsrecordfor the Bundesliga: eighty-one. ‘Generally speaking, all our games that yearwereamazing,’Gündogˇansmiles.‘Wedominatedtheopposition,Klopp-style.Theydidn’tknowwhathitthem.Webasicallymuggedthem,theycouldn’tdealwithit.Thatgaveusanextra-goodfeeling.Wedidn’tstealthepoints,weknew:theyhavenochanceagainstus.Onegame,againstKöln,wewere1-0downathalf-time,nooneknewwhy.Wewon6-1.Weweresogoodthatitdidn’tmatteriftheoppositiontookthelead.’

‘In thoseyears,weplayedanewkindof football inGermany,’Kehl adds.‘We simply swamped or overwhelmed other teams. They were completelyhelpless.’

Borussia’s appetite was not yet satisfied. Four weeks after winning theleague, they had the chance to achieve the club’s first-ever double. JuppHeynckes’BayernstoodintheirwayinthefinalinBerlin.Itwould,asWatzkeputsit,turninto‘agameoffundamentalimportanceforbothclubs’.

Throughout his first successful cup run as a coach, Klopp had shown theteameditedhighlightsfrompreviouswins,underlaidwithdramaticmusic.Thenight before the final, amotivational video comprising historic achievements,such as the moon landing, Boris Becker’s win at Wimbledon in 1985, andMuhammadAli’s‘RumbleintheJungle’,rampeduptheemotionaltemperature.‘Wetoldtheboys:ourownfilmisnotoveryet,’KloppsaidinaninterviewwithRedaktionsNetzwerkDeutschland.‘Youhavetowaitfortherightmomentwiththesethings,thenthey’regreat.’

Twenty-three years had passed sinceDortmund’s lastwin in the cup. Less

than three minutes into the match, Dortmund were 1-0 up through ShinjiKagawa. Robben and Hummels both converted penalties, then LewandowskiscoredBVB’s thirdon thestrokeofhalf-time.The3-1 leadenabled theBlackandYellows toplayon thecounter-attackafter thebreak, settingup traps thattheBavariansstumbled into likeapackofdodderingbears. ‘Dortmundplayedmore defensively, more sneakily, more calculatedly,’ Süddeutsche Zeitungwrote, full of admiration. ‘They aren’t just German champions but also cupwinnersintheforcingofoppositionerrors.’

ThemightyBayernweredismantled,humiliated,asKlopp’smenrompedtovictoryintheOlympicstadium.Lewandowskiendedupwithahat-trickinthe5-2 win. ‘This was not coincidence,’ Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz RummeniggeconcededinfrontofsponsorsandVIPguestsatthemidnightbanquet.‘Thiswasanembarrassment.Everygoalwaslikeaslapinthefaceforus.’Onthepitch,Watzke and Zorc had quietly shed tears of joy, on ‘the most extraordinarymomentin[Borussia’s]history’,asKloppacknowledged.Hehad‘dancedinthedressingroomwithabeer inhishand, likeoneofus’,Gündogˇansmiles.ThecoachtoldreportersthatNorbertDickel,goal-scorerinthe1989final,hadgivenhim his right shoe as a good luck token the night before. ‘It had been in hisbasement for more than twenty years and smelt a bit,’ he laughed. Butsupernatural powers or good luck didn’t come into it, neutral experts noted.DortmundbeatingBayernforthefifthtimerunningwasafeatbothunparalleledand well deserved. Their superior system, application and transfer policy hadnegatedthegiants’arrayofstarindividualistsandhugefinancialadvantage.It’s‘apowershift’,DieWeltattested.‘DortmundhavereplacedBayernatthetopoftheGermanfootballfoodchain.’

‘ThesystemthatJürgen,ZeljkoandPeteplayeddominatedGermanfootballfortwoyears,’saysDickel.‘Nobodyhadthefaintestideahowtodealwithouraggressive pressing, and our doubling-up, or tripling-up, on players. EvenBayern didn’t know what was going on. It was a wonderful time, morespectacular than the wins in the mid-nineties.We were carried along on thiswave,wewentintoeverygameknowingwewoulddestroytheotherteam.Weweredrunkoneuphoria,wehadallgoneBVB-crazy.Itwasatrip.’

That night in Berlin, Klopp was Mr Big, a shell-suit pusher, delivering a(legal)highofalmostunbearablepotencytomillionsofBorussialoyalists.Thenameofhisdrugwas:love.‘Irelishthetotalintensification,whenbangsgooffeverywhere,’hetoldDieZeitafewmonthslater,‘thatphaseof“allornothing”,whenitfeelsasifpeopledon’tdaretobreathe.’

MartinQuasthadwatchedthecupfinalinanoldJürgenKohlershirtinthestadium.Afterwards,hesawKloppandhisteamsingingsongsinthelittletentthatbroadcastersZDFhadputupbehindtheMarathonGate.Attheendoftheliveprogramme,asKloppwascarryingthegoldencupandsilverchampionshiptrophy–affectionately known as the Salad Bowl–Quast shouted ‘Gude’, thetraditionalMainzgreeting,athisfriendandtoldhimthathisshoelaceshadcomeuntied.‘Hewaslaughinghisheadoff.Thenhegivesmethebowlandthecupandgoes:“Holdthisforasecond.”Andthenhetieshislaces.Aquickhigh-five,and thenhesays:“It’sa shame,but Ihave togo,”pickingup thecupand thebowl again. Cool, isn’t it? It could have been a bottle of wine and a ring ofsausages,hedidn’tthinkaboutitforonemoment.Cup,championshiptrophy–sowhat?That’shim.Whatnormalpersonwoulddosuchathing?’

Alex Fergusonwas another observerwho had enjoyed the show inBerlin.The Manchester United coach had travelled to Germany to cast an eye overKagawaandLewandowski.‘Hesatfourplacestotheleftofme,’Watzkesays.‘Itoldhimhecouldhaveone–Kagawa–butnottheother.Helookedatmealittledumbfounded.’TheJapanesemidfielderwouldleaveforthePremierLeagueatthe end of the season. Barrios, now surplus to requirements, was sold toGuangzhouEvergrande.All theother regulars stayed, plentyof attractivebidsnotwithstanding.

Watzkewasunderno illusions about the sizeof the challenge that awaitedhim andZorc, however. TheBavarian empirewas poised to strike back. ‘Wewere intoxicated. Itwasanepochalevening forusbutalso thehighpoint, thebest day in the job forme–I felt it. I remember lying awake in bed at 4 a.m.,staringattheBrandenburgGate.Youjustknewitwouldgetdifficultfromnowon,thattherewouldbeareaction,thatBayernwouldbeoutforrevengeandstarttargeting our players. They had played forty finals before, I think, but neverconcededfivegoals.Theyfelthumiliated.Thatmoment,theyradicallychangedpolicy.Theywentallin,investingmoneylikeneverbeforeinthesquad.Anditpaidoffforthem.’Dortmund’strickofbeingmuchbiggerthanthesumoftheirparts–a feat of football alchemy conjured up by grand wizard Klopp–had, tosomeextentatleast,reliedonthebiggestteamfailingtomakethemostoftheirpotential.

Bayern broke their own transfer record to buy holding midfielder JaviMartínezfromAthleticBilbao(€40m),aswellasMarioMandžukić(€11m,VfLWolfsburg), winger Xherdan Shaqiri (€11.8m, FC Basel) and defender Danté(€4.7m, Borussia Mönchengladbach). The increase in individual quality,

especially at the back, had a verywelcome tactical knock-on effect, Bayern’sformer sportingdirectorMatthiasSammer explains: ‘More stability indefencemadeitpossibleformidfieldandattacktopresshigher.Bayern’sgamebecamemoreflexible,moredynamic.’

Klopp wasn’t the only one who found the Bavarian new direction eerilyfamiliar.‘TheyhavedonetouswhattheChinesedoinindustry,’hecomplained.‘Theyseewhatothersaredoing,copyit,andthengodownthesameroutewithmoremoneythanotherplayers.’

‘BayernhavetakenonelementsofDortmund’sgameandbecomemorelikeDortmundthanDortmundthemselves,’RalfRangnickobserved.ImitationmightbethesincerestformofflatterybutthatwasscantconsolationtoKlopp,whosecareful, four-year building work was put in the shade by a shiny, super-expensiveskyscrapernextdoor,partiallyusinghisownblueprint.

Bayern’s novel sense of humility without the ball, their much improvedintensityandtacticalawakeningmadeforadevastatingcombination.Heynckes’menwontheBundesligawithanewpointsrecord(ninety-one),notchinguptenmore thanDortmund in the previous season, before adding theDFBPokal totheirtrophycabinet.

After two seasons of ‘dragging Bayern down to our level’ (Klopp),Borussia’sexcellencehadinadvertentlyraisedtheReds’game.Theeffectontherestoftheleaguewassimilar.Takinginspirationfromthedouble-winners,moreandmore teams started to includepressingandGegenpressing in their tacticalrepertoire, fightingfirewith fire. ‘Suddenly,everybodydid it.That’swhenwerealisedhowbrutallydifficultitistoplayagainstateamlikethat,’Subotićsays.

Opponentsalsoadoptedasecondcounter-measure.SinceDortmund’sgamewasbuilton rapidmomentsof transitionafterwinning theball, teamshappilycededboththeballandspace,forcingBVBtoplayaslower,possessiongame.Klopp’s racing car of a side now frequently got stuck in traffic. ‘Ourway ofplayinghadencouragedallsmallerteams,’saysGündogˇan.‘Theythought:wecan beat teams who are actually better than us by adopting these tactics andgettingitright.’

Dortmund picked up fifteen points fewer than in the previous season, butsecondplacewasnotseenasfailure.Theyneededtogrowasaclub;ChampionsLeaguequalificationwasmoreimportantthandefendingtheirtrophies.

The slight domestic setback was more than compensated by a thrillinginternational adventure.Klopp’smen, dubbed ‘the hottest team in Europe’ byFourFourTwo magazine, outsmarted a number of sides ill-prepared for the

ferocityoftheirfinelyhoneddrive-by-shootingapproach.AnearlyindicationofBorussia’sgreatermaturityinmatchesagainsttheContinent’selitecameinthesecondgameofthegroupstage,awaytoManchesterCity.

The visitors, spurred on by their fanatical travelling support, played theworld’smostexpensivelyassembledteamoffthepitchattheEtihad;‘theywereinchargeformostofthegame,flowingforwardinyellow-and-blackwaveslikeNewYorktaxicabsrushingtocollectwealthyfaresonWallStreet,’gushedtheDailyTelegraph.DortmundtooktheleadthroughMarcoReusandhadenoughchances to score three more. A last-minute penalty, converted by Man Citysubstitute striker Mario Balotelli, made a mockery of their dominance–‘theywere different class tonight, starting with their fans,’ City keeper Joe Hartadmitted–but the manner of the 1-1 draw left Klopp ‘satisfied, verging onproud’.TheBVBcoachwasmoreunnervedbythequestionsaboutthepenaltydecisions than the two dropped points. ‘Such a fantastic game, and the firstquestionisabout thepenalty?’hegrumbled.Hispoorresults inpreviousyearshad clearly irked him, but now ‘an important step to represent BorussiaDortmunddifferentlyintheChampionsLeague’hadbeenmade.‘ItwasoneofthebestgamesI’veeverseen,andI’veseenafew,’KlopptoldFourFourTwoafewweeks later, ‘wewere almost terrifiedout there at howperfectlyourplancame together.’ ‘Maybe one day, this nightwill be remembered as the team’sEuropeanbirth,’wonderedDieWelt.Klopp’sfootballhadbeenprovenfeasibleoutsideGermanborders,too,atlast.

‘Tobehonest,ManchesterCitywereshitthatyear,notverystrong,’Watzkeshrugs. ‘Their teamwas slow, overweight, I don’t know.’ButDortmund alsotookfourpointsfromtwogamesvRealMadridandqualifiedforthelast16asgroup leaders.They truly had arrived. ‘We’re a little surprised that everybodyelseissurprisedaboutthat,’Zorcsaid,alittleindignantly.

Subotić puts the improvement in 2012–13 down to greater collectiveintuition.‘Youcanpractisebeingreadytocounter-pressandwinbacktheball,themindset.But you can’t train the exactmovement because youdon’t knowwhere you’ll lose the ball on the pitch. Everybody had both the power andresponsibility to act as the trigger; then everybody had to join in.Getting theright feel for it took a couple of years. Then it became a natural reaction, areflex.’

DortmundhadlittletroubledispatchingaleggyShakhtarDonetskinthenextround–‘it’s always good to get Russians orUkrainians then, they’re still on awinterbreak,’Watzkesays–butMálagainthequarter-finalswasaverydifferent

story. Borussia were 2-1 down on aggregate at home in the second leg afterninety minutes. What happened next would go down as the ‘miracle ofDortmund’ (Klopp): the Black and Yellows scored twice in injury-time, thesecond from an offside position, to edge the Spaniards 3-2. The Signal IdunaPark erupted, spewing out happiness like molten lava. ‘I ran on to the pitch,huggedMarco[Reus]andneverwantedtoletgoagain,’Gündogˇanremembers.‘Itwasthecraziestmomentofmyfootballhistoryforsure,’Subotićsays.‘ThatwassomethingstraightoutofaHollywoodmovie.Weknewwecouldgetonegoal,andthenjustpushandseeifwecangetlucky.Luckwasonoursidethatday.’ ‘It’s crazy, just crazy what happened in this stadium,’ Klopp shook hishead,bewilderedby the turnofevents,beforehehuggedMarcelSchmelzer inthe mixed zone. ‘Rarely has a football team been seen as so united andenthralledwiththemselves,’SüddeutscheZeitungwrote.Dortmundwerein thesemi-finals of the Champions League. ‘It’s phenomenal–people here are ashappyasiftheyhadasecondholeintheirbackside,’Kloppdiagnosed.

ThemadnessofMálaga,anunforgettablemomentofotherworldliness,was‘one of those stories that will still be told in twenty years’ time’, Klopp toldauthor Christoph Biermann a few months later in his book Wenn wir vomFußballträumen.‘Mymotivation[asacoach]istocollectthatkindofstuff,forpeople to tell and retell it. That’s what this club is about. Its most importantpillarismadeupfromthestoriesithaswrittensinceitsfoundation.That’salsothereasonwhyIloveexperiencingthistimeheresomuch:itgivesusthechancetowrite such stories.’Football, he added,was a sharedcollectionof stories, asharedhistory,anidentity.‘Youwinandyoulose,butyou’rewithpeopleyoulike.You’reathome,youbelong.That’swhatweallwant.Tenmillionpeoplewanttobelonghere.’

ThenextchapterpittedtheBlackandYellowsagainstJoséMourinho’sRealMadrid.Twonightsbefore the first leg,on the strokeofmidnight,Gündogˇanwasonhismobilephone,lookingataheadlinethatdidn’tseemtomakesense.‘Ihadthisroutine,IwouldreadBildonlinebeforegoingtobed,’hesays.‘Nextday’sarticleswentliveafter12a.m.,andthereitwas,inbig,fatletters:Götzeismoving toBayern!’ I textedMarcoReus;himandMariohad the sameagentsandwerebestfriends.“Canthisbetrue?”“Yes,I’veknownsinceyesterday.”Ihadtroublebelievingit.’

Götze, twenty, was the wonderkid of German football, ‘the talent of thecentury’ (Sammer). He had been with BVB since he was eight years old, asymbolbothoftheirrenaissanceunderKloppandthepromiseofanevengreater

future.Dortmund had resigned themselves to losing the odd player each year,butnota trueDortmunder.NotMario.Everybodywas in shock. ‘Someof theplayers couldn’t sleep,’Klopp told theGuardian. ‘Itwas like aheart attack. Icouldn’tspeak.Icouldn’tgooutwithmywifethatnight.’

Bayernhadexerciseda€37mreleaseclause,Bildreported,tomakehimthefirstbig-namesigningof thePepGuardiola reign,whichwas tostart later thatsummer.Butwhohadleakedthestoryandwhyatsuchasensitivetime,forty-eighthoursbeforethetieagainsttheSpanishensembleofsuperstars?

SuspicionsquicklyfellontheBayernhierarchy.TheirsigningofGötzewasaclassicBayernpowerplay.Whyshouldtheymindifnewsofthetransferfurtherunsettledtheirdomesticrivalsaheadofahugelyimportantmatch?‘Bayerntriedto destroy us,’ Watzke later claimed. Whether the Bavarians were really theculprits is uncertain, however. Dortmund had known about Götze’s decisiontwelve days before, and it’s quite possible a third party–say an agentrepresentingaplayernegotiatingtojoinBayernnextseason,orathwartedclubwho had also shown an interest in Götze–spilled the beans without maliceaforethought. Bayern had their own semi-final, against Barcelona, to contendwithandcouldhavedonewithoutthecontroversy.Theforward’sreleaseclause,inanycase,hadtobeactivatedby30April.

Eitherway,Kloppwasleft‘emotionallytheworseforwear’bytheprodigy’sdefectionsouth,Watzkesays.‘HefoundithardtoacceptthatMariowantedtoleave, that he wanted to join up with Guardiola. That turned out to be themistakeofthecentury,andKlopphadforeseenit.Heknew,hewas100percentconvinced, that the ladwasmaking an error. It hurt him.The kid that he hadbroughtthroughwasleaving.Hetoldhimitwasamistakeinameeting,justthetwo of them.We met with him and his agent, too. Klopp repeated: “You’remaking amistake.”But the decisionwasmade. That played a lot onKlopp’smind.ButinthesensethathewasworriedaboutMario,notabouttheteam.’

Gündogˇanremembersafewultrasturningupatthetraininggroundlookingtomaketheirdispleasureknown.Kloppplayeditcool.‘HesaidthatheregrettedMario’sdecision,but that itwasanormal thinginfootball,andokay,andthattheshowhadtogoon.Mariowasstillourplayeruntiltheendoftheseason,andhewasconvincedthathe’ddohisbest.Andthatwasit.’

‘I explained toMario that peoplewill definitely not forget himmoving toBayernMunich,’Kloppsaidafterthefinalwhistle.‘Buttheywillbebusywithother things tonight,because theclub is themost important thing.Fortunately,that’swhathappened.Theatmosphereputeverything I’veeverexperienced in

theshade.’Havingsownpassionforalmostfouryears,Kloppreapedpandemoniumthat

night. Madrid were buried under a deluge of screams and attacks, barelyescapingwith their footballing lives after an epic4-1drubbing.NeitherGötzenorhis teammateshadbeenadverselyaffectedby theBild story,asDortmundcompleted a hugely impressive Bundesliga double over La Liga: Bayern hadbeatenBarcelona4-0intheirfirstleg.AshowdowninthefinalinnorthLondonbeckoned.Morebadblood, too.RobertLewandowski, scorer of all four goalsagainsttheSpaniards,hadagreedtermswithBayerntoaccompanyGötzeonhismovetotheAllianzArena,apieceinDerSpiegelhadallegedjustbeforekick-off.ThePolish striker andhis campdidnothing toquell the speculation. ‘Weintendtochangeclubsthissummer,’agentMaikBarthelwasquotedassaying.Lewandowski’scontractatDortmundexpiredinthesummerof2014.

Klopp defused the situation with self-deprecating humour, remindingreportersattheSignalIdunaParkthathe,too,hadscoredfourgoalsinagameonce: ‘AtErfurt’.But deepdown,hewasmuchmore troubled thanhe let on,Watzke reveals. ‘Robert Lewandowski was an issue that bugged him, in theextreme.Wecouldn’tquiteagree,either:shouldwehavesoldhimin2013orlethimleavein2014forfree?Jürgenwasmoreofamindtosellhim.ButRobertisaprofessional,likeveryfewothers.He’snottheemotionaltype,he’llneverkissthe badge, but to have him in your team is a gift. He’s like a machine.Nevertheless,Kloppwasquiteannoyedwiththewaythingswentdown.Allofuswereangrierandmoreupsetthatwelosttheseplayersthanweleton.Onceyouadmitthat,peopleimmediatelyaccuseyouofmoaning.’

There was no time for that in May 2013. History beckoned. Dortmund vBayern,aBundesligaderbyonthehallowedturfofWembley.‘Germanfootballhas arrived in the present after learning from the past,’ cheered SüddeutscheZeitung,outlininghowbothteams’tacticalsophistication,inspiredbythegreathistorical sides (Ajax, Milan, Barcelona) had taken them to a first-ever all-German final in the Champions League. Klopp’s injection of energy inparticular,FrankfurterRundschauclaimed,informed‘anew,Germanschooloffootball.Hehasreinventedtheold,physicalgameofGermanteams,fearedanddespisedinequalmeasure,pairedwithstrategicfinesseandtechnicalmaturity.’

There was another plotline. The final, Klopp explained to a world-wideaudienceviahisGuardianinterview,pitted‘themostinterestingfootballprojectin theworld, the new story, the special story’ against aBayern side behaving‘like a JamesBond villain’.Dortmundwere rank outsiders in financial terms,

footballromanticsfightingagainstaristocraticmoneybagswhodidn’tjustwantto beat thembut dismantle them altogether.Klopp, a huge sports film buff–‘Igrew up on movies likesMajor League’–firmly believed the underdog couldcarry theday. ‘Wearenot thebest teamin theworldbutwecanbeat thebestteamintheworld,’hepredicted.

Dortmund so nearly did at Wembley. A typically full-throttle Borussiahunted and harangued Bayern, took control and created decent goal-scoringopportunities. ‘I remember we should have been 2-0 or 3-0 up after thirtyminutes,’saysGündogˇan.OnceBayernhadweatheredthefirststorm,thegameslowlydriftedawayfromDortmund.‘Ithinkitwasimpossibleforustokeepthesamepaceafterthefirstforty-fiveminutes,ithadbeenincrediblyhigh,’Bendersays.AMarioMandžukićgoalsawJuppHeynckes’teamtakea1-0leadonthehourmark.

Eightminuteslater,Gündogˇanequalisedfromthespot.Dortmundwereinitagainbutfeltaggrieved,too.BayerndefenderDanté,alreadyonayellowcard,was not sent off for fouling Marco Reus in the box. Gündogˇan: ‘Referee[Nicola] Rizzoli said: “What do you want? You got a penalty, didn’t you?”’Bayern, unperturbed, hadmore energy and class towards the end of the tensenail-biter.ArjenRobbenscoredthewinnerintheeighty-ninthminute.

Klopp andhis playerswere applaudedoff thepitchby theDortmund fans.Theyweregracious losers. ‘Wehave to respectBayern’swin,’ the coach saidcalmly.‘Weshouldn’tforgetthatmanyteamswantedtogettothefinal,andthatBayernshothalfofEuropetopiecesonthewayhere.’Bayernwere‘thatlittlebit better than us that year’, Watzke concedes. But Rizzoli’s lenience stillrankles. ‘It was a catastrophically bad decision. Out of a hundred referees,ninety-ninewouldhaveprobablysenthimoff.Iwouldhavelikedtoseehowthegamehadgonethen…’

Immediately after the match, Klopp had vented his anger in the tunnel,shouting at PierluigiCollina,UEFA’s head of referees. ‘One or twodecisionscertainlycouldhavegonetheotherway,’wasallhesaidinthepressconference,addingthatthepridehefeltforhisteamwouldsoontakecentre-stageagain.Inthe dressing room, he consoled his tearful players by pointing at the biggerpicture. ‘You know that on a different day, with a different referee, you beatthem.ButKloppdidn’toverdramatise it,’ saysSubotić . ‘Hesaid:“Rememberwhere we were at the beginning of the season, how far we have come. Didanyone thinkwewouldmake it to theChampionsLeague final? It’s all good,boys.Enjoytheevening.”He’sthemanwhosetsthemood.Fortheclub,forthe

team,foreverybody.Especiallyatsuchtestingtimes,wheneverybody’slookingfor a bit of direction.’ Klopp’s philosophical take paved the way for ‘a greatpost-matchparty’at theNaturalHistoryMuseum,JosefSchnecksays.‘Afterawhile, nobody was thinking about the defeat any more. We’ve always beenprettygoodatpartying.’

Lookingback,Kehlwonders ifDortmundwinningatWembleymighthavebeen‘toomuchofafairy-tale’.‘Nobodywouldhavelikedtoseethatmovie,itwould have been unrealistic crap,’ Klopp told Biermann. A little later, in aninterviewforUEFA.com,hewasn’tsosureanymore,however.‘ItwouldhavebeencrazyifwehadwontheChampionsLeaguelastseason,’hesaid.‘Ithinkwewouldhavelostourminds, itwouldhavebeenanincrediblestory–Iwouldhavelovedtowatchthatstoryifitwasamovie.Astorylike,Idon’tknow,theClevelandIndiansinMajorLeague, theDortmundIndians.But itreallywouldhavebeenvery crazy.So that iswhyeverything isOK, and still very special.Andthereisstillalotoftimeforustowinevenmore.’

12.CHAOSANDTHEORY

Liverpool2016–2017

The Reds’ 2016 pre-season tour to the US offered a long-overdue chance toworkonfundamentals.Atleastoneofthedailydouble-sessionswasdevotedtodetailed tacticaldrills.Membersof theLFCpress corpswere so impressedbythecomplexityofsomeofthechoreographedexercisesonshowontheStanfordUniversitypitchthattheyquestionedwhethertrainingshouldinfactbeopentothe public at all. The journalistswere used to Premier League coaches hidingtheirtradesecretsbehindten-footwalls,fearfulofspiessentbyrivals.

JürgenKlopphadnosuchqualms.WhentheGermanheardofthereporters’concerns,heputonhisbestsilent-movie-comic‘Idon’tunderstandwhatyou’retalkingabout’face.‘That?That’skindergartenstuff,’hesaidtoanLFCstaffer,wavingawayanimaginaryfly.‘Idon’t thinkforasecondthatArsèneWengerwill be surprised by any of that.’ The Frenchman’s team, Arsenal, wereLiverpool’sopponentsontheopeningdayofthecomingseason,whenLFCwon4-3.

A critical appraisal of Klopp’s first eight months on Merseyside hadearmarkedthreeareasripeforanupgrade.Thefirstone–theobviousneedforamuchmorethoroughandsystematicimplementationofthecoachingstaff’smainidea of play–was at last addressed under the Californian sun. An absence ofEuropean engagements during the season would offer more time for matchpreparation.

The squad, a mish-mash of genuine talent, loyal stalwarts and speculativeinvestments that hadn’t quite come off, was added to by the arrival ofBundesligacentre-backsJoëlMatipandRagnarKlavan,goalkeeperLorisKariusfromKlopp’salmamaterMainz05,all-actionmidfielderGeorginioWijnaldum(NewcastleUnited) and Southampton’s SadioMané, a Senegalese strikerwhohadbeenofferedtoLFCtwoseasonsearlierforathirdofhis£37mpricetagbutwho had not been ranked highly enough in the club’s technical department’splayerevaluationmodel.

Thirdly, Klopp and his staff deemed that the Premier League’s physical

exertions warranted improved conditioning. Andreas Kornmayer, a stubbly,bespectacled mini-Klopp (‘It’s funny how they look alike,’ Adam Lallanalaughs)wasbroughtinasheadoffitnessandMonaNemmerwasappointedheadof nutrition. Lallana, unprompted, says the work of the two former BayernMunich employees had a discernible positive effect on the 2016–17 season:‘PuttingMona in therehasbeenunbelievable.Shehascomeand reachednewlevelswiththefoodwe’reeating.AndAndreas,thefitnesscoach,comesinandwehadagoodpre-seasonunderhim.Hegotusfitforhowthemanagerwantsustoplay,whichisdemanding.’

A trip to Wembley in early August offered a glimpse of the excitingprospects ahead. European giants Barcelona, leggy and behind their Englishopponents in terms of preparation, were beaten 4-0 by the Reds in theInternational Champions Cup, a semi-competitive fixture, with Mané the starattraction. Twenty-four hours later, however, Klopp’s much-changed sidecrashed to a4-0 friendlydefeat atMainz,of all places.Spectators at theOpelArena,manythousandsofwhomhadcometothegroundearlytowelcometheirformer hero with standing ovations, sent Klopp home with another round ofapplauseafter thefinalwhistle.TheLFCcoachprofessedhimselfgrateful thathis teamhadaccompaniedhimonhisslightlyuneasy lapofhonour. ‘Itwouldhavebeenhugelyembarrassingformetorunaboutbymyselfthere,’helaughed.‘Thatway, itwascool.Myboysshowedthat theyhavegoodmanners,evenifthey can’t play football. They showed their appreciation of the extraordinaryatmosphere.’

Thetwocontrasting4-0scorelines,aswellasanotherpairofwildlydifferinggames–abreathless4-3winatArsenalandasorry2-0defeatatnewlypromotedBurnley–set the tone for the entire campaign, a riveting, exhausting ride thatendedinreliefratherthaneuphoria,justlikeanyotheroverlylongrollercoaster.Liverpoolwereprone to stunningperformances against someof thebest sidesthatyearandatthesametimeliabletosufferembarrassingdefeatsatthehandsof the decidedly lesser lights. That unnerving pattern ultimately precluded abetter finish than fourth spot, but in the run-up to Christmas, hope burnedbrightlyonMerseysidethatmorethananingloriousquarterofacenturywithoutaleaguetitlemightcometoanend.

Following on from the Burnley reversal, the Reds won against championsLeicester(4-1),futurechampionsChelseaatStamfordBridge(2-1)andtenothersidesinanunbeatenfifteen-matchrunthatbrieflytooktheclubtothetopofthetable and ‘made Liverpool supporters enjoy, well, being Liverpool supporters

again’, as theLiverpoolEchowrote. ‘The fans likewatching their team.Theycan’twaittocometoAnfield,thesenseofthenewheightenedbyaredevelopedMain Stand that’s allowing the ground to rediscover a consistent volume notheard in fourdecades.’Gonewas theresigned,apatheticsilence thathadhungoverthegroundformuchofthetimesincethefailedchampionshipchallengein2014. ‘We were bulldozing teams,’ Lallana says. As promised, heavy metalfootballhadarrived.

‘Kloppisthebestcoachintheworldforthespectators,hecreatesteamsthatattackthebackfour,’saidManchesterCitymanagerPepGuardiola.NeithertheCatalan nor his prominent colleagues José Mourinho (Manchester United),Arsène Wenger (Arsenal), Antonio Conte (Chelsea) and Mauricio Pochettino(Tottenham Hotspur) were able to inflict a single defeat on Liverpool thatseason.

Mané’s inclusiongave theattackanextra levelofpaceand flexibility.Theformer Red Bull Salzburg winger and his two Brazilian teammates PhilippeCoutinhoandRobertoFirminoconstantlyswitchedpositionsinpre-programmedwaystofindapathtowardsgoal,evenagainst‘sidessodeepthattheirlastlineof defence is right next to the terrace’, asKlopp’s chief scout PeterKrawietzputsit.

In a celebrated appearance on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football inSeptember, the Liverpool coach reiterated his mantra ofGegenpressing being‘the best playmaker’. But atMelwood, the emphasis had quietly shifted fromworking against the ball to working with it. Liverpool, the coaches realised,needed better active solutions for those gameswhere theywere the dominantside.

‘Aftergettingusedtooneanotherinthefirstseason,therewasamuchbiggerfocus on possession football for the secondyear,’Krawietz reveals. ‘The ideawastocontrol thepaceof thegamewiththeball,andtousethetimebetweengamestoadoptafootballingideathatcould–ideally–bereproducedinaflexiblemanner under pressure.’ To that end, the coaching staff spent many traininghours getting the team to adhere to certain patterns of movement. While theroutine never included precise, pre-determined runs, it consisted of ‘agreedprocedures’(Krawietz)forcreatingspacesinthespecificareaswhereoppositionteamsweresuspectedtobemostvulnerable.Onesuchprocedure,forexample,entailedtwoplayersdraggingtheiropponentsawayfromthecentrewithdummyruns,thusclearingachannelforthethirdonetorunthroughongoalunopposed.Asimpleenoughmove,butveryeffectiveifexecutedinperfectsynchronicity.

Krawietz:‘Thesystembyitselfisnotreallyimportantinfootball.Thepointof coaching is to try tomake football, a gamebasedonmany randomevents,less random, to force your luck in a sense. My favourite quote is by LukasPodolski:“Football is likechess,butwithoutdice.”I’dchange thatslightly, tomake it: “Football is like chess, but with dice.”What I mean by that: everycoach spends an incredible amount of time pondering about all the differentfactors,abouttheopponent,theweather,andsoon,knowingfullwellthattotalcontroloftheballisunattainable.Allyoucanreallydothenistofindageneralorder, a systemoforientation for yourownplayers that bringsout thebest ofyour specific squad. Successful combination football depends on two peoplehavingthesameideaatthesametime.Onehastheball,theotherstartsmakingamove.Acoach’s job is to practise these sequences to instil an idea, repetitionand situations, to increase the chance that they will work under real liveconditions,whenthere’spressureandanopponentinterfering.Thealternativeisto relyon total individualquality,onbeingsimplysuperior.But that’snotourapproach.Wecan’taffordtheseplayers;wehaveneverbeenabletoaffordtheseplayersatanyoftheclubswehaveworkedfor.That’swhytheideaalwaystakesprecedenceforus.’

Inthosegoldenautumnmonths,thesuccinctnessofKlopp’splayingconceptthreatened to trump all rivals,most ofwhom had troublemaking themost oftheirplayers’potential.WhereasLiverpool’slasttitlechallenge,underBrendanRodgers in2013–14,hadowedmuchof itsdrive toonesuperstarstriker(LuisSuárez), thiswasa true team,movingandplayingas ifconnectedby invisiblenervecords.

Intheslipstreamofthestrongshowings,playerswhohadlongbeenwrittenoff suddenly shone. James Milner, one of the most important leaders in thedressingroom,wasreinventedasaleft-back.‘ItwascooltoseethatplayerswhohadalreadyplayedhundredsofPremierLeaguegameswereready to tryoutadifferentstyle,toadapttoit,’Krawietzsays.

Centre-backDejan Lovrenwas another player who confounded his critics.‘WhenwecametoLiverpool,everybodytoldusabouthisproblems,about thethingshecouldn’tdobutweweredeterminedtolookathimandeverybodyelsewithfresheyes,’saysKrawietz.‘Wefelt fromtheveryfirstdaythatwehadaplayerhere,andhisdevelopmenthasbeengreat.Ithinkanewcoach,tryingoutnewthingsanddifferentplayers,takingresponsibilityforanyfailure,wasseenasachancebymanytoimprovetheirsituation.Andmanyhaveseizedit.’AdamLallanaandRobertoFirmino,whofounditeasytoadjusttothenewtacticsdue

to their past at pressing bastions Southampton and TSG Hoffenheimrespectively,emergedasrealpillarsoftheside,asdidveteranmidfielderLucasLeiva.Hisexperience,footballingintelligence,communicativeskillsandabilitytolearnmadetheBrazilianakeypartofthenewset-up.

KlopphadinsistedonhisfirstdayatAnfieldthatLiverpoolweren’tnearlyasbad as vast sections of themedia and their own supporters feared.Maybe thesquad itself had started feeling that way, too. ‘He would sometimes getfrustrated,tellingusthatwedon’tbelievehowgoodweare,’Lallanasays.ThecoachandhisstaffalsofeelthatthepublicinEnglandaregenerallytooquicktomakeuptheirmindaboutplayersandtooslowtorevisetheirviewsinlightofevidenceto thecontrary.Krawietz:‘Oncetheyhaveconvincedthemselves,forexample,thatagoalkeeperisshit,heremainsshitforeternity.Theywillwaitaslongas it takesuntilhedoesmakeamistakeand then say: “See,we toldyouso.”It’saself-fulfillingprophecy,inanegativesense.It’squiteprevalenthere.’

AlateblunderfromLorisKarius in the4-3defeatatBournemouthinearlyDecemberputanendtoLiverpool’sunbeatenrunandledtotheyoungGermangettingdroppedforSimonMignoletfortheremainderoftheterm.Thetimingoftheawful result–theRedshadbeen3-1upwith fifteenminutes togo–couldn’thave beenmuchworse, either: the teamwere scheduled to fly to Spain for aChristmas party. Klopp was unperturbed, however. ‘When we landed inBarcelona,musiccameonintheplaneandhegotonthemicrophone,’Lallanarecallswithahugesmile.‘Hewaslike:“Listen,lads.Ifwecanpartywhenwewin, we can party when we fucking lose.” So everyone got off the planethinking:“Youareright,itisthetimetoparty.Let’sparty.Let’shaveadrink.”Whichjustshows:thereismoretolifethanfootball.Yeah,wedidourbest;welost.Andyeah,itfeelsshittolose,butthereismoretothat.Theolderyouget,Ithinkthemoreithurts,butthequickeryougetoverit.’Klopp,wholivesdirectlyoppositeLallana’sformerhomeinFormby,agenteelcoastaltown,is‘justacoolguy’, he adds. ‘You see him having a fag, a smoke…’ Before the Englandmidfieldermoved toCheshire, his young sonArthurwould oftenwave at thetall, blond neighbour across the road, shouting ‘Klopp, Klopp!’, imitating thecoach’s touchline fist pump. AndKloppwould unfailingly smile back with awave,totheobviousdelightofLallanaJr.

Smiles and fist pumps got harder to come by after the turn of the year,however. A horrific run of only two wins in twelve games in January andFebruarysawtheteamcrashoutofbothdomesticcupcompetitions.Fansawokefrom their title dreams to fears of losing out on the Champions League

altogether.Theselectionofweakenedteamsfor theLeagueCupandFACupwas‘the

onlywaytoapproachsuchaspellofgames, toget throughitand theone thatfollowsafter’,Krawietzinsists.GettingusedtoafixturecalendarwithnotimeoffatChristmashasbeenoneofthemainchallengesfortheGermans.‘Itmakesahugedifference.You can’t appreciate howbig if youhaven’t experienced ityourself.It’sreallynotfunny.’

AsembarrassinganddisappointingastheexitsatthehandsofSouthamptonandChampionship sideWolverhamptonWandererswere, they alsooffereduptheopportunity togoaway forawarm-weather trainingcamp inLaManga inmid-February. After experiencing their first campaignwithout awinter break,the German coaching staff had come to fully appreciate the almost absurdphysicalandmentalburdenofnon-stopfootball.LFCownersFSGagreedwithKloppthattheteamshouldhaveoneweektogetherinthesuntorechargetheirbatterieseachyear,attheearliestopportunity.

ThetriptoSpainfailedtohavethedesiredeffect,intheshorttermatleast.Liverpool suffered a 3-1 defeat away to Leicester on their return to domesticduties, putting in one of the worst performances of the season. Lallana: ‘TheLeicestergame,welost3-1onaMondaynight.Thatwasabad,badmoment.Abadresult.Ididn’tseeitcoming.Thatgame,youfeltthatyouhadlethimdown.You know, you tried your best, but your best was just nowhere near goodenough thatnight.Yes, [theEuropaLeaguefinalv]Sevillewasdisappointing,but… theywere fantastic, they havewon it three years on the bounce. I willnevergetoverthat,butIcanunderstandwhytheybeatus,ifthatmakessense.Leicesterwasjustreallypoor.’

Klopp, well-versed in navigating crises, pleaded for perspective in thosedifficultweeks.‘Wehavetobelieveinthelong-termproject.Nobodywantstohear itbut losing isapartof football,’hesaid. ‘Idon’tcareaboutall this talkaboutreachingalowpoint.Ilovedrivingtotraininginthemorningandworkingwith the boys, even if it’s difficult. You can’t give up because you’re losing.Youhave to tryagain in thenextgame.’Heand the teamhadfallenvictimtotheirownsuccessintheautumn,toanextent.Liverpool’swinningstreak,atfullstrength, had created the expectation ofmore of the same to come, but in theabsenceof the injuredCoutinho, andMané,whoplayed forhis country at theAfricaCupofNations,thelackofdepthupfrontwaslaidbareinbrutalfashion.

The team’s cause wasn’t helped by a foul air of fatalism that engulfedMerseyside like a rank Victorian pea-souper. Liverpool, as a club, had to rid

itselfoftheattitudethatthesetypesoflossesweresomehow‘partoftheDNA’,Klopptoldlfc.tvaftertheseason.Heseeschangingthatdefeatistmindsetintoamuchmoreconfidentoutlookasoneofthemainobjectivesforthecomingyears.Hewantsabadresult tobeshruggedoffasablip, rather thanbeingseenasaharbinger of inevitable doom. ‘This club andmaybe this city have to learn totakemomentslikethatforwhattheyare.Don’tmakethembigger.Inlife,youcannot ignore thenegative things thathavehappened.Ifyoucanchangethem,change them: if you can’t change them, ignore them.That’s how it is. It’s allaboutthereaction.Infootball,andinlife.Ifyougetupinthemorningandthefirst hour is bad, does that mean you go back to bed? No, it means let’s tryanotherone.’

After reaching a kind of nadir at the King Power stadium, Liverpool’s formrecovered sufficiently to secure fourth spot, with an angst-laden opening halfagainst Middlesbrough at Anfield on the last day of the season eventuallyturningintoadelugeofgoals.

LiverpooldirectorMikeGordondescribesthe3-0winas‘oneofthehappiestmoments’ of his tenure. ‘Finishing in the top four, with this group that hadworkedsohardforit,withmypartnersJohn[W.Henry]andTom[Werner]inattendance, being able to celebrate with Jürgen and his staff… you feel thishappiness,tothecore.Itwasreallygreat.’

Butinhindsight,arethereanyregretsaboutabigopportunitymissed?Withthe notable exceptions of Chelsea and Tottenham, all the big teamsunderperformedinonewayoranother.CouldLiverpoolhavesneakedtheleaguewithoneortwousefulsigningsintheJanuarytransferwindow?

‘I would regret it if we hadn’t tried to bring in additional players,’ saysGordon, having pondered the question very carefully. ‘Butwe clearly did try.TheavailabilityofplayersintheJanuarywindowiscontinuingtodiminish,it’snowananomalyifyou’reabletodosomething.Idon’tknowwhatitwouldhavemeant for the restof the season ifwehad found the right solution.Wouldwehave strengthened? Nobody knows. But showing discipline [in the transfermarket]andstayingtruetoyourprinciplesisreallyimportant,andthat’soneofthe reasons we didn’t add to the squad.We tried. And the same goes for allwindows.Welookforanyadvantageandopportunitytoimprove.’

Krawietz says the coaching staff don’t look back in anger, either. ‘Areweupset [about not doing better]? No. Football is a learning system, a game ofconstant development.We wanted to give the many young players we had a

chance,anoutlook.Financially,Idon’tknowifitwouldhavebeenpossible[tomake additions in January]. Spending big money is not exciting. We havewonderful guys in prospect. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Woodburn, OvieEjaria.Wewantthemtohavetheopportunitytotrainwithus,andevaluatetheirtruepotential.Weknewwedidn’thaveany internationalgames.Weplayedagreatfirsthalfoftheseason,withmanygreatgames.InJanuary,wefellintoahole, a little bit. We got a little unlucky with refereeing decisions, andunfortunatelywehadsome injuries.Youhave to factor theminbutweare,ofcourse,tryingtoavoidthemasbestwecan.Wehavemadeoutstandingprogressin terms of the players’ athletic development, and we’re exhausting allpossibilities of injury prevention. Luck and bad luck will always be a factor,though.Would we have liked to win the title? Obviously. That’s what we’refighting for. But we don’t go around second-guessing past decisions andbemoaning missed opportunities. We take it on board and stash it in ourrucksack of experience. And then we make all of that part of futuredeliberations.’

For2017–18,whenLiverpoolwillonceagainplaytwiceaweek,jugglingthedemandsof thePremierLeagueandEuropean football,players, coaching staffandtheclubhierarchyallagreethatanexpanded,enhancedsquadismandatory.‘Weunderstand the importanceofdepth,’saysGordon. ‘It’snot justabout thebestXI.It’saverylongseasoninanespeciallydemandingsport,andmanyofthebestplayersalsoplayfortheircountriesinadditiontoclubfootball.Weneedreinforcements.Thatlessonhasbecomeparticularlyacuteandrelevantoverthelastseasonandahalf.’

Lallana’sassessmentisequallycandid.‘Ithinkweneedthree,fourmoretop,topplayers.Nodisrespecttoouryoungerlads.Butifyoulookatourbenchinthelastthreemonths,therearealotofyoungplayersonthere.WhenyoulookatChelsea’sbench, theybringon[Cesc]Fàbregas,Willian.At times, justhavingthemonthebenchisenoughtokeeptheplayersinthestartingXIontheirtoes,subconsciously that is.Another three, four top, top players keeps everyoneontheirtoes,raisesthequalitythatbitmore.Anditisonlygoingtohelpus.Europenextyear,youaregoing toneedmorebodies.We’vehada lotof injuries thisyear aswell.There is no shying away from the fact thatweneed fouror fivemoretopplayersandthemanagerunderstandsallthat.[Jürgen]isnotstupid.HerotatedhisplayersatDortmundquitealot,forbiggames.Ifhehasgotthesquadandhehasgotthetrustintheplayers,hewillrotate.Ihavenodoubtaboutthat.’

Krawietzagrees.‘Rotationandabroadsquadistheonlywayforward,that’s

theconclusion.Weneedtobeinapositiontobecompetitiveinallcompetitionsandrotateatahighlevelofquality.’

OneinterestingtheoryputforwardbyEnglishnewspaperswasthatLiverpoolcouldhavedonewithamoreorthodoxstrikertofunctionasalighthouseduringthosedarkdaysofJanuaryandFebruary,anexpertinforcingtheissuewhenthefootball’snotfreeflowing.Somebodyyoucanboottheballuptowhenyourlegsandmindcan’tmaketheirwayupthepitchthemselvesanymore.

Krawietz is unconvinced. ‘Iwon’t deny that’s anoption that couldwork. Idon’t want to sound naive, either. But staying true to your own ideas isimportant.Youhavetoadaptthem,ofcourse,butyou’restilltryingtosucceedwithit.Youcan’tsay:“Listen,lads,upuntilnowweplayedoneway,butnowit’s January, and badweather, andwindy, you should forget all of that. Let’splayshitfootballandseehowwegeton!”No.Itcan’tworklikethat.Therearemanywaysofwinningagame.Sometimesyouhavetodefendallthetime,leaveoneguyup front andwin1-0with a counter-attack.That canhappen.Butwewon’tmakethatastrategygoingintoagameorstartbendingourownrules.Wehaveourownprinciplesofplaying,andwedon’tgivethemup.Westicktotheplan.’

ButwhydoestheplanworksomuchbetteragainstthebestPremierLeaguesides than it does against those situated in the mid-table or the bottom?Liverpoolwould havewon amini-league consisting of the top six (fivewins,five draws) but they lost to Burnley, Bournemouth, Hull City, Swansea andCrystal Palace, and drew against Sunderland and Bournemouth. Is there anargument that Klopp’s football could do with taking its foot off the gas foreverydaycommutestolessglamorousdestinationsandlearntogettherewithalowerrpm?

Lallana, interestingly, thinkstheoppositeis true.HeblamesLFC’stroublesinnominallyeasiergameson thesubconsciousbelief that80or90percentofeffort will suffice. ‘It’s amentality thing.When yourmentality is right, yourtactical play is going to be better. The manager knows that, and it’s notsomethingthatyoucanchangeovernight.Butheisemphasisingthatweneedtogetthatright.Assoonaswegetitrightforthosegames,Ifeelwecangoonandachievesomethingreallyspecial.’

‘If Adam says that, we’re one step closer to illumination,’ Krawietz notescontentedly when the midfielder’s thoughts are put to him. ‘I think it’s onlyhuman to think [about smaller games] thatway. Even for journalists, I guess.YougotoAstonVillavBurnley,youthink,“okay,let’scheckitout”.Butfor

ChelseavSpurs,yourpencilissharpened.Nevertheless,itmustbeforbiddentothink that way as a player.We fight against that.We reiterate that the samenumber of points is at stake, regardless of the opposition.Whatwewant is aconsistently high energy. Having the ball and dominating the rhythm of thegame comes with a certain level of intensity. That’s just how it is. Ninetyminutesoffootballarea)unhealthyandb)exhausting.Thatwon’tchange.’

FormerLiverpool defender andSky football expert JamieCarragher pointsthe finger in a different direction. ‘I don’t think it is an attitude problemwithLiverpool.YouwouldnevercriticiseaJürgenKloppteamforitsattitude.Everyteam can have an off day now and again, of course, but I think it is tactical.Liverpool’s game suits playing against teams who build from the back, whopush up their full-backs and leave spaces to attack in counter-attacks. If thepossessionstatsare50–50,thatmeansLiverpoolhavelessofachanceofgettingcaughtonthecounter-attack.That’swhatseemstohappeninthesmallergames.Thebest twowaysofscoringfor thesmaller teamsareset-piecesandcounter-attacks.Andthat’swhereLiverpoolarereallyweak.Youhave toaddress that,youhave to change.Liverpoolneed tobuya coupleof taller players.Even inattackingpositions,Ithink.Youcanalsokeepyourfull-backsbackabitmoreinsome games, to make yourself less vulnerable on counter-attacks. Maybesometimesitmakessensetoletsmallerteamshavetheball.Becausethey’renotsetupforit.’

Klopp’s staff are very aware that set-pieces have been an Achilles’ heel.Krawietz, in particular, is full of admiration for the high calibre of dead-ballroutineshehasencounteredinEngland.‘It’satradition,’hesays.‘Youcanlookallthewaydowntothefourthdivisionhere,andyou’llfindrealchoreographies,reallygoodideas.Everyteamhasatleastoneguywhodeliversreallydangerousballs and five, six giant guys who’ll attack the ball fearlessly, with pace andunbelievablepower.ThePremierLeagueisfulloftheseplayers.Theymightnotbestarsbut their individualquality is incredible. Inaddition, thegoalkeeper isnotprotectedasmuchasinGermany.YoutouchhisshirtintheBundesliga–it’sa foul.Here, that’s part of thewarm-up.And then all hell breaks loose in thebox.Weunderstandthat.Weunderstandtheimportanceofdefendingdead-balls.Ontopofthat,wespendalotoftimethinkingaboutwaystoavoidfacingset-piecesinthefirstplace.’

Thesmallersides’abilitytoimportanelementofchaosintothegamewithsimplebuthugelyeffectivemeasuresmightalsoexplainwhyKlopp’sLiverpoolhavefounditeasier,paradoxically,toplayagainstthebetterteams.Theirgame

followsmore recognisable patterns, a code that the coaching staff are able todecipher and disrupt. Their programmes are hackable, because they areprogrammes. Themuchmore random operatingmode of the teams below theChampions League places, on the other hand, necessitate a much morespontaneousandmuscularresponsethatLiverpoolhavenotalwaysmustered.

‘As I said earlier: we are learning. All the time. It’s a process,’ Krawietzemphasises.‘Youmightfeelasifyou’reincontrolbutthentherefereeblowsfora free-kick in the eighty-ninthminute and the stadium is on fire and thepitchbecomesasauna.Youcan’tignorethat.It’sahugechallengeforusbutwearereadytodealwithit,readytoprepareforit,readytoadjusttoit.Weknowfullwellthatwe’llfallflatonourfacesifwedon’t.’

13.SMALL-SCREENTRIUMPHS

IntheyearsafterGermany’swinatthe1990WorldCup,commercialTVstartedtaking an ever greater interest in the nation’s favourite sport. SAT1revolutionised the way Bundesliga highlights were broadcast on Saturdayevening by devoting as much airtime to the spectacle surrounding the pitch–players’ girlfriends in theVIP seats, angry club presidents,managers’ sweatyarmpits–astothematchesthemselves.

Thedocu-soapformatof theirran showfedoff thewholegamutofhumanemotions, providing storylines and entertainment that didn’t depend on thefootball being particularly riveting. ran’s emphasis on showbiz elementsinvoluntarilyimpactedontheprotagonists,andevenmoresoonthewayfootballwas being talked and thought about in Germany.Winners won because theywanteditmore,loserslostbecause…that’swhatlosersdo,isn’tit?Playersandcoaches who didn’t bark grandiose, adrenalin-drenched statements into theSAT1microphonesafterthefinalwhistlewereseenasweakandhapless.Theyobviously lacked the confidence andmettle needed to thrive in an alpha-maleworld.

Thegame’stransformationfromtheratheruncouthpastimeoftheproletariatand other undesirables into a mass-market-compatible commodity pumpedmillionsofDeutscheMarks intoa sport thathadneverbeenprofitablebefore.The deliberate dumbing down of its presentation came at a heavy price,however:ran’sversionoftheBundesligahadahollowcentre.Thiswasfootballde-footballised, not concernedwith the how, onlywith thewow. Thewantonlack of any attempt at serious public analysis contributed to clubs and thenationalteamgettinglefthopelesslybehindoverthefollowingdecade.Itlackedthevocabularyandtechnicalframeworkforintrospection.

‘IaskmyselfifanyonereallywantstogetvalidinformationaboutthegameinGermany,’KlopptoldDerSpiegelinNovember2004.‘Doesanyonewantto

hear,“Theyshouldn’thaverunmore,theyshouldhaveruninasmarterway”?Idoubt that.Maybeon [someniche channel], in aprogramme for exotics.’Thetimewasindeedripeforachangebythen.Withineighteenmonths, theMainzcoachwouldemergeasthemainbeneficiaryoffootball’sanalyticalvoidandasacatalystforatransformation,winningawardsforhispunditryandtheacclaimof FranzBeckenbauer. But, unbeknown tomost, his overnight success on theboxhadbeenaverylongtimeinthemaking.

SAT1, the first privately owned TV station in Germany, had startedbroadcastingin1985.TheirregionalofficeforthestateofRhineland-Palatinatewasbasedinthecapital,Mainz,andSAT1CEOJürgenDoetzwasontheFSVboard.Whentheclubwasonceagainstrugglingtopaytheirbillsaheadof the1990–91 season, theTVboss stepped in to help out.HemadeSAT1Mainz’sshirtsponsor.

Notlonglater,oneoftheclub’splayersstartedaninternshipattheregionalsports desk: Klopp. ‘He was already the loudest guy in the team, a worldchampion in talking,’ saysMartinQuast. ‘Doetz said to him: “Kloppo, if thisthing with football doesn’t work out for you, I’ll make you director ofcommunications at SAT1.No problem.”’Doetzwas quite serious. SAT1wasstilla small start-upchannelat the time.Onlyaminorityofpeoplewithcableconnections were able to watch the programmes. Rhineland-Palatinate’s tinyregionalsportsdepartmentwashousedinacoupleofmetalcontainersattachedto an office building. It was staffed by a band of freelancers on fixed-termcontracts,andachangingarrayofstudentsandschool-leaverseagertolearnthetrade.Klopp,whowasalwaysworriedthathislow-payingcareercouldcometoan end ifMainz were relegated to the semi-pro third division, jumped at thechancetotesthimselfinthenewmediumaftertrainingandbetweenhissportssciencelecturesatFrankfurtUniversity.

Oneday, thepresenterof the ‘Wir imSüdwesten’Thursdayeveningsportssection announced to viewers a feature on the Röschinger sisters from BadVilbel,thetwomostsuccessfulsnowboardersfromtheHesseregion–‘byJürgenKlopp’. He had interviewed them, done the voice over, and edited the piece.Quast remembers it as being quite good, packed with interesting details andasides. ‘He was talented, and he had fun. He later said: “If football hadn’tworkedout,Iprobablywouldhaveendedupbeingasportsreporter.”’

On 15May 1992,Klopp’s knack of talking himself into (and out of) tightspotsdeliveredagenuinecoup.OneoftheclosesttitleracesinthehistoryoftheBundesligahad left league leadersEintrachtFrankfurt tiedonpointswithVfB

StuttgartandBorussiaDortmundaheadofthefinaldayofthe1991–92season.Frankfurt’smuch-admired‘Fußball2000’teamofAndyMöller,UweBeinandAnthonyYeboahhadasuperiorgoaldifferencetotheirrivals.AwinatrelegatedHansaRostockwoulddelivertheirfirstleaguetitlesince1959.

EintrachtcoachDragoslav‘Stepi’StepanovićhadorderedamediablackoutonthedayFrankfurtflewofftothenorth-eastofthecountry.Everybodytriedtospeak to the immensely quotable Serbian ahead of the season’s dramaticconclusion,butStepanovićrefusedtodoanyinterviews.SAT1sentinternKloppas theirsecretweapon, theguywhoalwaysgot thingsdonesomehow.HehadplayedunderStepanovićatRot-WeißFrankfurta fewyearsearlierbuthiskeycontactprovedtobeMainz05teammateHendrikWeiß,whosemotherworkedas the press officer for Frankfurt airport. She allowedKlopp through securityandall thewayto thedoorsof theplane,whereheinterceptedStepanovićandobtainedtheonlypre-matchinterviewin thewholeofGermany.‘Thatwashisoutstanding journalistic achievement,’ says Quast. For Eintracht, the outcomewas far less happy, however. They went on to lose 2-1 at Rostock incontroversial circumstances the next day, opening the door for an unexpectedtriumphbyVfBStuttgart.

EverydaylifeinsidetheSAT1containercompoundwasnotquiteasstirring.As theyoungestmemberof theeditorial team,Klopp’smain taskconsistedofprocuringaregularsupplyofcola-bottlesweetsfromthenearbywholesalestore.‘Hewashappytodothat,buthesaidthatweshouldmakeitagame.Everythingwas a competitionwithKloppo,’ saysQuast, one of the sports editors on thedesk.‘Wesatthereandthrewcola-bottlesintoeachother’smouthsfromthree,fourmetres,bestoften.Theloserhadtobuyeveryoneelseabeer.ThesescenescometomymindwhenIseehimnow,beingthecoachofLiverpool.’

Afterhisformalinternshipofthreemonthswasup,Kloppkeptreturningtothecontainerstodotheoddfeature,orsimplyhangoutwithex-colleagueswhohadbecomeclosefriends.OneofthemwasMartinSchwalb,ayounghandballplayer.HelaterwonthehandballChampionsLeaguein2013ascoachofHSVHamburg.

Klopp’switticismsin the‘flash interviews’rightafter thefinalwhistleasaplayerandcoachatMainzmadehima favouritewith the reporters fromDSF,the commercial channel broadcastingBundesliga 2 inGermany. In September2001, Klopp and Ralf Rangnick–who were first and second in the seconddivisionwithMainzandHannover96respectively–wereinvitedtothestation’sViererkette talkshow todiscuss thecrisis inGerman footballwith1974World

Cup winner Paul Breitner, one of the most prominent pundits. Following onfrom the excruciatingly bad Euro 2000 tournament, the national team was inacutedangerofmissingoutonthe2002WorldCupaftera0-0drawinthefirstlegoftheirplay-offagainstUkraine.

Breitner at firstwas reluctant to share the stagewithKlopp andRangnick,saysViererkette’s producer Jörg Krause. They were second division coaches.What did they know about the national team’s problems? The former BayernMunich andRealMadridmidfielder in the end agreed to sit downwith theserelative nobodies. Prompted by presenterRudiBrückner,Breitner suggested aflurryofpartiallycontradictoryreasonsforGermany’sfallfromgrace,includingtoomuchpressure from theGermanFA,anabsenceof long-termplanningbythe authorities, and a weak mentality in the Nationalmannschaft squad.Rangnick,bruisedbyhis infamousappearanceonZDFSportstudio threeyearsearlier,whenhehadpontificatedonthevirtuesofzonalmarkingandearnedthescornofBundesligacolleaguesandof the tabloidmedia in return,wascarefulnot to contradict the authoritatively suited-and-booted Breitner too openly.Klopp, thirty-four, clean-shaven in a student’s uniform of a brown polo shirt,khaki trousers and trainers, could hardly fit his rangy frame into the leatherarmchairs.Hewasalsodeferentialtobeginwith,evenalittlenervous.Hisvoice,lightly chargedwith aSwabian lilt, betrayed a senseof unease in the openingexchanges.

Rangnick (in a grey shirt over a black T-shirt, like an off-duty graphicdesigner)andKloppgrewinconfidenceastheprogrammeprogressed.Betweenthem, they quietly pinpointed the two most important reasons for Germanfootball’s problems: weaknesses in youth development and the failure tounderstand footballasacollectivegame. ‘Youngplayersget tenhoursaweektraining, and the club caretaker decides if they’re allowed on the pitch duringschoolholidays,’saidRangnick.‘Wehavetogetthemtotrainthirty,fortyhoursperweek.’Hewentontoexplainthatyoungprofessionalplayers,too,expectedtokeeponlearningtheirtrade,instructedbycoaches‘whoputonpropertrainingsessions, treat them respectfully, point outmistakes and aim to develop themfurther’.

BreitnerprotestedthatBundesligaproswere,bydefinition,sogoodthattheydidn’t need to be taught the ins and outs of the game–least of all by self-appointedmodernisers and upstartswho had never played at the highest levelthemselves. ‘I don’t want to put anybody down here,’ he said, feigningdiplomacy,‘buttheindividualquality[ofthebestplayers]issohighthatmany

coacheswon’tbeabletokeepup.Youlearnfromlookingatyourpeersatthislevel, likeI learnedfromlookingatFranz[Beckenbauer]andGerd[Müller] intraining[atBayern].Youdon’tneedacoachtoexplaintoyouwhyyouonlyhittheoutsideofthepostfromtwentymetresratherthantheinside,orpointoutasmalltechnicalmistake.’

Klopp was moved to object forcefully, but an advertising break sparedBreitner the ignominy of getting contradicted live on TV by a bespectacled,profuselyside-burnedcoachfromMainz05.Whenthecamerasreturned,KloppsmiledbeatificallyandjokedthattheshootingtechniqueinBundesliga2wasn’t‘thatbad’.‘Inanycase,’headded,‘what’smuchmoreinterestingisimprovingtheteamasawhole,preparingeachplayersothat thecombinationof themallfunctionswell.’Kloppreadilyadmittedthathehadn’tbeenthebestofplayers,more of a second divisionwarhorse.Butwhy should that disqualify him as acoach? ‘Yes: I teach them more than I ever knew,’ he cheerily agreed withBrückner.

Getting Mainz to the Bundesliga and to a mid-table position withoutsignificant investment in the squad and almost no first division experiencewithin the team proved Klopp’s point a few years later. Ever the teacher, heseemedtoenjoytalkingabouthisideasandmethodsinpublicalmostasmuchascoachingtheplayers.‘MostthingsIlearnedinlifeIlearnedbecausesomebodygavemetherightadviceintherightmoment,withoutmeasking,’hewouldtelltheSundayTimesyearslater.‘Iwasaluckyguy.Imetsomenicepeopleinthebeginning:teachers,coaches.Andofcoursemyparentsandallthatstuff.Ithinkthat’s what life should be: that youmake your own experiences and whetherthey’re good or bad you share them–so somebody else can avoid the samemistakes.That’showIthinkfootballshouldworktoo.’

Unlikeoneortwoofhisyoung,iconoclasticcontemporaries,hebufferedhismissionstatementswithself-laceratinghumour,carefullydownplayinghisownimportanceand stressing thatofhis fellow travellerson the journey towards afaster, more joined-up game. Klopp’s enthusiastic dissemination of the newdoctrinenevercrossedthelineintoself-aggrandisementoropendisrespecttotheestablishment.

DieterGruschwitz,theformersportseditorofstatebroadcasterZDF,enjoyedtalkingfootballwithKloppoverabeer inapubnot far fromtheFSVcoach’shouseinthesuburbofGonsenheim.‘Wewouldseeeachotherallthetimeandstarted to become friendly,’ Gruschwitz says. ‘Klopp had this very winning,captivatingwayoftalkingtopeople.SoIstartedthinking…’

ZDF owned the rights to the upcoming 2005 Confederations Cup, held inGermanyasatestrunforthe2006WorldCup.Their(friendly)rivalsfromARDhad the award-winning duo of presenter Gerhard Delling and expert GünterNetzer, the former Germany international playmaker, whose acerbic wit andsometimestoe-curlinghonestyhadbroughtameasureofreliefduringthemostlyineptperformancesof thenational teamat the turnof thecenturyandbeyond.Netzer, a youthful rebel turned aristocratic elder statesman–if he had lived inBritain, he’d long have been Lord Netzer or at least Sir Günter–served as avisual reminder of much better, glorious times and looked forever personallyinsulted by crude attempts at football that violated his heightened aestheticsensibilities.

ZDF’sbigname for the twomajor tournamentsonGerman soilwasFranzBeckenbauer. But as head of the organising committee, he would only beavailableforafewbroadcasts.Gruschwitz:‘Beckenbaueraside,wedidn’thaveanyoneatNetzer’s level.Andwecouldn’tpretend toeither.Theonlywayoutwastodothingsverydifferently.Witharefereeasanexpert–UrsMeier.WithJürgenKlopp,asananalyst,onanewtool:a touchscreenthatcombinedvideoimages and the ability to draw on top of the frames.And to do everything infrontofaliveaudienceinBerlin.’

Kloppdidn’thave todeliberate too longabout theoffer: ‘GruschwitzcameintomylivingroomandaskedwhetherIcouldseemyselfworkingasananalyst.All I thoughtwas“IcanwatchWorldCupgames!”Then Iaskedwhethermytwosonscouldgetfreetickets.Hesaidyes.Thatmadethedecisioneasy.’

The ZDF executive had one grave concern, however: ‘I knew he couldanalyseagame,therewasnoquestionofthat.ButwouldtheTVviewersbelieveaseconddivisioncoachtalkingaboutinternationalfootballatthehighestlevel?WasthegapbetweenMainzandBrazilnottoowide?’

Beckenbauerseemedtothinkso.‘DerKaiser’lookedalittlesuspiciousandbemusedbyKlopp’sstudiodeliberationsatfirst.‘Butafterthesecondandthirdtime, he said: “Wow, it’s really great, the way he explains the game,”’ saysGruschwitz.‘AcoupleofmatchesintotheConfedCup,BeckenbauerwastotallyinaweofJürgen.’‘Beckenbauer’sapprovalwaslikegettingknightedforKlopp.If the Kaiser thought he knew his stuff–he really knew his stuff,’ says JanDoehling,whoworkedasaneditorontheshows.

Therehadbeenno trial run. ‘Jürgen justgotupanddid it.He’sanatural,’saysGruschwitz.‘Straightawaynoonewasworriedanymorewhetherhewouldconnect with the audience. He could tell you about football without being

moralistic,orhurtful,orbeing tooscientific.Evenagrandmaunderstoodwhathewas on about.At aWorldCup, you don’t just get the football supporters,entire families sit in front of the television, includingmany peoplewho don’treallycarethatmuchaboutfootballinday-to-daylife.Hewasperfectatgettingthe game’s intricacies across to those people, too, in an informative andentertainingway.That’swhoheis.It’sagiftofhis,hisgreattalent.’

Klopp’s smart-casual attire befitted his choice of words. Interesting littleobservations–a left-back was too deep, a midfielder had switched off–werepackaged into unfussy, un-TV-like language that didn’t sound put on orpatronising, but simply like a clued-up guy talking to his friends in the pub.Twenty-five million people were watching, but you wouldn’t have known itfromKlopp’sdemeanour.Gruschwitz: ‘Hehada lightness,anassurednessandanauthenticitythatimmediatelywonovereveryone–includingPelé,whowasanoccasionalguestontheWorldCupshows.Hetookashinetohimaswell.’

Whatcameacrossbest,Gruschwitzadds,wastheyoungcoach’spassionforthe game. The combination of his antics on the touchline at Mainz and theenthusiasmwithwhichhecould talkaboutCostaRica’s formationshowed theviewerthat‘herewassomeonewhoreallylivedforthesport’.

Klopp’s relaxed yet substantive style of punditry ‘changed the way welooked at football in the [ZDF] office’, the formerTVboss reveals.Doehlingagrees: ‘He taught us how to analyse. The first and most important thing Ilearnedfromhimwasthattherewasnotoneabsolutetruth.Youdon’tlookataclipandonlyseeoneparticularthing.It’sopentointerpretation.Healsosaidhehadtoseeagametwoorthreetimes,thatyoucouldn’treallyseethingsclearlythe first time around. You might see that there’s something wrong. But youwon’tseewhatiswrongimmediately.Thathelpedmeovercomemyownfears.Youcanfeelyourwayin.Youcanbecomeskilled.Youcanadoptaroutine,youcandevelop.It’saprocess,acraft.Notaquestionof“youeithercandoitoryoucan’t”.That’swhat I tellmy colleagues today: video analysis is notwizardry.Youwon’tbeabletodoitstraightaway.Butyoucanlearnit.’

ZDF’s compelling offering, the perfect complement to Germany’sunexpectedlyexcitingruntothesemi-final,thefantasticweatherandthenation-wide party atmosphere essentially taught viewers the same lesson.Decades ofthekindofarmchairpsychologythatinvolvedvaguemusingsaboutoneteam’snervousnessandanotherone’smentalstrength,whichhadbeenthepreserveoftop footballers, was swept aside in favour of factual expositions of the little,tangible, readily identifiable things that couldmake all the difference. ‘Klopp

continuessomethingthatdidn’texistbeforehisdebutattheConfederationsCup:he simply talks about what’s happening on the pitch,’ wrote ChristophBiermann, one of the first German football journalists to cover tacticsextensively, in Süddeutsche Zeitung. Klopp’s focus on the machinations of amatch closely reflected his footballing education under Wolfgang Frank.‘Everybodyusedtoplaymanmarking,’hesaid.‘Thequestion:“Wouldthisgoalhavegone in if thatguyhadn’t losthisone-v-one?”was relevant then.Today,thereiszonalmarking,butmanyquestionsstillrelatetotheconceptfrombackthen.Weshouldtalklessaboutplayers,moreaboutthegame.’

Viewersfeltemancipated.Theyweregiventhetoolstothinkaboutfootballinafarlessabstractmanner.Bychampioninginsightoverstatusandexperience,ZDF’scoveragedemocratisedthepublicdiscourseaboutthegame.Ifaseconddivision coach could persuade Beckenbauer to take note, maybe everybodycould.

But it went much further than that. Klopp’s success on the World Cuptouchscreen changed age-old perceptions about the basic requirements ofcoaching,Doehlingbelieves.‘Ifyouhadplayedfirstdivisionfootball,youweremeanttobeafirstdivisioncoach.Ifyouhadplayedseconddivision,youwereasecond division coach. That’s how it used to be. What Klopp did was todemonstrate–in front ofmillions of people–that knowledge could be gathered,thatcoachingwasatradethatcouldbelearned.Youserveyourapprenticeship,you graduate, you get to the next level, you take another exam.You develop,step by step, until you become a coach; by virtue ofwhat you can do on thesidelines, notwhat you have done on the pitch.Awhole generation of youngmanagerswhohadnevermadeittothehighestlevelsasplayerswasinspiredbythat.’

Klopp’s results with Mainz and his triumphant stint as the ‘Fernseh-Bundestrainer’(Gruschwitz),TV’snationalmanager,openedthedoorforevenmore anonymous coaches to succeed in the Bundesliga. Men like ThomasTuchelandJulianNagelsmannrealisedthattheirlimitedpracticalskillswerenotnecessarily a bar to progress. Clubs, too, felt emboldened to look past priorplayingexperience.

Onthewhole,theWorldCupshookGermanfootballoutofitsstaidnessandstrengthenedthehandofreformers.Withinweeks,manyofJürgenKlinsmann’smost controversialmethods–more proactive goalkeeperswho enabled a higherdefensive line, core-stability exerciseswithAmerican fitness coaches, a strongemphasis on personality development and help from sports psychologists–

becameacceptedpracticeinthetopflight.For Klopp, working with ZDF offered an opportunity to closely study the

gamesofinternationalteamswhowererarelyseenonGermanscreens.Thetimeon stage also delivered a couple of other valuable lessons to him. Firstly, herecognised the potential of the new visual aid and was quick to utilise thetouchscreen technology for his own work at Mainz. ‘That was his secondquestion in 2005: “Can I use that onmy laptop in the changing room?”’ saysDoehling.‘Thefirstquestionwas:“Whereistheloo?”Klopp’scleverlikethat.Hethinksaboutthings.He’snotoneofthesecoachesconcernedwithlininghispockets asmuch as possible in a short space of time.He cared aboutmakingthingswork,aboutgettingthemaximumoutofit.Maximumfun,maximumuse.Hewanted to learn.Noone really knew the possibilities of that systemat thetime,noonewasworkingwithanythinglikethatintheBundesliga.Wemadeitpossible for him, and it was great for us that he used it during the season,becausethatmadehimbetterwhenitcametodoingitonTVattheWorldCup.ItwasPeterKrawietz’sjobtoputtogethertheclipsforuseathalf-timeorinpre-matchteam-talksatMainz.’

Asecondrealisationconcernedthepowerofthecrowdtopushateamtoitslimits and beyond. Like many experts, Klopp had been sceptical about theNationalmannschaft’s chances at both competitions,Doehling says. ‘Everyoneknew that Klinsmann wasn’t the world’s best tactician, and we allunderestimatedtheinfluenceof[hisassistant]Löw.Germany’ssuccesscameasa surprise. I suspect thatKlopp picked up on the differencemotivationmade.Motivation had carried the team past the odd tactical weakness and the odddeficiencyintradecraft.Klopphadalwaysplayedwiththesupportofthecrowd,butattheWorldCuphesawhowthecrowdcouldreallyplaythegame.That’swhathappenedagainstPoland. [Substitute]DavidOdonkor, surfingonawaveof euphoria, put in the cross of his life [to decide the game]. Pure spirit.Youcould see the same thing when Klopp whipped up the crowd for Liverpool’sgameagainstBorussiaDortmund.TheAnfieldcrowdcarried the inferior teamthatnight.Theyevenscoredthedecisivegoalforthem.’

Gruschwitz sounds as if he’s about to well up reminiscing about thosesummersworkingwithKlopp.‘Hewasanincredibleteamplayer,’hesays.‘Hedidn’tjustturnupshortlybeforewewentonairbutgotinvolvedhoursbefore,givinghis thoughts.Therewere longdiscussionsaboutwhatshouldbeshown;heleftnothingtochance.Ondaysoff,wewentouttoeattogether.Hewantedtobeagenuinepartoftheteam.Hetrulywasoneofus.There’snootherwayto

putit.’Thatisnottosaythattherewasn’ttheoccasionalill-temperedoutburst.The

day before theWorldCup, an angryKlopp kicked a hole in one of the paperwallsatthestudioreceptionandshoutedatpeopleasthesystemhadfailed.‘Butthatwasokay,noproblem,’saysDoehling.‘Hedidthatoncebecausehewantedthingstoworkwell.Outstandinglywell.Healwayssaid:“Letusputsomethingtogetherthatworksoutstandinglywelltomorrow.”Hewasinterestedinthejob,not in lookinggoodon television. So he lost it once, and everybody ran a bitquickerasaresult,andthedamnthingworked,andeverybodyhadagoodtime.AndKloppmentionedthesepeople’snameonair,theoneswhoworkedbehindthe scenes, tomake them feel part of it. “Mike, roll the tape,” he’d say. Thebossestoldhimthatwasn’tthedonethingonTV.ButKloppdidn’tcare.’

Hispopularityapproachedthelevelsofthenationalteamandtheircoachesinthosedays.Peoplestopped to takepictureswithhimandasked forautographsoutsidethestadiuminBerlin.GermanFApresidentDrTheoZwanzigerjokedataget-togetherofBavariancoachesthathisaunthadtoldhimtoappointKlopp–theguestofhonourattheevent–asthenextBundestrainer.

At Mainz’s first off-season friendly after the tournament, the stadiumannouncer in the minuscule Bad Göging ground introduced Klopp as ‘thatfamousguy from television’ andaskedhimwhetherhe’d continueworking infootball.TheMainzcoachwarilyacknowledgedthatpeopleneeded‘amug’torepresent and symbolise the club but railed against being the sole focus ofattention. Eyewitnesses at the game reported that many fans wanted Klopp’sautograph.ButnobodyaskedanyoftheMainzplayersfortheirs.

TheZDF coverage of theWorldCupwon theGermanTV award for bestsports programme in November 2006. Klopp’s contract with the channel wasextended toEuro2008.Twoyears later,hewon theGermanTVawardagain,forhispunditryatthe2010WorldCupforRTL.Morecovetedtrophieswouldfollownotlongafter.

14.60,000TEARS

Mainz2007–08

In May 2007, a few weeks after Jürgen Klopp’s first relegation as player ormanager,hewas runningayouthhostel in ruralThuringia, right in the former‘death strip’ of the inner-German border. Temporarily. Klopp had taken theMainz05squadtoasimilar,no-mod-conshutforateam-buildingexercisefouryearsearlier,intherun-uptothepromotion-winning2003–04season.Theback-to-the-woods trip with the 2007–08 players was supposed to have the samepositiveeffectandoutcome.

Thirtymenweresleepingonbunkbedsinoneroom.Thedaysstartedatsixinthemorning,withKloppblaringoutGermanSchlager classic ‘GutenMorgen,Sonnenschein’onaboombox.‘I’llneverforgetthat,’saysNevenSubotić,eventhough he can’t remember quite whether that aural pleasure consisted of theoriginal acoustic version by Greek singer Nana Mouskouri or Ireen Sheer’scover from1989. ‘Wewere totally shoteverymorning.Butwehad togetup,makeourownbreakfast;preparelunchanddinner.Peelthecarrots,thatsortofthing. [Midfielder] Milorad Pekovic was injured. He couldn’t join in theexercises–gamesinthewoodswherewehadtocooperatetoachieveacommongoal–sohewasthe“mother”ofthegroup:hestirredthegiganticsouppotforafewhoursuntileverybodycamebackinforlunch.’

A stone’s throw from themodest lodgings, a section of thewired fence, aguard tower and amuseum reminded thevisitors ofGermany’sdivision. ‘Theplayers, asmuch as they’re susceptible to such associations, could understandthechoiceof the teambaseas symbolic:Mainz05arekeen tocross thesameborderthattheyrecentlyhadcrossedintheoppositedirectionduetorelegation,’wroteDieWelt. Inphysical terms,Klopp joked, theyhadalready ‘crossed theline’duringthetrainingcamp.

The forty-year-old saw the step back down as an opportunity to hone histradecraft. ‘In the second division, the playing style–thework of the coachingstaff–hasamuchbiggerinfluenceonsuccessandfailurethanintheBundesliga,where individual quality by the opposition can ruin the best plan,’ he said.A

goodrun,DieWeltsuspected,‘mightenableKlopptocrossapersonalline[toanewclub]afterwards’.

The city ofMainz kept the faith.All 15,000 season ticketswere sold, andlocally based credit company Coface agreed to buy the naming rights to themodern, first-class football stadium (cost €60m, capacity 35,000) that thecouncilwereplanningtobuildonabrownfieldsite,afive-minutedriveoutsidetown,notfarfromKlopp’sdomicileinGonsenheim.

Three of last season’s best performers–Manuel Friedrich, LeonAndreasen,MohamedZidan–didnotgodownwithMainz.Therewasanalmostentirelynewmidfield in Miroslav Karhan, the Slovakian international and former VfLWolfsburg stalwart, Tim Hoogland (Schalke) and Daniel Gunkel (EnergieCottbus),andateenagecentre-backwhobyplayingwiththecoolnessofamucholderheadquicklymadehimselfindispensable:Subotić.Havinghadatasteroffirst-team action in the Bundesliga denouement against Bayern, the Serbianrapidly improved to play thirty-three out of thirty-four games in the seconddivision,makingveryfewmistakes.HecreditsKlopp’scarefulbutnotalwaysgentlehandlingofhimforhisgoodperformances.

‘Klopp has a very broad spectrum,’ he says. ‘He could be very harsh. Ithought:“Hey,thisguyisscreamingatme.Chill,dude.”ButIprobablyneededitthen.He’dbebetterplacedtojudgethat.Thatsideofhimwasoldschool.Ahard school.But therewere also thesemomentswherehe cameup tomeandasked:“Everythingokay?Ifthere’sanythingyouneed,letusknow.Wewanttohelp.We’rethereforyou.Wewantyoutoplaywell.”Hewaslikeacolleagueinthatsense,notlikeasuperior.IfeltIcouldapproachhim.Thattookawayalotofmy insecurities. Iwas a teenager, onmyownonadifferent continent, in aflat, getting paid to play football. Ridiculous, really. It was a very strangesituation.Thelastthingyouneedisacoachtellingyou:“Youhavetoperformnow,otherwiseyou’llbegonenextyear.”Iwasgiventimetogrow.’

The decibel levels might have gone up from time to time at the trainingground, but Klopp’s censure would always be directed at the player, not theperson,Subotićexplains.‘Gettingshoutedatwasalwayslikehearinganalarmbellforme.IknewIhadmadeamistakethen;thatIcouldhavedonebetter.Itwas always respectful, never the kind of insults you’d sometimes hear fromBundesliga2coaches.Thatstuffmadeyoupissyourselfwithlaughter.’

Watchingmany trainingsessions from thesidelines,Doehlingdidn’tnoticeanythingoutoftheordinaryinthewayKloppaddressedhisplayers.‘Butifyousawhowtheyreactedtohimduringthegame,youimmediatelyrealisedthathe

hadfoundaway tocommunicatewith themin thedressing room.Youcannottreateverybodythesameway.That’ssocialintelligence:youhavetogaugehowyouhave to talk to somebody. I’m sure he sometimes hit thewrongnote but,mostly,hegotitspoton.Thesestoriesthatyouhearofsomeothertopcoaches–theydon’ttalktoplayersforweeksorkilltheminfrontofthegroup–youneverheardofKloppo.Hedidn’tplaythosegames.’

‘WithKlopp,itwasallveryhumane,’Subotićconfirms.‘Iknewthesethingswere said for a reason, formotivation, as ameans toanend toget to the top.Klopphaditboth:theroughandthesmooth.’

Therewere twodifferentsides tohisMainz team, too, thatyear.05startedthe season well, with a 4-1 win against Koblenz. Three defeats against theleague’sbetterteams–bogeysideGreutherFürth(3-0),KickersOffenbach(2-0),coached by Klopp’s mentorWolfgang Frank, and TSG Hoffenheim (1-0), anexpensive ensemble under the expert direction of Ralf Rangnick–in thefollowingsevenmatchesofferedaglimpseofpossibleshortcomings,however.Theywentintothewinterbreakinsecondplaceonthirty-onepoints,awhiskeraheadofKöln,Freiburg(bothonthirty),Fürth(twenty-nine)and1860(twenty-eight).

On9January2008,Klopp’smobilephonerang.Unknownnumber.Heidel,sitting next to him at thewinter training camp hotel in Costa Ballena, Spain,immediatelyknewitwas important: ‘Kloppsatupstraight,nodding“yes,yes”likeagoodboy.’Bayern’sgeneralmanagerUliHoenesswason the line.ThemostpowerfulmaninGermanfootballwascallingMainz05,wascallingKlopp.The record title-holders were in the market for a new manager to succeedveteranOttmarHitzfeldfor thenextseason.Hoeness: ‘We’re lookingatabig,internationaloption,andatasmaller,Germanone.YouaretheGermanoption.Canyouseeyourselfcominghere in thecasewedecide togofor theGermanoption?’‘Wecantalkaboutit,’Kloppreplieddemurely.

‘Itoldhimhehadtogoforit,’Heidelsays.‘Isaid:you’reabsolutelycrazyifyou don’t do it.’ Their relationshipwas so close, he adds, that Klopp alwaysconfided in him about approaches from other clubs. Bayern’s advances werehugely alluring. Klopp was aware he was only second choice for the AllianzArena role, a back-up contender if the Bavarians’ complex, highly secretnegotiationswith theunknowninternationalheavyweightwere to fail.But thatdidn’tdomuch to lessenhisdisappointmentwhenHoenessphonedagainwithbad news two days later. ‘We have decided to gowith the other Jürgen,’ theBayern patriarch declared. ‘What other Jürgen?’ Klopp replied, dumbfounded

foramoment.HehadthoughtGermany’sbiggestclubhadworkedonreelinginaforeignsuper-coach.But‘thebig,internationaloption’,itnowtranspired,wasCalifornia-basedJürgenKlinsmann,theformerGermannationalteammanager.Heidel: ‘Hoeness added that Bayern’s choice was ‘quite similar to you, MrKlopp’.Hedidn’treallyadmititbutIcouldseethatitwasablowforhim.Hewasa littlehurt.’MainzreporterReinhardRehberglaterrecalledKlopptakingtraining in a bad mood that day. ‘But he quickly got over it,’ Heidel says.‘Klopp’sverygoodatovercomingsetbacks.’

Asmuch as theMainz coachwas irkedby losingout to his namesake andfellow Swabian, this was a defeat that turned into a win before too long.Hoeness’ public confirmation that Klopp, the second division coach who hadpresided over relegation seven months earlier, had been a very seriousalternativeforthemostglamorousjobinGermanclubfootball‘amountedtohisbeatification’,FrankfurterRundschauwrote.‘Hewronglyusedtogetreducedtobeingamotivationalguru,withtalentforPRhonedasaTVexpert.HisselectionasacontendertosucceedHitzfeld,byitself,hasdirectedattentiontowardsotherqualities[ofhis].’‘Bayernthinkingaboutmewasanhonour,’Kloppsaid.

InHeidel’sview,‘Bayerndidn’thavetheballs’tooptforacoachwithoutatop football background, ignoring the fact that Klopp was a much moreexperiencedmanager thanKlinsmannat the time. ‘Iwas talked into tryingouttheKlinsmann adventure,’ a ruefulHoeness later admitted, ‘we signed up thewrong Jürgen. We all know that was a big mistake.’ Klinsmann’s reformistagenda,while‘convincingonpaper’(Hoeness),failedtowinovertheteamandtheclubduetoaseverelackoftacticaldetail.TheformerVfBStuttgartstrikerwasfiredtenmonthsintohisfirstseason,withBayernindangerofmissingoutontheChampionsLeague.

In the second half of the season, Mainz’s results continued to be decent,withouteverbuildingupanyrealmomentum.Klopp’smenwereeasilythebestfootballingsidebehindBorussiaMönchengladbachandHoffenheim,patientonthe ball and technically much more sophisticated than the vast majority ofopponents.Thatsuperiority,unfortunately,translatedintoabitofcomplacency.Games that should have beenwonwere drawn.Games that should have beendrawnwerelost.

But Mainz never lost touch with the promotion places. And Klopp’smarketabilitywasnotdamagedbyhisteam’sunderwhelmingruneither.Onthecontrary:encouragedbyBayern’searlierenquiry,anumberofBundesligaclubsthought that FSV’s uncertain prospectsmightmake it easier for them to prise

Kloppawayfromhisnaturalhabitatat theBruchweg.1.FCKöln,coachedbythe idiosyncraticChristophDaum–whohadmissedoutongettingappointedasGermany’snationalteamcoachafterfailingadrugstestinOctober2000–gotintouch.Heidel: ‘Thingswere always open and transparent between us.Klopposaid tome:“I’mgoing tomeetwith [KölnsportingdirectorMichael]Meier. Idon’treallywanttogotherebutIwanttohearwhatthey’llsay.Iwantyoutoknow that.” I said, “Noproblem.Go, and listen to him.You’re only going tofindouthowgoodlife isforyouatMainz.Butpleasemakesurenoonefindsout.”’ Just like Heidel predicted, the secret rendezvous at one of Meier’srelatives’homesinFrankfurtcametonothing.Klopphadleftthemeetingdeeplyunimpressed. (Köln, a promotion rival, later brazenly complained that MainzweretryingtoseeddiscordbyfalselyclaimingthatMeierhadcontactedKlopp,whichledtoHeidelmakingthefailedapproachpublic.)

That February, a senior delegation from Hamburger SV–sporting directorDietmar ‘Didi’ Beiersdorfer, CEO Bernd Hoffmann and marketing andcommunicationsdirectorKatjaKraus–alsovisited theKlopps at theirhouse inGonsenheim. Over pizza, cake and coffee, the northerners probed the Mainzcoach’swillingnessandsuitabilitytotakeoveratoneofthehistoricgreatsoftheleagueforthenextseason.HoffmannandKrauswerecertainthattheyhadfoundtheirman,ayoung,energeticmanagerwhowouldmake thefairlyexpensivelyput-together side a championship contender oncemore. Beiersdorfer was lesssure.Could a clubofHSV’s stature appoint a coachnicknamed ‘Kloppo’, theformer defenderwondered inKlopp’s presence. ‘You have a sporting directorcalledDidi,don’tyou?’theMainzcoachshotbackwithasmile.

Scoutswere instructed to discreetlywatchKlopp (and other candidates forthepost,suchasBrunoLabbadia,andDutchmenFredRuttenandMartinJol)atwork.Theresultswerecollectedinadossierandpresentedataboardmeeting.Klopp’scoachingandbrandoffootballweremuchcommendedbutHSV’sspiesalsonotedthathehadbeenunshaven,latefortraining,dressedinshabbyjeansandtalkedrudelytothelocalsportsreporters.

‘A typical Hamburg story,’ says Heidel, shaking his head. ‘Holes in histrousers,theysaid.Thisrumourthathewaslatefortraining?JürgenKloppwasnever latefor training,notonce inall thoseyears.Andtheysaidhewasbrashwithjournalists.Yes,hewas.Hehadknowntheseguysforfifteenyears,wasonfirst-nametermswithallofthem.Theyhadalreadyslaughteredhimasaplayer.Theywerelikefriends.Whenhesaidtothem“you’vefuckinglostyourmind”inapressconference,withnocamera running, theyknewexactlyhow to take

that. But those guys from Hamburg were like: “Oh my God, he can’t go toHamburg.Impossible.”’

Kloppwasnotpleasedwhenthescout’sfindingswererelayedtohim.‘ThosewhoworkinfootballshouldhaveknownhowIwork,andthewayIlook.Youdon’thavetoputascoutonthetouchlineforthat.That’samateurish,’hesaidtoBildamSonntagin2011.‘IthurtmetohearIwasn’tpunctual.There’sprobablynoonemorepunctualthanme.Unshaven–onlythatmuchwastrue.IcalledMrBeiersdorfer and said: “If you’re still interested inme–I decline. Please nevercallmeagain.”’

Hamburg’s failure to landKlopp, themostpromisingGermancoachofhisgeneration, has become part of German football folklore, the Bundesliga’sversionofDeccaRecordsbossDickRowe turningdown theBeatles.WhetherKlopp’s casual demeanour really did tip the scales against him is somewhatdoubtful, however. A former HSV official who was directly involved in thesearchprivatelyinsiststhatJol–whohadledTottenhamHotspurtofifthplacein2006–07andwasoutofcontract–hadsimplybeenconsideredthebetterchoicebyamajorityontheboard,irrespectiveofKlopp’ssartorialshortcomings.Eitherway,afterinitialsuccessunderJol,whomadeittotheUEFACupandtheDFBPokal semi-finals in 2008–09, HSV soon came to regret their decision. ‘Wemightnothave reached theChampionsLeague finalwithKlopp inchargebutI’m sure the club would have been in a better position now,’ a mournfulHoffmanntoldSport-Bildin2014.Beiersdorfer,too,admittedtohaving‘afewsleepless nights’ overmissing out onKlopp.By the timehe leftDortmund in2015, Hamburger SV had appointed twelve different coaches (includingLabbadia for two spells), traded stints in Europe for regular relegation battlesandturnedintoabywordforserialincompetence.

Back inApril2008,mediachatteraboutKlopp’sunresolved future–hewasoutofcontractinJune–wasreachingacrescendo.Mainzultrasweresoworriedthecoachmightleavethattheydisobeyedapre-seasonagreementnottocallhimover to their section for the customary ‘Humba’ singing sessionafter the finalwhistle.Klopphadwantedtheplayerstobethesolefocusofthecrowd’spraise.Butafter the3-0win in thederbyagainstSVWehenWiesbadenonmatchday27, the chant ‘Jürgen to the fence’went out, again and again, until finally thecoachrelented.TheshowofadulationfromtheterraceswasanobviousattempttoswayKlopp’sdecision.‘Iunderstandtheircause,that’swhyIagreed[tosingwiththem],’hesaid,addingthathewaswellawareofthestrengthoffeelinginthestadium.

Acoupleofdayslater,Klopptoldreportersthathehadmadeuphismind.Hewould sign a new contract with the club–if they were promoted back to theBundesligaforthenextseason.‘We’vehadplentyofemotionaldiscussionsandagreed that failure togoupwouldbe agood time topartways,’ he said.Thenewspapers recordedKlopp’sdeclarationas ‘a clear “Jein”’ tohis club–itwasbotha‘Ja’anda‘Nein’.TheimmediateoutlookforMainz,however,remainedsunny,withahighchanceofstubbles.Withthreegamestogo,FSVweresecondinthetable,twopointsaheadofHoffenheim.

KloppdemandedthatthecrowdattheBruchwegmadethemselvesheardinthe home game against Alemannia Aachen. Mainz’s chief ‘propagandist’(Süddeutsche Zeitung) got his wish. The atmosphere was crackling under thefloodlights, thestadium‘louder thanithadbeenfora longtime’,RehbergandKarnwrote.But itwasoneof thosegames.05createdplentyofopportunitiesand tooknone.AnAachencounter-attack fifteenminutes from time found thenet.Mainzfelldowntofourthspot.Threedayshence,after the injury-ravagedteamhadslumped toa2-0defeatat1.FCKöln, theywere in thesameplace.Therewas still hope, still apossibility.Third-placeHoffenheimhad to loseordrawagainstGreutherFürth,Mainzhad tobeatStPauli.Klopp’s lastgameasFSVcoachfinishedwitha5-1winovertheself-styledpunkfootballclubfromHamburg.HoffenheimhadbeatenFürth5-0.Theywentup to theBundesliga,Mainzstayeddown.EighteenyearsofJürgenKloppattheBruchweg–justundereleven as a player, just over seven as amanager–ended in silent desperation,football’sworstfeeling:totalpowerlessness.Nothingheorhisteamcouldhavedone that day would have been enough to lift Mainz to the Bundesliga andprolongtheliaisonbetweenclubandcoach.

Twenty thousand fans in the stadium stood up to serenade the sobbingmanagerwith ‘You’llNeverWalkAlone’.Klopp onlymanaged two thirds ofthe lap of honour before breaking down in tears. He escaped to the dressingroom, sprinting across the pitch, away from the sadness. ‘ForMainz, it’s thebeginningofanewworldthatweneverwishedfor,’Heidelsaid.‘Ifitwasuptome,wecouldhavecontinuedworkingtogetherforanothertenyears.’

Thirty thousand people turned up on Gutenbergplatz the following FridayeveningtogiveKloppasecond,happier,send-off.Earlierthatday,hehadbeenunveiledas thenewDortmundcoach.Back inhis footballhometown,Klopp’svoicecrumbledundertheweightoftears.‘EverythingIam,everythingIcando,youhavemadepossibleforme–everything,’hestutteredonstage.

‘Peoplewerecrying,’saysSubotić.‘Grown-ups,women,children.Toddlers

whodidn’tunderstandwhatwasgoingonwerecrying,too,becauseeverybodywascrying.Thefarewelldoshowedoncemorehowmanyemotionshestirredup,howhebroughtpeopletogether.Ihadseenhimcelebrating,Ihadseenhimlostinthoughtsbefore.Butthiswasadifferentsidetohim.Itwasn’tsorrow,itwas affirmative.His life’sworkwas being recognised.Hewas the star of theteam,themainprotagonistofanextraordinarystory.Thatnight,youcouldseehowmuchhemeanttothewholecity.Itwasverytouching,unforgettable.’

‘In terms of saying goodbye, Kloppo’s number one in theworld ranking,’Heidel saysproudly. ‘Idon’tknowofanycoachgetting thatkindof send-off,withastageinthecitycentre,and30,000people,allthereforonesingleperson.Usually,coachesarefiredattheend.Ortheyleave,somehow,withabouquetofflowers in their hands. At Mainz, it was very dramatic, with a huge banner:“Thank you, Kloppo”. It was the most emotional farewell imaginable. And Idon’tsaythatjustbecauseIorganisedit.’

Klopp assured the 05 faithful that hewouldnever forget themandhappilycelebrateMainz’spromotioninthecitysquare–fromadifferentvantagepoint–nextseason.He thankedChristianHeidelandHaraldStrutzfor‘givingmethechance tochoosemydreamvocation’, thencastigatedanunnamed localpaperfor printing critical statements ‘by some morons’ about his successor,Norwegian JørnAndersen, and threatened that ‘theywon’t get any interviewsanymore’.Itmighthavesoundedchurlishandoff-colourtotheuninitiated,butthe forty-year-old merely reiterated a point he had stressed over and over toreportersinthepast.AclubofMainz’sstatureandmeans,helecturedonstage,couldonlysucceed‘ifeverybodyispushinginthesamedirection,ifeverybodytakes the giant heart of this city into their own hands when going into thestadiumorwatchingMainzathometoreallycheeruson,tosteponthegasandtosupportuswithall theirmight. Ifwehaven’t learned that lessonafter theseeighteenyearshere,Idon’tknowanymore.’

Subotićremembers theeveningwell forasecond,morepersonalreason.Inthe midst of the sentimental festivities, Klopp cornered him, to lay thegroundworkforthedefender’smovetoDortmundwithhim.‘Hehadtenmillionthings to think about that night, so I thought the last thing he needs isme tocongratulatehim [onhisbeautiful farewell] andask: “How’s itgoing,howdoyoufeel?”Buthecameuptomeandsaid:“Ifyouwanttogosomewhereelseoneday,callmebefore.”Therewere30,000peoplethere,hisfamily,friends,alltheplayershehadevercoachedandeverybody’sgrandmotherontopofthatbuthetookafewminutestotalktome.Thatfeltamazing.Iwillneverforgetthat

moment, especially under these circumstances. He had already had a drink.That’s fair to say. He deserved to. It wasn’t a memorial ceremony but acelebration.Anditchangedmylifeforever.’

15.INTIMESOFFADINGLIGHT

Dortmund2013–2015

BorussiaDortmundhadpushedthebest teaminEuropeextremelyclose in the2013ChampionsLeaguefinalatWembley.Andyet, the twenty-five-pointgapbehind Bayern Munich at the end of the Bundesliga campaign posed anuncomfortablequestion.WhyhadDortmundlostsomuchgrounddomestically?Two 1-1 draws in the league games against the treble winners suggested aninability to beat the lesser lights had been the main issue. Klopp and hiscoachingstaffbelievedtheanswerwasnotchange,butmoreofthesame:betterand faster. ‘Wewant to build a newpressingmachine,’ he announced, beforeheadingintothesummerholidays.

MarioGötzejoinedupwithPepGuardiola,RobertLewandowskididn’tjustyet.Bayern’sunwillingness tomakeasuitableoffer tosignthePolishforwardbeforehis contract at theSignal IdunaParkwasdue to expire in2014chilledrelationsbetweentheclubstowellbelowfreezing.MatthiasSammer,theformerBorussiaiconturnedBayernsportingdirector,attractedspecialopprobrium.‘IfIwerehim, I’d thankGod that someonehad the ideaofhiringmeevery time Iwalked into theBayern training ground,’Klopp said. ‘I don’t know ifBayernwouldhavegotonefewerpointwithoutSammer.’

‘Jürgenhasgot thisability tonail theheadon thehead,’Dortmund’sCEOHans-JoachimWatzkesays.‘WhenhesaidthatthingaboutSammer,200peopletoldme:“Finally,somebodydaredtosayit.”Withoutfearofanyrecriminations.He doesn’t care, he’s fearless in thesemoments. He doesn’t carewhat othersmightsay.Sometimeshegoestoofar,butthatmakeshimevenmorelikeableinmyview.’

The unresolved Lewandowski situation did ‘zap some of our energy thatyear’, Watzke confesses, however, even if the player himself was scarcelyaffectedby theunedifying tugofwar.Hewouldnotchup twentygoals in theseason,winninghisfirstTorjägerkanone,thetrophyfortheleadinggoal-scorer.

Anemphatic, brilliantly engineeredcounter-attackvictory (4-2)overnewlyarrivedBayerncoachPepGuardiolaintheGermanSuperCupheldouthopefor

anotherexcitingseason.AndKlopp’spressingmachine2.0,withshinyadd-onsPierre-EmerickAubameyang andHenrikhMkhitaryan,was soon pumping outwinsintheBundesliga,too.DortmundwereonlyonepointofftheBavariansatthetopofthetableelevengamesin.

Thenthemooddarkened.AlosstoWolfsburgbroughtattentiontoalengthyinjury list.Was theKlopp team’shigh-intensity, super-athleticplayingstyle toblame, one journalist enquired in the pre-match press conference forBayern’svisit toWestphalia. ‘Awretched question,’ the coach sneered on the podium,withbarelycontrolledrage,‘weareateamthatgivestheireverything,you’veallpraisedusforthatcountlesstimes.’Klopppointedtoamoreconvolutedfixturelist–halfadozenofhisplayershadbecomeGermaninternationals–aswellastoincreasedpressureasreasonsforthephysicalcomplaints.‘Bayernhaveinjuries,too,buttheycancompensatethembetter,’headded.Theharshtoneofhisreplyleft little doubt that hewaspersonallyoffendedby the suggestion. Itwas alsodangerous, threatening the team’s morale, he stressed: ‘The moment yourcoverage manages to take away the players’ appetite for movement, we’llautomaticallyfacetoughtimes.’

Andthetoughtimeswerecoming.Bayern’s3-0winattheSignalIdunaPark,a game that swung on the opener by substitute Mario Götze, of all people,ushered in a spell of poor results.Dortmund finished a ‘shit final third of theyear’ (Klopp) in a disappointing fourth spot, twelve points behind leadersBayern,whohadagameinhand.

Dortmund missed too many chances and had problems creating openingsagainst teamswhowere happy to sit deep. It became clearer than ever beforethatastacticaltrailblazers,theyhadmadearodfortheirownback:evennewlypromoted teams who were individually not on the same page had learned toadoptsmartcounter-measures. ‘Youplay thesameballyou’veplayed theyearbefore,but theopponentsare there.Youplay theballagain.Andthey’re thereagain,’ Subotić recounts. ‘It’s always harder if you’re forced to play throughopponents rather than to concentrate on the transition,’ says Hummels. ‘Wefoundittoughgoing.’

AnincreasinglycurtandirritatedKlopprefusedtobelievethat theproblemwas ‘a lack of plan B’, as countless media observers claimed. The issue, heinsisted,laywithapplication,notstrategy.Andtheinjuries?Simplybadluck.Ormaybenot?Somewonderedwhether the rothadset indue to thedepartureofathleticscoachOliverBartlettin2012.ButthatexplanationisnotcorroboratedbyanyoftheplayersorBVBofficialswhocontributedtothisbook.

Unsurprisingly, ‘things got a little disquiet in training’, says HermannHummels.‘Itwasn’talwaysnice.Butit’snormal.Beingwithacoachforsuchalongtimeislikebeinginarelationship.Thereistension.It’sunavoidable.’

There were arguments about tactics, too. Some of the more experiencedplayerswerepossiblyalittlelessreceptivetothe‘run,run’mantrathantheyhadbeenbefore.Subotić:‘Whenyougetthefeelingasaplayerthatyou’vealreadyachievedsomething,thatyouhaveabitofexperience,yousuddenlydon’twantto say yes to everything any more. I guess that’s human nature. If it wasnecessary,Kloppuppedthevolume.Heshookusupabit,towakeusup.Notbysaying:“Youhavetoplaysomethingdifferent,boys,it’llbetough.”No,hewentup toaplayerandslappedhimacross theface.You think:“Oh,hemightslaphimback.”Thatwas a roughermove.But youknewhedidn’t do it to let offsteambut to up the intensity.Weunderstood.And the aggressionwas alwayscontained.Neveruncontained,thatwouldn’thaveworked.’

‘There were confrontations, and it sometimes became personal. But that’sokay, too,’ says Gündogˇan. ‘The important thing is to agree on a joint wayforwardafterwards,sothatthere’snolingeringresentment.WithKloppo,therewere never any open questions left at the end. We always managed to geteverythingoutoftheway.’

There was a popular misconception that the Borussia manager was theplayers’bestfriendatthetime,Watzkeexplains.‘Jürgenwasmorethanacoachforeveryone.Butnotabrother.Not thecaring, slightlyoldercolleagueeither.Hecommandedgreatauthority,anditwasn’talwaysasmateyasit looked.Hecouldchangehistune.He’sunpredictable.Hecanexplodefromonemomenttothe next, smashing everything to pieces. But he always managed to keepeverythingunderwrapssomehow.’

Dortmund, like all the best families, kept their squabbles in-house.Disagreementsneverwentbeyondthechangingroom,therewasnofallingout.The giddy, teenage love-affair betweenKlopp and his players of the previousyears had evolved into a more regular relationship, with customary ups anddowns,but themutualadorationitselfwasstillverymuchthere.Klopptreatedhismenlikeastrictfatherwould,makinglifeuncomfortable tobringout theirbest, not to shift blame on to them or vent his frustrations. He never briefedagainst his players to the media, never played games. ‘It was always aboutfootball.Andeveryoneknewexactlywheretheystoodwithhim,’saysSubotić.

Thecoach’sdeep,personalconnectionwiththesupportersremainedstrong,too.WhenBVB ultra Jan-HenrikGruszecki approachedKloppwith a plea to

auction off one his baseball caps in support of a crowd-funded film aboutBorussia’s founding father Franz Jacobi, he refused, flat-out. ‘But then heimmediatelysaid:“Wecandomuchbetterthanthat.I’llgiveyouawholeday,”’Gruszeckisays.‘We“sold”himtoDortmund’sbiggestemployersforasigningsessionandmade€20,000,whichcoveredatenthofthebudget.’

Watzke: ‘One of the reasons we got so much out of our players was anextraordinarybondbetweentheplayersandtheclub,andbetweenthemanagerandtheplayers.Iknowthismightsoundlikeaclichébutwewereanextremelytight-knitgroup.All theseplayerscomingback tous isevidenceof that.Theydidn’t experience that combination of joy and familiarity, that backing andfairnessanywhereelse.’ŞahinandKagawaboth returned toplay forKloppatBVBafterunsuccessfulspellsabroad,andevenGötzeresignedwithBorussiain2016, having almostmade themove to join upwithKlopp in Liverpool. ‘Hethrew theodd tantrumbuthewasalsoverysensitiveandunderstandingofhisplayers.Everybodyappreciatedthat.’

Buvac,responsibleforthetacticaldetails,continuedtoenjoybroadsupport,too.Klopp’s right-handmanwas forced tocoach the teamfor twoChampionsLeaguegroupgameswhenhis superiorwaspunishedwith a touchline banbyUEFA.AnirateKlopphadscreamed‘Howmanymoremistakesdoyouwanttomake?Onemoreandit’sfifteentoday!’rightintothefaceofthefourthofficial,almostdislocatinghisjawinanger.Banishedfromthetouchline,hewatchedtherestofthegameontelevisionintheofficeofthestadiumgreen-keeper.‘Myfacewould have warranted a five-game ban,’ he ruefully admitted later, ‘I don’trecognisemyselfsometimesonthetouchline.’‘WewereallhappyforChucky,’saysSubotić,‘he’snotanextrovert,andtheoppositeofegotistical.Itwascoolthathewasaddressingus,forachange.Wehadalllearnedtolovehim.’Klopp’spartialabsencenotwithstanding,DortmundqualifiedinthetopspotfromanothertoughChampionsLeaguegroup(Arsenal,Napoli,Marseille).

During the winter break, they nearly pulled off an even more stunningvictory. Making good use of his friendship with Real Madrid presidentFlorentino Pérez, Watzke almost thwarted Lewandowski’s Bayern move,encouragingLosMerenguestosignhimupinstead.Lewandowskiwaveredbutintheenddecidedtohonourhispre-contractagreementwithBayern.HismovetotheAllianzArenaforthebeginningofthe2014–15seasonwasconfirmedon4January2014.

Hummels’returnfrominjuryforthesecondhalfoftheseason–thedefenderhadhurthiskneeat theWorldCup–immediatelybroughtmore stability at the

back. Since Dortmund’s game was predicated on hitting opponents on thecounter-attack,theabilitytokeepacleansheetwasabsolutelyvital.Whenotherteamstooktheleadandcouldaffordtositback,BVBfoundithardtofindthespacetheirexplosivetransitionsstillneeded.AsteadyimprovementindomesticresultsandprogresstotheChampionsLeaguequarter-finalsvindicatedKlopp’sconviction that only details hadbeenmissingbeforeChristmas.The teamhadenoughindividualandcollectivequalitytofinishsecondbehindBayern,makeitto the DFB Pokal final and push Real Madrid very hard in the ChampionsLeague.TheSpaniardsjustedgedthetie3-2onaggregate,havingwonthefirstleg inMadrid3-0. ‘You’reout,aren’tyou?’ZDFpresenterJochenBreyerhadaskedKloppafterthefinalwhistleattheBernabéu.‘HowcouldanyonepaymefordoingmyjobifIstoodhere,sayingthatwe’reoutalready?’Kloppreplied,shakinghisheadindisbelief.

‘MyfriendFlorentinoPérezstillgetssweatypalmsthinkingabout thatfirsthalf inDortmund [in the second leg],’Watzke smiles. ‘It was an outstandingquarter-final. On the whole, we hadn’t become worse, Bayern had simplybecome better.Maybe 3 or 5 per cent wasmissing but it was okay. Andweshouldhavewonthecupfinal,ofcourse.ThatHummelsgoal…’

AdepletedBayernhad linedupwith five at theback inBerlin to frustrateDortmund.Klopp’smenhaddestroyedGuardiola’smen3-0attheAllianzArenaa month earlier, they were the in-form team; they had the momentum. Anattritional game was heading for stalemate when on sixty-five minutes MatsHummelssawhisheaderclearedfromwellbehindthelinebyDanté.Therefereewaved play on, andBayern scored two goals in extra-time to escapewith thetrophyintow.

‘Itwas tragic,’saysWatzke.‘Acatastrophicrefereeingmistake.There’snootherword for it. The ballwas thirty-five centimetres behind the line. I don’tknow another coachwho’s been this unluckywith refereeing decisions in bigfinals.’

Players,officialsandtheguestsatthepost-matchbanquetweresodownthatKloppheldoneofhis ‘stateof thenation’ speeches,decreeing that everybodyhadtoparty,inrecognitionofateamthathadgiventheiralloverthecourseoftenmonthsanddealtwithallproblems–including‘theworstinjurycrisisinthehistoryoffootball’–in‘exemplaryfashion’.‘Wewouldbecrazyifweoverthreweverything,’headded,inreferencetothemedia’smisgivingsabouthisregime,Dortmund’s consistency should not be taken for granted. ‘Others don’t evencelebratewhen theywin something.ButBorussiamustbedifferent. If anyone

tellsme“whatashame”tonight,I’llpunchtheglassoutoftheirhandswithoutsomuchasaword.Pleaseenjoytheeveninganddon’tworry:wewilldefinitelybeback.Thisisateamwithastrongbackbone.Itdoesn’tmatterwhotheytakefromus,we’llbringinnewguysandeverythingwillbeallright.’

Everythingwasn’tallright,however.Farfromit.Twomonthsintothe2014–15season,Dortmundjustwouldn’tstoplosinggamesintheleague.Fivedefeatson the trot between late September and earlyNovember pulled them down toseventeenth spot–eighteen months after contesting European club football’sbiggestprize,Klopp’smenwereheadingforBundesliga2.NoDortmundteamhadeverhadaworsestarttoacampaign,noteventhesidethatgotrelegatedin1971–72.‘It’sabrutal,shittysituation,crazy,’anexasperatedKloppsaidafterthe latest defeat, 2-1 in Munich. Dortmund had seven points on the board,seventeen fewer thanBayern. Every half-decent domestic result, everywin intheChampionsLeague,wastakenasacluethatthenightmarewasabouttoend.But itneverdid.At thehalfwaymark,Borussia’spoints tallywas fifteen, andthey were still seventeenth, in the drop zone. Only goal difference separatedthemfromtheworstteamintheleague,SCFreiburg.Bayernwereonforty-fivepoints. ‘We’re left looking like complete morons here,’ Klopp said, ‘and wedeserveit.’

As a fresh-faced, occasionally clean-shaven Mainz coach in the seconddivision,KlopphadtoldhisplayersandtheGermanpublicthatsuccessonthepitchhadtobe‘explainable,inotherwords:theresultofobjectivelybeneficial,repeatable endeavour’. The reasons for the disastrous lack of success in hisseventhyearatBVBprovedmuchhardertoascertain.Becausefootballisalow-scoringgame,thedistinctionbetweensymptomsandills,betweenmerebadluckandunderlyingdeficitsoftenisn’taneasyonetomake.Didtheymisssomanychances due to a strength-sapping playing style that seemed ‘stuck in eternaladolescence’,asSüddeutscheZeitungwondered?ThecontrastwithGuardiola’sBayern,whohadperfected theirownversionofpressing to thepoint that theyran less than anybody else in Germany, was especially painful. EvenWatzkenotedDortmund’s‘lesseconomic,morelaborious’wayofplaying.

Alittlemorethantwoyearslater,officials,playersandthepeopleclosesttoKlopphaveidentifiedabucket-loadofexplanationsforthecrash,someofwhichareconflicting.Allof them,however,continue tohave troublecomprehendingthesheerferocityoftheslump.‘It’sstillanenigmatome,’saysWatzke.

Robert Lewandowski’s departure might not have been the single mostimportantfactorbutitwassomethingakintothetriggerfortherecession.More

than anyone else in the team, he could combine hardworkwith efficiency infrontofgoal. ‘Itwasobvious thatwecouldn’tholdon tohimanymore,’saysDickel.‘Jürgenknewabouttheclub’sfinancialpossibilities,weweren’tableorwilling to pay somebody €15m in wages a season. I was hoping that Robertwouldgosomewhereelsebuteveryoneknewthathewouldgo.Weonlycouldhave kept him by selling the town hall.’ Dortmund had done well to findsuccessors for previous high-profile departures before but the Polish forwardproved literally irreplaceable. New Italian striker Ciro Immobile, a €18m buyfrom Torino, had problems adjusting to life in the Ruhr area and to Klopp’ssystem. ‘He couldn’t quitemake it work in its full complexity yet,’Krawietzsays.‘Certainautomatisms’–synced-up,instinctivemoves–‘gotlost.’

Whydidn’t they fieldAubameyang in thecentre-forward role instead?ThepacyGaboninternationalwasadifferentkindofstriker,muchlessphysicalthanLewandowski,granted,buthecouldcertainlyscoregoals,asthetwosubsequentseasons under Klopp’s successor Thomas Tuchel proved. Aubameyangwouldfindthenetseventy-ninetimesinallcompetitionsforBVBplayingthroughthemiddle.

‘Itwasourfirstgravemisjudgement,’Watzkesays.‘Inthesummerof2014,all of us–especially Jürgen,whowas in charge of the line-up–were convincedthatAubameyangwasnotanumber9.Otherwise,wewouldn’thaveneededtobotherwithImmobileatall.Thingswouldprobablyhaveworkedoutdifferently,itwouldhavebeeneasier.Andsoon,andsoon.Asitwas,2014–15wasashitseason.’

‘Aubameyangisdoingverywell[asastriker]now,’Krawietzagrees.‘Youcould already see back then that he could get you goals, that hewas perhapsbettersuitedtoplayingasacentre-forwardthanonthewing,ashehadproblemstrackingback.Butonthewingiswhereweneededhimatthetime.’ThelossofLewandowskiwas indicativeof awiderdilemma the club faced,he adds. ‘Onthe pitch, we had grownmuch faster than we had developed in terms of ourfinances.Wehadyoungplayersandplayers thatwerebought for littlemoney,whoperformedsowell,athomeandinEurope,thattheywereallofasuddenina completely different league in terms of their value. The club couldn’t keepthem, they had to sell them. But at the same time, it was obvious thatreplacementsofequalqualitywerenotavailable,duetothefinances.Thatledtoasituationwherewecouldonlyeveraimtokeepourlevel,wecouldn’tactuallyimprove. Bayern, meanwhile, were investing smartly and kept developing.ExpectationsatDortmundhadgrownsomuchthatweweren’tabletoliveupto

itanymore.’Watzkeconcurswiththatmacro-analysis.‘Theteamthatwehadin2012and

2013 would have probably gone on to make the next step if Bayern hadn’tstartedshootingatusthismuch,’hesays.‘That’sforsure.Wekeeprollingthestoneupthehilleachyear,likeSisyphus.Butyoucan’tcomplain,youhavetolive with that if you’re Borussia Dortmund. I’d love to be as comfortablefinancially as Bayern. Unfortunately we weren’t able to grow as mucheconomically in theshort spaceof timeaswouldhavebeennecessary tokeeptheteamtogether.’

WatzkeandKrawietzalsodescribeGermany’sWorldCupwin inBrazilasdamaging for Borussia that season. The late arrival of the quintet ofinternationals–Mats Hummels, Roman Weidenfeller, Matthias Ginter, KevinGroßkreutzandErikDurm–causeddisruption,thecoachingstafffelt.Krawietz:‘Theyhadathree-weekholiday,whichwastooshort,andwantedtobeplayingagain, without having the physical foundation. That ultimately led to us nothavingtheusualconfidenceinoursystem.Ontopofthat,systemicerrorscreptintoourdefensivegame.Wewereextremelyvulnerabletocounter-attacks.Weplayedgameswhereweenjoyedplentyofpossession,createdgoodchancesbutlost1-0or2-0becauseofacoupleofcounter-attacks.Duringaseason,youhavetorelyonthebasicsfrompre-seasonworkinginsomekindofway.Werealised:bloodyhell,wereallyneedtochangeafewthingshere.Weneededtopractiseourmovementonthewingandcrossing,maybefortwo,threeweeks.Notime.Or the strikers’ movement through the middle, to make sure that for oncesomebodywasgoingtothedamnnearpost.Allwecoulddoismentionthatinthevideosessions.Butwhenitcametoatrainedimpulse,toGegenpressing,weweren’tabletogetthatacrosstomakeitstick.’

Psychologically, Dortmund’s national team contingent seemed exhausted.‘Hummelsaside,theotherfourhadn’tplayedinBrazilbuttheywererightinthemiddleofthishugehype,’Krawietzremembers.Watzke:‘Toputitmildly,theWorld Cup didn’t play a productive role. Our players had hardly featured inBrazil,buttheyallfeltlikeworldchampions.’

Hummels’plightwasmoremundane,hesays.‘Icamebackinjuredandneverreally recovered my form that season. As captain, my job was to lead byexample but I was too busy trying to get to grips with my own problems. Icouldn’tbealeaderandtalktoothersfromapositionofstrengthbecauseIwasplayingcrapfootballmyself.’

Theoutspokencentre-back’scustomarycalmnessontheballandhispositive

influenceonhisteammateswerebadlymissed,whichwasyetanotherreasonforBorussia’s fragility. Awave of injuries, coupled with a fixture list that madeneither extensive rotation nor detailed tactical repairs possible exacerbated thecrisis.Dortmund’sproblemsdidn’taddup–theymultiplied.

‘We kept losing games in the exact sameway, over and over again,’ saysKrawietz. ‘That starts to hurt your confidence as a team after a while. In theChampionsLeaguewedidokay,wequalifiedfortheknockoutrounds,butthatonlymadeuswonderifwewerelackingtherightattitudeintheleague.You’reinaspiral,goingroundincircles,goingdown.Andwedidn’tmanagetogetoutofit.’

‘Weallwentcrazy,’Dickelsays.‘Itwasimpossibletounderstand.Wehad74percentpossession,fifteenshotsongoal,theyhadtwoshotsongoalandwelost1-0.Weekafterweek.Itwashorrible.’Hummels:‘Wecameawaythinking“weweren’tthatbad”aftereverygame.Youstillglanceatthirdspotinthetableandyouworkoutyourpointsdifference.Youthink:“Wecan’tgodown.”Andthenyou’rebottomofthetablewithhalftheseasongoneandyourealiseyou’reintheshit,uptoyourneck.’

Kloppwasvisiblyaffectedbythedisastrousrun.Hisjobwasnotindanger–Watzkehadgivenhimacast-ironguarantee–buthefeltpersonallyresponsible.‘Thewholethingdrainedhim.Hewasinthedrivingseat,hetookittoheartthatwewere not going in the right direction for some strange reason. I rememberlooking at him thinking: “Oh, he looks really tired and stressed,”’ Subotićrecalls.

‘Asaguywho’ssoemotionallyinvolved,youknewitwashittinghimveryhard,’saysHummels.Acoach,likeanyotherleadingfigure,mustprojectself-confidence inorder to instil confidence inothers.Buthowcanyoukeep faithwithyourideasifresultscontinuetogothewrongway?

‘Your head is full of questions,’ says Krawietz. ‘Is it your fault? Is it theteam’s? What shall we do? It was an extremely shitty situation. More thananyone could really bear. You don’t wish that kind of spell on your worstenemy. It was unbelievably exhausting, unbelievably depressing. And at thesametime,you’renotreallyallowedtoshowyouremotions.Thecoachingstaffhavetobethefirstonesouttherethenextmorning,saying:“Comeon,guys,wegoagain.Here’swhatwe’vedonewrong.Two,threedetails,andwe’rebackontrack.”’

Watzke suggests that sections of the team were maybe not as willing toadheretoKlopp’sideologyasbefore.‘Thattotal,completeeuphoriaandpassion

wehadhadinthefirstyearwasn’tthereanymore.Thatdevotion.Theplayershad become older. And richer, and more successful. Perhaps they wanted toshowthatthingscouldworkatalowerpace.WhichisnothowJürgenoperates.’

Krawietz sees it a little differently. ‘Itwouldn’t be fair on the players andtheir characters to say theyweren’twillingor able toplayGegenpressing anymore.Icanseewhysomemightsaythat.Butitwasmuchmorecomplexthanthat. Don’t get me wrong: we certainly didn’t get everything right, not everydecision thatwemade and that Jürgenwas responsible forworked out.But itwasn’tassimpleasthat.’

Nevertheless, the negative results bred dissent. Some of the more seniorplayerswerenotshyaboutmakingtheirthoughtsknown,exchangeswereratherfraught at times. And yet, the residual bond and trust betweenKlopp and hisplayerswasstrongenough tokeep things frombreakingcompletelyapart, justabout.‘Wheneverhewenttoofarinanargument,hewasmagnanimousenoughtorealisethatandtoapologise,eithertotheplayerconcernedorinfrontofthewhole team,’ saysHummels. ‘With him, it always came from the heart. Thatwonhimourrespect,inahugeway.Hedidn’tjustsaythings,hetrulyfeltthem.He also could put himself in the shoes of a player.He’d say tome: “Mats, Iknow how you feel, I was a playermyself. How can I punish you for that?”whenwedisagreedonsomething.’

Bycontrast,theincreasinglyembattledcoachdidnotacceptoutsiderscastingdoubtsonhistactics.Hescoldedalocalreporterforsuggestingthatotherteamsmighthave‘foundout’hissideanddevelopedstrategiesfornegatingBorussia’shigh-pressingstyle.‘I’mnotlookingforafight,soIwillevenanswerthestupidquestions,’heshotbackacidly,beforegoingontoclaimthatDortmund’splightwas all down to their own failings. ‘If you saywe’ve been “foundout”,whatdoes that sayabout theworkofoppositioncoaches for the last fewyears?’headded. ‘Were theyunable to seewhatourgame is?’Hemaintained that ‘pacecannotbedeciphered’,thatwinninggameswasmerelyaquestionofDortmundplayingtotheirownabilitiesagain.Talkinguptheprogressoftheoppositionina league thathadbluntedhisoriginalconceptbymaking it theneworthodoxywouldhavebeencounter-productive,hefelt.Successwasalwaysaquestionofreconnectingwith your own, inherent strengths.The right answerwas alreadythere.Itjustneededtobeproperlyimplemented.‘Theproblemisn’tourproblembut thesolution is,’he insisted.Keepingcalmwhenconfrontedbyachorusofcriticism was tough, especially since he considered most of the negativityunwarranted.

‘Jürgen felt he was getting a raw deal [from the media]. That was hisproblem,’saysSchneck.‘Hefelttheydidn’ttreathimrightandsohemadeuphis mind: “They have no idea, they need to fill their papers somehow.” Irememberagamewelost,IthinkawaytoWolfsburg.Hewenthellforleatherinthepressconference. I said tohim:“Mate, thatwas really shitty.Thatkindoftone was inappropriate.” He goes: “Leave it out, you were one of those shitjournos, too.”Hewas irascible, not diplomatic at all.Of course, he later said:“Sorry,Ididn’tmeanitthatway.”AndIknewhimtoowelltobeoffended.Buthisrelationshipwiththemediagotmoreandmorefractured.’

Klopphadchanged,TVreportersandwritersnoticed.Thelightnessandself-deprecating humour that used to season his bluntness were gone, replaced bylatentpassiveaggression,thenaturalmindsetofunder-pressurefootballcoachestheworldover.Vis-à-visfriendsandcolleagues,however,peoplewhoseloyaltyKloppwasassuredof,heremainedhisowndependableself.Itwouldhavebeeneasy,forexample,inviewofDortmund’stumbledownthetable,tocancelatalkon motivation that his old buddy Sven Müller had organised in Frankfurt inDecember2014butKlopphadgivenhiswordtoMüllerandturnedup.

‘Toseesomeonefeelingthisbad,sittinghereandlaughing,that’smotivating,isn’tit?’hetoldtheaudienceinthehotelballroom.ThrowinginthetowelintheBundesligawasnotonhismind,headded.‘I’meitherallinornotatall.Rightnow,I’mBorussiaDortmund.It’slikeamarriage,therearegoodandbadtimes.Whyshould the sunbe shiningoutofmyassall the time?’Kloppclaimedhewas a better coach ‘than in 2012,whenwewere champions. The problem is:that’snotreflectedinthetable.’

‘IhearpeoplesaythatKlopp’snolongerhimself,thatsuccesshasgonetohisheadandsoon,butit’sallnonsense,’Quastsays.‘Thosewhoreallyknowhimareawarethatnotawordofthatistrue.’QuastremembersmeetingKloppatthelaunchofanewcarmodelat theOpelfactoryinRüsselsheim,at theheightofDortmund’srelegationworriesthatseason.‘Ihadjusthadsomeverybadnewsaboutmymother’sbraintumour,itwasbenignbutbeyondtreatment.HerdoctorhadalsolookedafterWolfgangFrank.Kloppsaystome:“What’swrong?Youdon’t lookgood.”So I toldhim thewhole story.’Quast stops, apologising forthetearsinhiseyes.‘HundredsofOpelemployeeswerethere,lookingdownathim from five storeys. A thousand cameras. Loads of people who all want apieceofKlopp.Wewerestandinga little to thesidebut I saw thateverybodywasstaringatus,thephotographerswent“click,click,click”.Kloppdidn’tcareabout all of that.He just huggedme really tight, not saying aword. Itwasn’t

necessary.’Lookingback,Dortmundweresavedbythebell(s)ofChristmas,ringingina

six-weekrespite.‘Idon’tthinkweeverthought“thisistheendofus”butitwasso good to get to the winter break,’ Subotić says. Klopp insisted that theChristmas party should go ahead as planned.Therewas a time towork and atimetohavefun,hetoldLünschermann,andwithoutthelatter,onecouldn’tdothe former. ‘He was very good at compartmentalising things,’ the BVB teammanagersays.KrawietzremembersfeelingacutelyrelievedafterlosingagainstBremen,thelastgamein2014:‘Weknewwecouldn’tgetanylower.Wewouldspendsixweeksintherelegationzonebutwehadatlastachancetoregenerateandpractisea few thingswithout thepressureof competitive football.By thattime,wehadaprettygoodideawhatwasmissinginourgame:somesystematicprocessesthatwehadn’tbeenabletopractise.Itwasclearthatwithabitofrestfor the legs and the heads, we’d be able to get it right, that this team couldfunctionagain,straightaway.That’sexactlywhathappened.’

Notexactly.Oratleast,notstraightaway.Dortmunddrew0-0atLeverkusenin the first game in January but then lost 1-0 at home to ten-man Augsburg.Borussiaweresobadintheireleventhdefeatoftheseasonthatthemostloyalofsupporters, those on theYellowWall, shouted at the players in disgust. Theywere in eighteenth place now. Hummels and Weidenfeller tried their best toplacate the angry fans, talkingwith them for a good fewminutes through thefence.‘Itwouldbeunacceptableifwedidn’tunderstandtheirfrustrationaboutus being bottom after nineteen games,’ said Hummels. The famous BVBtogethernesswasbeginningtocrackunderthepressureofrelegationangst.

‘Thatwasourmostdifficultmoment,thefirsttimeIreallystartedfearingfortheworst,’Watzkesays.‘Wefeltasifwewereinahorrormovie.’TherewererumoursthatOttmarHitzfeldandLucienFavrehadbeensoundedouttocomeinas ‘fire fighters’ but the Dortmund CEO says ‘it was never an option to partwayswithJürgen,eventhen.Nobodythoughtaboutthatforonesecond.’

AsKrawietzhadthought,theteambouncedback.Thenextfivegameswerewon; they shotup the table likeabelatednewyear’s rocket. ‘Play, fun, thrill:that’sBorussiaDortmund,’Kloppsaidafterthe3-0winintheRuhrderby.ThesloganwasborrowedfromaKinderSurpriseadandreferencedAubameyang’sandReus’ surprisegoal celebration: theBlack andYellows’dynamicduohaddressed up asBatman andRobin on the pitch. Suddenly, qualification for theChampionsLeaguelookedfeasibleoncemore.

TheofficialstraplineforthesecondhalfoftheseasonwasAufholjagd(race

tocatchup). ‘Kloppalwaysused these terms.Theyweren’t justemptywords,theywereananchorforus,’Subotićrecalls.‘Peopletooktheircuefromitandwemade it real.Hewas brilliant at that.’Lünschermann,whohad listened tohundredsofKlopp’s team talksby then,maintains that thecoachcontinued tofindwords that ‘got under theplayers’ skin’.Hewas able ‘tobring them intoline,mesmerisingthem.Aftersevenyears,hehadn’t losthisabilitytosqueezeoutthebestofpeople.’

‘To pick yourself up and come back so strongly is not normal,’ says SvenBender.‘Itwasonlypossiblebecauseweallpulledtogether.Thecoachhadtowalkthroughthatvalleyofshadow,andtheteamhadto.Theclubmadeanobledecision and kept faith with the coach, that’s not a given in today’s footballbusiness.Usually,thecoachgetsaxedatthispoint.’

His prickly demeanour outside the dressing room notwithstanding, Kloppwas still good at lightening the mood with a choice bon mot. ‘We had thisosteopath,Heiko.Alovelyguybutalittleclumsy,’Gündogˇansmiles.‘Usually,hewasneveron thepitchwith the teambut thatoneday,hewas therebeforeKloppocameout.He’dbeenatthehairdressersthatmorningorthedaybefore,andKloppolookedathimandwent:“Willyourhairdresserfinishcuttingyourhair tomorrow?”All the players were on the floor laughing. Perfect delivery.Eventhoughthemoodwasn’tthatgreatanymore.’

Thelowestlowblowwasyettocome.Dortmundhadcomeawaywitha2-1defeatfromthefirstlegagainstJuventusinItalyintheChampionsLeague.‘Analmostperfect result,’ saidKlopp.Ahuge fanchoreographybeforekick-off intheSignal IdunaParksummoned thespiritof thepast–Dortmundhadwon theEuropean Cup against the ‘Old Lady’ in 1997–and togetherness. But whenCarlos Tevez scored after three minutes for the visitors, Dortmund wererendered completely helpless, dying a slow, 87-minute-long death out on thepitch.Theycreatednext tonothingandconcededtwomoreat theback.‘Theirfootballwasalmostinvisible,’SüddeutscheZeitungnotedafterthedemoralising3-0 defeat. The manner of the capitulation left no doubt. Klopp’s BVB teamweren’tjustoutofEurope.Theywereover.‘[Theclub]willhavetobidfarewellto old habits, to nostalgic glorification–and to taboos,’ the Munich-basedbroadsheet added. ‘The coach will have to give shape to a new vision offootball.’Thecoachoracoach?

Watzke,ZorcandKloppmetinWatzke’sofficenotlongafterEaster.‘Weallhad this feelingof trepidation,’Watzke says. ‘Inprinciple,weallknew that itwouldbebetterifwefinishedit.ButMichaelandmecouldn’tsayit.Eventually,

Jürgen said: “Listen,we’re all thinking the samehere, aren’twe? I’ll tell younow:I’llgo.”Wehadagreedthatthingshadruntheircourse.Itwasn’tacaseofhiseffectontheteamhavingwornofforanythinglikethat,butsevenyearswasaverylongtime.Wehadfeltitforawhile.Noonehaddaredtoadmitit.Anditstillfeltreallyshittomakethedecision[topartways].’

‘CouldwehavegoneonatDortmund?’Krawietzasksrhetorically.‘Yes.Intheory.Butitwasbestthatthejourneyendedatthatprecisepoint.Inorderforittogoon,somewide-rangingdecisionsconcerningtheteamwouldhavehadtobemade. There are always two possibilities to develop further, to freshen upthings: either the coach goes or you change the team, its important pillars atleast.’TheBVBtriumvirateweighedupthatsecondoptionbutitwasconsideredfinancially unviable. Two league defeats, against Bayern and BorussiaMönchengladbach,madequalification fornext season’sChampionsLeagueallbutimpossible.Theclubdidn’thavethemoneytosigninstantgame-changersorrebuildthesquad.Krawietz:‘Itwouldhaveneededarevolution,achangedteamwithachangedplayingstyle.Butwasn’t iteasier tochange the faceupfront?Thatwasabsolutelytherightdecisionforeverybody,fortheclubandforusaswell.’

The teamwere shocked. ‘Therewas amessage onmy phone, a pushmailfromamagazine,breakingnews.Themostimportantstoryoftheyear,’Subotićsays. ‘Kloppwas leaving?You couldn’t even imagine anyone else doing thatjob,notinthewayhewasdoingit.Atfirst,nobodywantedtothinkaboutit.Hehadestablishedtheclubattheverytop,notbyborrowingmoneyandbuyingthebestplayersintheworld.Butwithhisstrategy,hisphilosophy.Tothinkthathewastogoat theendof theseason.Nuts.AllofDortmundwasinshock.Evenpeoplewhodidn’tsupport the team.’Theannouncementhitpeople in theclub‘withamassivebang’,Lünschermannsaid.‘Atoughpilltoswallow.’

Atthead-hocpressconferenceon15Apriltoannouncehisdepartureinthesummer,Watzkewasfightingbacktears. ‘These talkshavebeenveryhardforus,becauseofourspecialrelationship,foundedontrustandfriendship,’hesaid,beforehuggingKlopp.‘YoucanrestassuredofthegratitudeofallofBorussia.’Kloppexplained thathewasno longercertain thathewas‘the rightcoachforsuchanextraordinaryclub’andthatithadbeenhisdutytocommunicatethosedoubts to his superiors. ‘One big head needed to roll–myone,’ he quipped. Itwas all a touchmelodramatic, but it struck the right chord for theRuhr area,where people pride themselves on saying the things other Germans dare notthink. A more business-like departure wouldn’t have done justice to the

emotionalupheavalcausedbytheflag-bearer’sresignation.InJanuary2017,Watzkeisstillproudof‘themostclassypartingoftheways

in football, ever. It wasn’t an act, we all did find it very hard.’ A footballdivorce, just like a real one, is rarely amicable. This one, he insists, was.‘Throughoutthosesevenyears,wealwayshadsomedifferencesinopinion.Butitwouldhavebeenaweirdfriendshipifthathadn’tbeenthecase.Ourstrengthwasneverlettinganyofthatleakoutside.Weneverhadapersonalproblem.Itwas never acrimonious. We never left the room in a huff, with one of usslamming the door or screaming “arsehole!” and so on. That never happened.Wekeptonplayingcardsregularly,eveninthatlastseason.Idon’tthinkwe’lleverhave a coach like that again.’Nevertheless, thebad run left neitherpartyunscathed.‘Thethreeofthemweresoclosebeforethat,theywereallhurt,’saysDickel.

KloppandDortmundhadamassedsomanyhappymemoriestogetherthatthepainsoongavewaytoasenseofcontentment,Schnecksays.‘Itwasliketheendofalong-termrelationship,withbothsidesknowingthereisnootherway,butalsorememberingallthegoodtimestheyhavehadwitheachother.Peoplecouldstill look each other in the eye after that. And since then, the relationship[betweenhimandtheclub]hasbecomewarmeragain.’

In the dressing room, dismay turned into a determination to give theirspiritual leader a fitting send-off. ‘We didn’t want to believe it at first,’ saysSubotić . ‘Butwe respected him somuch thatwe thought: “If that’swhat hesays,itmustberight.”Noteverymanagerwouldhavecreatedthesamekindofenergy.Givingourallforthelastfewgamesoverthenextmonthorsowasthelogical thingtodoforus.Wewereallgrateful tohim,fromthebottomofourhearts,forallthoseyearswe’dbeenabletoenjoytogether.Heimprovedeverysingleplayer,oralmosteverysingleplayer.Heimprovedtheclub.Wewantedtopayhimbackforthat.’

Dortmundcollectedthirteenpointsfromthelastsixleaguegamestosqueezeinto a Europa League place: seventh spot in the table. Somewhere betweendisappointmentandjustaboutrespectable,butnotthedisasterithadthreatenedtobe.

Kloppdidnottrusthimselftogivealivefarewelltoaddressthecrowdatthelasthomegame,againstWerderBremen,forfearofbreakingdown.Inavideomessage,heprofessedhisdeepgratitudeathavingbeenallowedtobeinchargeoftheclubforsevenyears,andfor‘asackfullofhappymemories’.Hewelledupwatchinghimselftalkinthestadium.TheYellowWall’smovingtributegave

voice to the sense of indebtedness the supporters felt towards their departingtracksuit hero. ‘Thank you, Jürgen’, the big banner said. ‘It takes years tounderstandhowvaluablesinglemomentscanbe’,asmalleroneunderneathread.

‘I think Jürgenwas as afraidof that lastmoment as the fanswere,’Dickelsays. ‘Seventy-five thousand people in the stadium were crying, united inmourning, and indenial aswell. “JürgenKloppwas leaving the club.”Peopledidn’twanttosayitbecausesayingitmadeittrue.’

AdeeprunintheDFBPokalofferedonelastchanceofafairy-taleending.Borussiamanaged to inflict theonedefeatPepGuardiola’sBayern suffered inthree years in the cup, forcing theirway into the final in Berlin on penalties.‘ThatgameinMunichdidhimandusaworldofgood,’saysGündogˇanandhepicksuphisphone.Onashakydressing-roomvideo,Kloppisgrindinghishipsto a rap song, beer bottle in hand. One ‘super-cool game’, would follow, hepromised.

What was supposed to be one final, passionate night away in the Germancapitalonlyconfirmedthatthisparticularloveaffairhadrunitscourse,however,thebesteffortsofanarmyofcheerleadersnotwithstanding.Dortmundfailedtocapitaliseonanearly1-0leadagainstVfLWolfsburgandleftthepitchbeaten3-1,lookinglikeashadowoftheirformer,percussivelypowerfulselves.‘LosingagainstWolfsburg…’Gündogˇan shakeshis head inmilddisgust. ‘Really.Anembarrassment.Hedeservedbetter.Itjustwasn’ttobe.’

‘Thepainhassetin.Ithurts,extremely,’Kloppsaidafterthegame.‘Everytime I embrace one ofmy players and think that’s probably the last time, thetearsarecoming, immediately.Ihavetodealwith it,onethingafter theother.And I’d like to do it when the cameras are off.’ At the subdued after-matchparty,heputonabraveface.‘Winningtodaywouldhavebeentookitschy,tooAmerican,’Kloppclaimedonthestage.Standingovationsandcheersgreetedaself-aware lineabouthisBVBlegacy: ‘It’snot importantwhatpeople thinkofyouwhenyouarrive,it’simportantwhattheythinkofyouwhenyouleave.’

Asallwassaidanddone,KloppmadesuretodropinwithBorussia’sultrasforone last time.A fewdaysafterhis return fromBerlin,he spent fourhoursoverdrinkswithmembersoftheUnity,thankingthemfortheirsupportovertheyears and chewing the fat. ‘It was a wonderful evening,’ says Jan-HenrikGruszecki.‘Ivividlyrememberoneofthemore,shallwesay,sturdyfansaskinghim:“WhydoyoualwaysplaySubotić?He’sthinlikeaherring.”Klopplookedat him, raised an eyebrow and said: “He’s not thin, he’s in good shape.” Hebroughtthehousedown.’

ChristianHeidelbelievesKloppwasmorewoundedbytheconclusionoftheDortmundchapterthanheeverleton.Notbecauseitwasover–‘theyallagreedthetimewasright,youcan’tkeepdoingsuchajobwithasmuchenergyasheexpendsfortoolong’–butbecausetheclubfailedtotrulyrecognisetheextentofhisachievements.‘HewenttoDortmundandmadethemchampions,twice,cupwinners,hegot them to theChampionsLeague final.And for allof that, theyhandhimabunchofflowersinfrontofthesouthstand.I’msurehethoughtofthewayMainzsaidgoodbyetohiminthatmoment,andmyguessisthathewasdisappointedthatDortmunddidn’treallymakehimfeelthatitwashimwhohadsaved thatclub,himwho took it fromnearbankruptcy toa richclub,withhisideas, and his personality. They couldn’t have done it without him, not evenclose. He turned the whole club upside down. All of that seemed a littleforgotten at the end. I’m not sure he’s still emotionally very connected toBorussia Dortmund. To the people, yes, to the staff, to the kit man, to thesupporters, for sure.But not to the club itself anymore.Whenwe played the[Ruhr]derby[withSchalkethisseason],hewascrossinghisfingersforme.Thatwasn’taboutSchalkeorBorussiaDortmund,butabout rootingforme. Iknowthat,honestly.’

Eighteen months after Klopp left the Black and Yellows, however, it’sobviousthattheydomissandfullyappreciatehim.‘Hewasmorethanacoach,hewasacoachforthewholeclub,’Watzkesays,alittlewistfully.‘Jürgenwasthemostresplendentambassadoranyclubcouldwishfor.’

Dickelagrees.LeavingasidethewayBVBplayedfootballunderhim,hewasa huge factor in improving the club’s image. ‘We became much more well-knownaroundtheglobe.Everywherewego,theysay:“Iremember,youhadacrazymanager.”Everywhere.Butneverwithanynegativeconnotations.KloppoandBVBwillforeverbelinked,irrespectiveofwherehe’sworking.’Süddeutsche writer Röckenhaus, whose professional working relationship

with Klopp had become somewhat strained towards the end of his tenure, isconvinced Borussia would take him back in a heartbeat. ‘You ask anyone atDortmund, even the groundsman, who’d been angered by Klopp, perhaps.They’dtakehimtomorrow.That’salldowntohimbeingthepersonheis.He’ssimplycharming,inhisownway.Hecangetonyournerves,forsure,butyoucaneasily seeyourself sitting inabusnext tohim,driving forhours toget tosomeshittygame.Orhavingadrinkwithhimafteradefeat.Tosaynothingofthepartyingwithhim.Theywouldalllovetogethimback.’

16.LFCANDBEYOND

Thanks to their late flourish inMay2017,Liverpoolareonceagainplaying intheChampionsLeague in 2017–18, for only the second time since 2010. Thefantastical riches of the Premier League’s TV deal–£2.76bn per season–nolongermakeparticipationinUEFA’stopcompetitionagame-changerforaclubof Liverpool’s size. But, FSG’s Mike Gordon explains, bringing midweekfloodlit nights back to Anfield is still hugely important, financially andsymbolically.‘Itdoesmakeadifferenceintermsofrevenue.Andinaddition,itputs your club into a different category in terms of standing. Before Jürgen’sarrival,therehadbeenquestionswhethertheclubhadlostsomeofitslustre.Ourreturnputsthattorest.Wehaveamanagernowwho’sthebestintheworldinmymind,andwehaveasquadofworld-classplayers.Naturally, theywant toplayintheChampionsLeague.It’sasignaltotheworldthatwe’reback.Ithelpsusenticethebestpeople.’

ButnoneoftheneworexistingplayersquiteconnectswiththefanbaseinthesamewayKlopp has done sinceOctober 2015, JamieCarragher feels. ‘To behonest,he’sthestaroftheteam,’theformerdefendersays.‘Ifitwaspossible,alotofthesupporterswouldhavehisnameonthebackoftheshirt.He’stheface;he’s the name of the team.When you think ofLiverpool you think of JürgenKlopp.His personality is infectious. There’s no act, no gameswith him, he’sexactlytheguyyouseeonTV.Hehasalaugh,hehasajoke,he’sfullofenergy.I’ve been to a couple of teamparties.One of themwas after they had lost toCrystalPalaceattheendoftheseason,whenitlookedbadforfourthplace.Buthewashigh-fiveingall theplayersand theywereallhuggingeachother.Thatrelationshiphehaswithhisplayers isamajorpartofhissuccessasa footballmanager.Ineverhadarelationshiplikethatwithanymanager.He’sjustabig,energeticman,andyouwanttoplayforhim.’

The39-year-oldwas able to do just that, as part of a groupof recentLFC

retireesdraftedintofeatureinLiverpool’spost-seasonfriendlyawaytoSydneyFCinlateMay.‘Wewerewinning2-0justbeforehalf-time,andweshouldhavehadapenalty.IthadbeenaverylongflightandI’mthinking,thisisafriendly,let’s just play and get home. At the break, Jürgen was absolutely killing therefereefornotgivingthepenthough.IthoughtIwasvery,verycompetitive,buthewassomethingelse.That’swhatyouneed.’

There are supporterswho suspect thatKlopp’swinningmentality is not allthat’sneededifLiverpoolaretocatchupwithManchesterUnited,Arsenalandthe petrodollar-funded Chelsea and Manchester City. Only a significant cashinjection by new investors with deeper pockets than the relatively prudentFenwaySportsGroup,theybelieve,canre-establishLiverpoolasthedominantforceintheEnglishtopflight.InMarch2016andagaininAugustofthesameyear,newsofChineseconglomerateSinoFortoneofferinghundredsofmillionsof pounds for a stake in the club was greeted with feverish anticipation onMerseyside. But FSG have not sold. Klopp’s circumspect view on a possiblechangeofownershipmighthavepartiallyinformedtheirstance.WhenthelinkwithChinahittheheadlinesKlopptoldtheAmericansexplicitlythatitwastheywhohadhistrust.

‘WechoseJürgenasmanager,butwe’reveryconsciousofthefactthatthiswasamutualdecision,thathechoseus,likewise,’Gordonsays.‘Idon’twanttousetheword“legitimacy”,buthisdecisionhasvalidatedeverythingthatthoseofusthathavebeenworkingonthefootballsideoftheclubhavebeenseekingtoachieve.Hehaschanged theatmospherearound theclub, theenvironment, theethosfortheplaceandtheprojectisinafarmorepositiveplace.Thathasgivenhopetooursupporters.Idon’twanttobetoodramaticherebutitreallyistrue.They see what we all want to achieve as a football club. I thought we werebuildingtowardsthatbeforehisarrival,butthereisnodoubtwhatsoeverthatitis achievable now that he is here. That hope permeates our supporters, itpermeatestheatmosphereduringgames,itpermeatesalmosteveryaspectofthefootball sideof theclub.Canyou tell that I likehim?’Gordonadds that therewas ‘a relentless tendency to try and get his time and involvement andengagement in thingsbeyond thecoreofhis responsibilitiesas themanagerofourclub’,and thatLiverpoolhad toactively ‘resist the temptation’ toseekhisinput,forfearofspreadinghimtoothinly.

Back in Germany, friends and former colleagues are not in the least bitsurprisedthattheKloppeffecthasstartedtotakeholdacrossthechannel.‘ItoldJürgen when he left us that Liverpool were the only club that suited him, in

termsof thehistoryand theemotions,’saysBorussiaDortmundteammanagerFritzLünschermann.‘LikeDortmund,they’reabluecollarclubthatusedtobesuccessful and has been less successful in recent years. Jürgenwill take thembacktothetop,I’msure.They’reascrazyaboutfootballthereasweare.Hewillawaken theirpassion.’AnsgarBrinkmann, too,predicts rising temperaturesonMerseyside:‘Jürgeniscapableofsettingfiretoacity.’

Maybe to awhole country, too?Klopp has toldMartinQuast that he’d be‘incrediblyhappy’ifheonlycoachedthreeclubsinhiscareer–Mainz,DortmundandLiverpool.ThatwouldleavetakingontheGermannationalteamashisnextandpossiblylastmove–infootball,anyway.Quast:‘He’sabornentertainerandcangetpeople to rally aroundhim.AfterDonaldTrump, I’mmoreconvincedthanever: ifhewanted to run forGermanpresident,hewouldgetelected.Hewould bring people together, lead the way, make people happy. He’s not astatesman, not yet, anyway. But young people would take him, 100 per cent.Schalke fans excepted, perhaps.’ (In Germany, the president is elected bymembers of parliament and representatives of the federal states. The role islargelyceremonial.)

Manyintheproudlyworking-classcityofLiverpoolwillbepleasedtofindthat the Swabian’s convictions echo their own. ‘I wouldn’t call myself verypoliticalbutI’montheleft,ofcourse.Moreleftthanthemiddle,’Klopptoldtazin2009.‘Ibelieveinthewelfarestate,Idon’tmindpayingforhealthinsurance.I’mnotprivatelyinsured,Iwouldnevervoteforapartybecausetheypromisedtolowerthetoptaxrate.Mypoliticalunderstandingisthis:ifI’mdoingwell,Iwant others to do well, too. If there’s something I’ll never do inmy life it’svotingfortheright.’

Klopp’sreligiousbeliefhasinstructedhimtoseeone’stimeasachance–andaduty–tohelpothers.‘I’dsayourmissionistomakeourowntinypieceoflanda little more beautiful,’ he said toWestdeutsche Zeitung in 2007. In a Sterninterviewayearlater,hesuggestedlifewas‘aboutleavingbetterplacesbehind.Aboutnottakingyourselftooseriously.Aboutgivingyourall.Aboutlovingandbeingloved.’

The Kop has been too starved of shiny things of late to settle for pureromance,however.Deepand lasting lovewillonly takeholdonMerseyside ifJürgenKloppcansatisfymorematerialaspirations. ‘Itwillbeverydifficult towintheleague,it’smuchmorecompetitivenowthanwhenIplayed.Butthat’swhat he’s here for, that’swhat he’s paid for,’ says JamieCarragher. ‘Iwouldnevercallhimafailureifhedidn’t–RafaelBenítezandGérardHoulliercertainly

weren’t failures. They won trophies. But if he were to win the league, he’dsurpass them.He’d be an absolute god.An absolute god. Theywould put upstatutesofhim.’

He’snotyetahero,butLiverpudlianshavealreadyacceptedhimasoneoftheirown,Carragheradds.‘TheyseehimwalkinghisdoginFormbyandhavingamealinthelocalpub,heremindsthemofthemselves.Liverpoolisverydowntoearth.Yourememberwhoyouare,yourememberwhereyoucomefrom.Hedoesn’t blow his own trumpet, he gets onwith the job, he’s passionate aboutfootball.Iknowhe’sfromtheBlackForest.Buttome,he’satypicalScouser.’

Norbertand

JürgenKloppona

triptoBad

Kreuznachin

1975.

Have‘Abitur’,will

travel:onapost-

graduationtripthrough

SouthernEurope.

‘Klopple’(fourthfromright)liningupforTSVGlatten.

FourgenerationsofKlopps:fatherNorbert,sonMarc,JürgenandOpa

Karl.

Playingforhissecondclub,TuSErgenzingen(centre-right).

AmovetoBundesligasideEintrachtFrankfurtfailedtoworkout.Klopp

(bottomleft)hardlyplayedforthe‘Eagles’.

KloppandTuSErgenzingencamesecondinahat-trickcompetitionand

receivedanawardfromGermanylegendUweSeeler.

Mainz05coachWolfgangFrankwasa

footballrevolutionaryandJürgenKlopp’s

mostimportantmentor.

AlongsidesportingdirectorChristianHeidel,Klopptook‘Carnivalclub’

FSVMainz05totheBundesligaforthefirsttimeintheirhistoryin

dramaticfashion.

KloppcryingathisfarewellfromMainz.

A5-2triumphoverFCBayernintheDFBPokalfinalmarkedKlopp’shigh

pointwiththeBlackandYellows.Ayearlater,Dortmundnarrowlymissed

outonaChampionsLeaguewinagainsttheirGermanrivalsatWembley.

WithformerEintrachtteammateSvenMülleratAnfield,andtalkingtactics

WithformerEintrachtteammateSvenMülleratAnfield,andtalkingtactics

withhistrustedcoachingstaffZeljkoBuvac(centre)andPeterKrawietz

atMelwood.

ReturntotheYellowWall:KloppcameupagainstDortmundinthe

EuropaLeaguein2016andbeatThomasTuchel’smeninspectacular

fashion.

Alast-minutegoalbyAdamLallanasawLiverpoolbeatNorwichCity5-4

inJanuary2016.Kloppbrokehisglassescelebratingwithhisplayers.

Klopp-Apocalypsenow:theLFCmanagergoingwildattheAnfield

touchline.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This version of the Jürgen Klopp story owes everything to the memories,observationsandanecdotesgenerouslysharedbyfamilymembers,closefriendsandfootballcollaboratorspastandpresent.I’mimmenselygratefulforthetimeand thoughts of Isolde Reich, Benjamin and Sebastian Frank, Peter Krawietz,Christian Heidel, Harald Strutz, Jan Doehling, Mike Gordon, Hans-Joachim‘Aki’Watzke,MartinQuast,JosefSchneck,FritzLünschermann,SvenMüller,Ilkay Gündogan, Neven Subotić, Sven ‘Manni’ Bender, Mats Hummels,Sebastian Kehl, Dietrich Weise, Matthias Sammer, Matthias Dersch, FreddieRöckenhaus, Sandro Schwarz, Jürgen Kramny, Ansgar Brinkmann, GuidoSchäfer,RamonBerndroth,HermannBauer,HermannHummels,UlrichRath,Hartmut ‘Hardy’Rath,Dragoslav ‘Stepi’ Stepanović´,AdamLallana, ThomasBerthold, Michael Theis, Marcel Reif, Jonathan Northcroft, Dominic King,Simon Hughes, Axel Schubert, Norbert Neuhaus, Jamie Carragher, SteveMcManaman, Horst Dietz, Frank Kontny, Bernd Hoffmann and ReinhardMongiatti.

Thank you Hannes Winzer, Thorsten ‘Toto’ Wirth, Ronald ‘Ronny’ Reng,MatthiasSchneider,Dr.MichaelBecker,SaschaFligge,DanielStolpe,FriederGamm,IlhanGündogan,JörgKrause,MartinHägele,JörgVorländerandMattMcCannforyourextremelykindhelpandadvice.

WithoutthetirelesseffortandstupendousresourcefulnessofOliverTrust,largechunksofthisbooksimplywouldnothavebeenthere.Thankyousomuch.

ThankyouTimBroughtonandFrancesJessopatYellowJerseyPressforyourbelief,supportandpatience.Andforyourpatience.Andalsoforyourpatience.

PhilipRöber:Cheers,mate.

DavidLuxton,RebeccaWinfieldandNickWaltersatDavidLuxtonAssociatesforlookingaftermeandthisbook.

Talking of family… Elinor, Mia, Ayalah and Naomi: I love you very much.Thankyouforputtingupwithme.

RaphaelHonigstein is theauthorofDasRebootandthe topexpertonGermansoccer.He is a columnist for theGuardian andESPN,writes forSuddeutscheZeitung and Sport 1 in Germany, and appears as a pundit for BT Sport andESPN, aswell as Sky Sports inGermany.He is also a regular fixture on theGuardian’saward-winningpodcastFootballWeekly.

LISTOFILLUSTRATIONS

1.NorbertandJürgenKloppinBadKreuznach;KloppplayingforTSVGlatten;Klopp,HarmutRathandfriendsonapost-Abiturtrip(allHartmutandUlrichRath)2.FourgenerationsofKlopps(IsoldeReich);TuSErgenzingenteamphoto(WolfgangBaur)

3.EintrachtFrankfurtteamphoto(SvenMüller);KloppandUweSeeler(WolfgangBaur);WolfgangFrank(Imago)

4.CelebratingMainz05’spromotiontotheBundesliga(Getty);beerpouredoverKloppafterMainzdrawwithBayernMunich(Getty);KloppandChristianHeidel(Imago);KloppsayingfarewellattheBruchwegstadion(Imago)5.CelebratingBorussiaDortmundwinningtheBundesliga(Getty);celebratingwinningtheDFBPokalandthedouble(Imago);atWembleyfortheChampionsLeaguefinal(Getty)6.KloppandSvenMülleratAnfield(SvenMüller);‘TheNormalOne’(SvenMüller);trainingatMelwoodwithPeterKrawietzandZeljkoBuvac(Getty)7.Klopp’sreturntotheYellowWallintheUEFACup(Imago);whippingupthecrowdinthereturnlegatAnfieldwithThomasTuchellookingon(PressAssociation)8.KloppshoutingduringthereturnlegatAnfield;celebratingAdamLallana’sgoalagainstNorwichandlosinghisglasses;celebratingthewinagainstBorussiaDortmund(allGetty)

INDEX

Aarau,FC,48–9Abel,Mathias,180Abendblatt,37Abitur,42,43,122AfricaCupofNations,230Ahlen,Rot-Weiss(LRAhlen),93,148,156al-AhliSaudiFC,6al-AhlyEgyptSC,127Ajax,AFC,54,217alcohol,125,138–9Alemanni,1AlemanniaAachen,160,262–3Alexander-Arnold,Trent,231Ali,Muhammad,35,207Alkmaar,AZ,54AllgemeineZeitung,64,66AllianzArena,Munich,22,198AltenFörstereiStadium,Berlin,154Andalusia,Spain,14Andersen,Jørn,264Andreasen,Leon,184,254AnfieldStadium,Liverpool,108,110,114,224ARD,6,244Argentina,92,122,190Armenia,172ArminiaBielefeld,153,164,165,170Armstrong,Lance,44

ArsenalFC,24,110,203,221,223,224,271,294AshWednesday,6,12Asmussen,Fips,42AstonVillaFC,104,234AthleticBilbao,210Aubameyang,Pierre-Emerick,267,276Auer,Benjamin,170,175,180Aufbruchsstimmung,88Aufholjagd,284Augsburg,FC,181–2,284Augustin,Dieter,54Auschwitzconcentrationcamp,120AustriaWien,FK,63,64,70Autobahnfootball,81autogenictraining,65Ayre,Ian,25Azaouagh,Mimoun,179Aztecastadium,MexicoCity,122

Babatz,Christof,147backfour,7,16,52–8,63–5,70–1,72,83,153backpain,142BadKreuznach,Rhineland-Palatinate,6,8–10BadRagaz,Austria,72BadVilbel,Hesse,239Balitsch,Hanno,170Ballplatzcafé,Mainz,162Balotelli,Mario,212Bangoura,Daoud,51Barcelona,FC,80,216–17,222–3Barrios,Lucas,92–3,94,97,209Barthel,Maik,217Basel,FC,92,210basketball,28Basler,Mario,86Bauer,Hermann,120Baur,Walter,118–22

Bayer04Leverkusen,18–19,63,82,84,157,187,191,195,196,199,283BayernMunich,FC,26,85,94

backfour,52–3BorussiaDortmund,rivalrywith,15,17,19,22Bundesligatitles,55,211,273Guardiola’smanagement(2013–16),215–16,266–8,272–5,277,287,289Heynckes’management(2011–13),205,206–11,214,217–19Hitzfeld’smanagement(1998–2004;2007–8),48,68–9,257Hummels’loandeal(2009),93Klinsmann’smanagement(2008–9),83,257–8Magath’smanagement(2004–7),80,170,171,178–9,183,185,255Sammer’ssportingdirection(2012–16),210,214,266–7vanGaal’smanagement(2009–11),97,191,195,198–9,200

Beatles,The,261Beckenbauer,Franz,33,52,238,243,245,246,248Becker,Boris,39,207Beiersdorfer,Dietmar‘Didi’,259–61Bein,Uwe,130,240Belgium,6,70,104,111Bender,Sven,93,96,116,187–8,191–2,199–200,203,285Benítez,Rafael,182,297Benteke,Christian,104Berlin,Germany,153–5,156BerlinerZeitung,95,164Berndroth,Ramon,128,129Berne,Switzerland,32,49Berthold,Thomas,121–2Biermann,Christoph,214,220,248Bild,82,86,153,190,214,215,261BlackForest,Germany,1,79,83,86,118,121,166Blendax,174Blick,53BMW,136Bochum,VfL,58,153,171,182Bohn,Armin,125Bongartz,Hans,52BorussiaDortmund,14–26,46,49,63,75–98,104–5,187–220,233,266–92

budget,94Bundesligatitles,187–9,205–6ChampionsLeaguetitles,15,48,189CouncilofElders,78debtcrisis(2004–2005),15Doll’smanagement(2007–8),16,17,18,80,87‘DreiAlfredos’,77Frankfurtstockexchange,flotationon(2000),15geil,192Hitzfeld’smanagement(1991–7),48,240,285Italiannationalteam’svisit(2011),200Jagdfußball,190Liverpoolmatch(2016),111–16,250Marbella,trainingin,90physiotherapy,204pressingandGegenpressing,80,84–5,197,211,278,280Sammer’smanagement(2000–4),19,77,92Schalke04,rivalrywith,85–6,94–5,97–8,191,205,291,296staffdays,78trainingcamps,72,79,96transferpolicy,84,87Tuchel’smanagement(2015–17),113,115ultras,76,95,216,290vanMarwijk’smanagement(2004–6),16,80,177videosessions,80,195,278VIPseats,76–7Westfalenstadion,14,17,20,23,75,97,112,187,284,289

BorussiaMönchengladbach,58,91,185,199,210,258,287BorussiaNeunkirchen,150Bös,Klaus,142Bosnia,83BournemouthFC,105,227,234Braun,Walter,129Braunschweig,Eintracht,46,55,156,157Braveheart,184Brazil,69,82,119,137,162,224,227,245Breitner,Paul,241–3

Bremen,Germany,25Breyer,Jochen,272Brinkmann,Ansgar,137,138,139,150,296Bruchwegstadion,Mainz,8,51,58,60–1,129,136,151,155,170,183,185Brückner,Rudi,242BTSport,24Bulgaria,63Bundesliga,16–17,20,27,63,69,74,124,136

1968–69season,551971–72season,2741991–92season,2401994–95season,151995–96season,152001–02season,1882004–05season,164–722005–06season,172–822006–07season,182–6,2552008–09season,85,90,912010–11season,187–2012011–12season,205–62012–13season,211,2662013–14season,73,266–73andbackfour/zonalmarkingsystem,7,53,72,242coaching,200,242–3financialrestraints,200foreigncoaches,8andgoalkeepers,236Mainz,promotionof,59,60,153,155,157,159,160–3,243pressingandGegenpressing,72,80,81prolicences,149,151SAT1coverage,237–41

Bundesliga2.,19,122,124,133,139,1401988–89season,1351990–91season,1321995–96season,51,56,57,601998–99season,65,692001–02season,146–55,152,159

2002–03season,155–92003–04season,159–62,1802007–08season,253–65DSFcoverage,154,241–3prolicences,149,151shootingtechnique,243

Bundestrainer,251BürgerlichesGesetzbuch,10Burgundy,France,43BurnleyFC,223,234Buvac,Zeljko,51,82,103,150–2,202,208,271

CaféRaab,Gonsenheim,175Canada,6CarlZeissJena,FC,70Carl-Benz-Stadion,Mannheim,140carnival,3,6,9,20,35,59,153,161,163,170,179Carragher,Jamie,117,235,294,297Casey,Conor,83Catholicism,37Celts,1CentralPark,NewYork,30CerezoOsaka,190ChampionsLeague,21,25,27

1996–97season,15,48,189,2852004–05season,1132005–06season,182009–10season,97,982011–12season,202–32012–13season,25,72,105,211–20,2662013–14season,271,2732014–15season,24,274,278,2852015–16season,105,111,284,2872016–17season,2282017–18season,293

ChelseaFC,105,110,223,224,231,232,234,294ChemnitzerFC,138,146

Cheshire,England,228‘chesswithdice’,225–6China,209,210,295‘Chuckyruns’,202Clattenburg,Mark,105‘CleverandSmart’,173Coca-Cola,33Coface,254cola-bottles,241collectivemovement,53Collina,Pierluigi,219Cologne,NorthRhine-Westphalia,19,168,183,191Colombia,184comedy,42conditioning,222ConfederationsCup,244–6,248Constantini,Dietmar,9,63Conte,Antonio,104,224core-stabilityexercises,61,249corners,194CostaBallena,Spain,257CostaRica,247counter-attacks,101,105,117,195,207,233,235,267,277Coutinho,Philippe,100,114,224,230Crete,Greece,123Croatia,38,82,84cruciateligament,144CrystalPalaceFC,109,234,294Cyprus,61,66Czechoslovakia,120

daSilva,Antônio‘Toni’,162,175,180Daei,Ali,69DailyTelegraph,212Dalglish,Kenneth‘Kenny’,25,26,108Danté,210,218Daum,Christoph,259

DeBruyne,Kevin,105dead-balls,152,194,195,235,236DeccaRecords,261Dédé,82Delling,Gerhard,244Demandt,Sven,72,140DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund), 16, 49–50, 73, 127, 149, 163, 185, 190, 242,251

DFBPokal1993–94season,49–501999–00season,68–92007–08season,17,872008–09season,85,2612009–10season,952011–12season,206–92012–13season,2112013–14season,2722014–15season,289

DFLSupercup,85,267Dickel,Norbert‘Nobby’,15,90,95,114,187,193,208,275,279,288–9,292Dietz,Horst,32,33Disztl,Péter,151Doehling,Jan,18,150,152,161,171,246–51,256Doetz,Jürgen,238Doll,Thomas,16,17,18,80,87DonPepeGranMeliáHotel,Marbella,14Donaueschingen,Baden-Württemberg,79Dornhan,Baden-Württemberg,33–4,36

TSFDornhan,33Dortmund,NorthRhine-Westphalia,15,19,23,28double-trainingsessions,101‘DreiAlfredos’,77DSF,154,241–3Duisburg,MSV,6,11,12–13,69,70,146,160,179Durm,Erik,277Düsseldorf,NorthRhine-Westphalia,201Dutiné,Günter,128

EastGermany(1949–90),127,154EchteLiebe(FliggeandFligge),17,82Eduard-SprangerWirtschaftsgymnasium,Freudenstadt,43Egli,Andy,48Egypt,127,168EintrachtFrankfurt,58,91,121,130,156,156,181,240

Amateure,123–7,128Ejaria,Ovie,231ElectoralPalace,Mainz,6Emery,Unai,117EmiliLönneberga(Lindgren),36EnergieCottbus,180–81EnglischerFußball,25Englishlanguage,24,26Enkelmann,NikolausB.,65‘Ente’,43Erbach,FC,129Eredivisie,54Erfurt,Rot-Weiss,134,151,172Ergenzingen,TuS,118–23Eriksson,Sven-Göran,52Erlebnisfußball,165Essen,Rot-Weiss,49–51,85EstadioMunicipaldeMarbella,90EtihadStadium,Manchester,109,212Eupen,KAS,70EuroPalace,Mainz,147EuropaLeague

1981–82season,522005–06season,172–32007–08season,1842008–09season,87,2612009–10season,912010–11season,98,189,2022014–15season,2892015–16season,105,111,116–17,229

EuropeanFootballChampionship

2000Belgium/Netherlands,2412008Austria/Switzerland,252

FACup,228Fàbregas,Cesc,232FairPlayaward,19FairPlayranking,172FarulConstant‚a,SSC,69Favre,Lucien,284Feldkamp,Karl-Heinz,124FenwaySportsGroup(FSG),27–30,116,229,293,295Ferguson,Alex,209Fernseh-Bundestrainer,249Festzeltmeister,34Feulner,Markus,94FeverPitch(Hornby),24Firmino,Roberto,104,224,227Fischer,34Fligge,SaschaandFrank,17,82Focus,103Formby,Merseyside,228Förster,Karl-Heinz,38–9FourFourTwo,96,211Frank,Benjamin,46,47,61,63,66,68,70,72Frank,Sebastian,46,59,61,67,68,70,72,73Frank,Wolfgang,7,8,11,12,46–74,171,248

Aarau,managementof(1989–90),48–9Alkmaar,playingcareerat(1973–4),54AustriaWien,managementof(1997–8),63,64,70backfour/zonalmarking,7,48,52–8,70–71BorussiaDortmund,playingcareerat(1977–80),46Bruchwegstadion,renovationof,60–1CarlZeissJena,managementof(2010–11),70Cyprustrainingcamps(1997,1998),61–2,66death(2013),72–3,283Braunschweig,Eintracht,playingcareerat(1974–7),46Essen,Rot-Weiss,managementof(1994–5),49–51

Eupen,managementof(2011–12),70FarulConstant‚amanagementof(2005–6),69Glarus,managementof(1984–8),46Greece,holidayto,47KickersOffenbach,managementof(2006–7),66,70,256Mainz,managementof(1995–7;1998–2000),7,8,11,12,51–62,64–70,143mentaltraining,48,65–7Nürnberg,playingcareerat(1980–2),46resignation(1997),62resignation(2000),70,143Sacchi,influenceof,47–8,53–4SachsenLeipzig,managementof(2004–5),70Stuttgart,playingcareerat(1971–3),46Unterhaching,managementof(2002–4),69videosessions,54WehenWiesbaden,managementof(2008–9),70Wettingen,managementof(1991–2),49Winterthur,managementof(1992–3),49Wuppertaler,managementof(2008),70

Frankfurt,Hesse,121,123EintrachtFrankfurt,58,91,121,130,156,157,181,240EintrachtFrankfurtAmateure,123–7,128Gallusquarter,180Gallusviertel,169GoetheUniversity,123,141–3,239Hoechstchemicalplant,127Rot-WeissFrankfurt,128,130–2,240Sachsenhausen,124,125Stepi’sTreff,130stockexchange,15ViktoriaSindlingen,FC,125,127–31

FrankfurterAllgemeineZeitung,21,98,149,186FrankfurterRundschau,55,66,156,158,175–6,178,218,258Frauenlautern,Saarland,56free-kicks,194,236Frei,Alexander,84,85,92Freiburg,SC,163,171,256,274

Frenchkissing,43Freudenstadt,Baden-Württemberg,4,43Friedrich,Manuel,155,162,177–8,179,254Friedrich-Moebus-Stadion,BadKreuznach,11funteams,165Fürth,Bavaria,5‘Fußball2000’,130,240Futsal,119

Gabon,276Gabriel,Michael,125GalatasaraySK,63Gallusquarter,Frankfurt,180Gallusviertel,Frankfurt,169GazzettadelloSport,87Gegenpressing,80,84–5,100–4,197,211,224,278,280geil,192Gelsenkirchen,NorthRhine-Westphalia,201Genscher,Hans-Dietrich,35Georg-Melches-Stadion,Essen,49Gerber,Fabian,169GermanFA,seeDFB(DeutscherFußball-Bund)Germannationalteam,26,52,71,163,178,241–52,259,296GermanShepherddogs,3gier,192Ginter,Matthias,277Gladbach,seeBorussiaMönchengladbachGlarus,Switzerland,46,47

FCGlarus,46,48Glattriver,2,38Glatten,Baden-Württemberg,1–4,36–41,44,119,122

SVGlatten,34,36–7,118Glöckner,Patrick,126goalkeepers,227,236GoetheUniversity,Frankfurt,123,141–3,239Gonsenheim,Mainz,174,175,244Gordon,Mike,27–30,107–8,116,230,232,293,295

Göteborg,IFK,52Götze,Mario,190,196,214–17,266,268,271GrasshoppersZürich,49Greece,47,123GreenPartyofGermany,2GreutherFürth,SpvGG,5,66,153,256,263Großkreutz,Kevin,16,93,188,277Gruschwitz,Dieter,244,245,246,247,249,250Gruszecki,Jan-Henrik,76,270,291GuangzhouEvergrande,209Guardian,23,25,106,184,215,218Guardiola,Josep‘Pep’,215,216,224,266–7,272,273,275,289Gullit,Ruud,55Gumpenriver,38Gündoǧan,İlkay,116,201–6,208,211,213–15,218,269,285,290Gunkel,Daniel,255‘GutenMorgen,Sonnenschein’,253Gutenbergplatz,Mainz,158,161,263

Haarstüble,Glatten,3Haasekessel,Mainz,172Hafner,Klaus,136Haka,167Hamburg,Germany,120

HamburgerSV,72,84,90,91,120,134,259–61HSVHamburg(handballteam),241

handball,241Hannover96,HSV,147,171,196,199,203,241HansaRostockFC,70,240Happel,Ernst,64HarryPotter(Rowling),153Hart,Joe,212Hattric,120Haug,Jürgen,118–19,120‘heavymetal’football,100,224Heidel,Christian

1992joinsMainz,135

1993hiringofBrinkmann,1371995hiresFrankasmanager,51,52,53,54,56,571996MainzchallengesforpromotiontoBundesliga,591997 Mainz reaches second in table, 62; resignation of Frank, 62; hiresSaftig,63;hiresConstantini,64

2000resignationofFrank,702001GreutherFürthmatch,5;Kloppappointedmanager,5–13,71,146,149;Rhineriverboatcelebration,148;Buvacappointedassistantmanager,151,152

2002UnionBerlinmatch,153,154,1552003failuretogainpromotiontoBundesliga,1582004 Thurk agrees transfer to Energie Cottbus, 180; promotion toBundesliga,161,167

2005returnofThurk,181;hiringofZidan,1682006 Klopp’s contract extended, 175, 176–7; goes full-time as generalmanager,176; lossofplayers,180–1;fallingoutwithKloppoversaleofThurk,181;Klopp’sweddingtoUlla,126;BayernMunichmatch,183

2007Zidanbrought back, 184; discussesBorussiaDortmundhiringKlopp,16–17

2008 Klopp approached by Bayern Munich, 256–7; Klopp approached byKöln, 259; Klopp’s last match as manager, 263, 264; discusses KlopptakingLeverkusenposition,18

2012twentiethanniversaryparty,133,1352013deathofFrank,732015 Klopp resigns from Borussia Dortmund, 291; Klopp moves toLiverpool,26

2016leavesMainz,71Heilbronn,FC,122Henderson,Jordan,99Henry,John,28,116,231HerthaBSC,62,69,88,173Hessenliga,131,132Hettfleisch,Alfred,32Heynckes,Jupp,206,211Hitzfeld,Ottmar,48,77,257,284Hock,Christian,58,72Hoechst,SG,124

Hoechstchemicalplant,Frankfurt,127Hoeness,Ulrich‘Uli’,179,198,199,257–8Hoffenheim,TSG,87,88,97,104,227,256,258,262,263Hoffmann,Bernd,122,259–60Hölzenbein,Bernd,130Holzhäuser,Wolfgang,18Homburg,FC,127,133Hoogland,Tim,255HopeStreet,Liverpool,106Hornby,Nick,24Houllier,Gérard,297HullCity,234‘Humba’,262Hummels,Hermann,132,135,136,141,269Hummels,Mats

2008firstseasonwithBorussiaDortmundonloan,82–3,872009ankleinjury,91;signswithBorussiaDortmund,932010thirdseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,191,192,1932011Bundesligawin,187,188;fourthseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,2022012DFBPokalwin,2072013sixthseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,2682014 second place inBundesliga, 273;WorldCup, 272, 277, 278; seventhseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,272,277,278,279,280

2015seventhseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,2842016Liverpoolmatch,114

‘hunting’football,190

Ibanez,Francisco,173Iceland,172Illgner,Bodo,120Ilsanker,Herbert,66‘ImSchattendesDoms’,126Immobile,Ciro,275,276Inception,172Independent,115InternationalPentecostDay,120Iran,69

Ireland,1Italy,47,53–4,55

nationalteam,200Ivanov,Trifon,63

Jacobi,Franz,270Jagdfußball,190Jakob,Helmut,129Japan,190al-Jazeera,188Jeandupeux,Daniel48jobinterviews,167–8Jol,Martin,260,261Jung,Robert,132,134JuventusFC,285

Kagawa,Shinji,190,207,209,271Kaiserslautern,FC,7,31–2,52,59Kamerun,180Karhan,Miroslav,255Karius,Loris,222,227Karkuth,Dirk,143Karlsruher,SC,122,160Karn,Christian,160,171,262KarnevalamBruchweg(Rehberg),61KarpatyLviv,203Katowice,Poland,120KeflavíkÍF,173Kehl,Sebastian,15,80–1,89,92,188,206,220Kelbassa,Alfred,77Kelly,Steve,83Kemweb,174KennyG,112Kenya,6Kicker,7,52KickersOffenbach,66,70,256KinderSurprise,284

KingPowerstadium,Leicester,230Kirn,BadKreuznach,31,32–3,34–5

VfRKirn,31,32,33Klavan,Ragnar,222Klinsmann,Jürgen,61,163,178,181,249,250,257–8Klopp,Dennis,126Klopp,Elisabeth,3,4,34,37,118,123Klopp,Jürgen

1967birth,4,361974beginsattendingprimaryschool,411976Pfingstentournament,381977Glatten’sinauguralopentournament,381980heldbackforayearatschool,421981winswhiskeyatopentournament,421982beginsridingscooters,431983startsplayingforErgenzingen,118–191984beginsstudiesforAbitur,42,431985playstournamentswithErgenzingen,1201986 Eintracht Frankfurt match, 121–2; approached to play for Frankfurt,122;signswithPforzheim,123

1987 trip around Southern Europe, 123; signs with Eintracht FrankfurtAmateure,123–5;beginscoachingunder11s,125–6

1988signswithViktoriaSindlingen,127–8;birthofMarc,1281989signswithRWFrankfurt,130–321990signswithMainz,132–4;startsinternshipatSAT1,2391991RWErfurtmatch,134,172;approachedbyHamburgerSV,1341995 graduates from Goethe University, 141–3; Frank becomes Mainzmanager,55,143;Saarbrückenmatch,57

1996tearscruciateligament,1441997 resignation of Frank, 62; Wolfsburg match, 63; Saftig becomesmanager,63

1998StuttgarterKickersmatch,651999BayernMunichmatch,692000 death of father, 44–5; resignation of Frank, 143; explains back foursystemtoKrautzun,7

2001GreutherFürthmatch,5;appointedmanagerofMainz,9–12,71,149–50; first season as Mainz manager, 12–13, 146–53; Buvac appointed

assistantmanager,150–52;startsworkonViererkette,241–32002 first season as Mainz manager, 153–5; Black Forest team-buildingexercise,166;secondseasonasMainzmanager,155–6;contractextended,156

2003 second season asMainzmanager, 156–9;nomod-cons team-buildingexercise,253;thirdseasonasMainzmanager,159

2004 promotion to Bundesliga, 161–3, 243; survival trip to Sweden, 166;fourthseasonasMainzmanager,164–70,238

2005 fourthseasonasMainzmanager,171–2;qualificationforUEFACup,172;ConfederationsCupcommentary,245,246,248,249;fifthseasonasMainzmanager,172–5

2006contractextended,175,176–7;fifthseasonasMainzmanager,175–82;FriedrichcalledupforWorldCup,177–8;visit toRohrbachprison,178;World Cup commentary, 245–52; falling out with Heidel over sale ofThurk,181;weddingtoUlla,126;sixthseasonasMainzmanager,182–4

2007 sixth season as Mainz manager, 184–6; relegation, 185–6, 253;Thuringia team-building exercise, 253–4; seventh season as Mainzmanager,254–6

2008 approached by Bayern Munich, 256–8; approached by Köln, 259;approachedbyHamburgerSV,259–61;seventhseasonasMainzmanager,258–65; last match as Mainz manager, 263–5; becomes manager ofBorussiaDortmund, 14–21, 75–8; giftedwinged rhinoceros figurine, 98;Donaueschingen training camp, 79–80; Petric´–Zidan transfer, 84; firstseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,85–90

2009NeuhaussendsDVDof1983Erbachmatch,129;contractextended,91;signing of Barrios, Bender and Großkreutz, 92–3; second season withBorussiaDortmund,94–7

2010 second season with Borussia Dortmund, 97–8; signing ofLewandowski,94,189;thirdseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,189–96

2011 thirdseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,196–201;Bundesligawin,187–9; signing of Gündog an, 201; fourth season with Borussia Dortmund,202–3

2012fourthseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,203–6;DFBPokalwin,206–9;Heidel’s twentieth anniversary party, 133, 135; Champions Leaguecampaign,211–13

2013approachesBentekeforsigning,104–5;ChampionsLeaguecampaign,213–17;Götze signswithBayernMunich, 214–17, 266; secondplace in

Bundesliga,211;ChampionsLeague final,72,105,217–20; sixthseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,266–71

2014 Lewandowski moves to Bayern Munich, 272, 275; approached byManchesterUnited,22–3;secondplaceinBundesliga,273–4;approachedbyManchesterCityandTottenham,24,26;Opel launch,282–3; seventhseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,274–83;talkonmotivationinFrankfurt,282

2015seventhseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,283–6;resignsfromBorussiaDortmund,25,286–92; approachedbyLiverpool;meeting inNewYork,25–30; starts work at Liverpool, 100–104, 105–7; first season withLiverpool,105,108–11

2016 SinoFortone offer, 295; Borussia Dortmund match, 111–16, 250;contractextended,116;Sevillamatch,117;pre-seasontourofUS,221–2;secondseasonwithLiverpool,222–7;ChristmaspartyinBarcelona,227–8

2017LaMangatrainingcamp,229;secondseasonwithLiverpool,228–36,294;Sydneymatch,294

Klopp,Karl,31,32Klopp,Marc,41,126,158Klopp,Norbert,3–4,31–8,39–40,42,43–4,123Klopp,Stefanie,3,4,38,43,123Klopp,Ulla,76,85,126,135,182Kloppertruppe,154‘Klopple’,41,43Kobayashi,Takeru,197Koblenz,TuS,256Kocaelispor,63Kohler,Jürgen,208Kohlmeyer,Werner,32Köln,FC,159,187,191–2,206,256,259,263Kontny,Frank,50–1Kop,AnfieldStadium,110–11Kornmayer,Andreas,99Kosicke,Marc,25,28,30Kovacˇ,Robert,82Kramny,Jürgen,6,12,56,63–4,72,139–40,147,159–60,163Kraus,Katja,259–60Krause,Jörg,241

Krautzun,Eckhart,6–10,149Krawietz,Peter

onAubameyang,276onBorussiaDortmund,276,279,280,284,286,287onChristmasbreak,228oncoaching,231,233,234,276,279ondead-balls,235onEnglishsupporters,227onKemweb,174onLiverpool,224–6,231,233,234,236onlower-tablesides,234,236onMainz,141,144,145,250onpossessionfootball,225,226onpressingandGegenpressing,101–4,224–5,280onrotation,233onSevillamatch(2016),117videoanalysissessions,54,195,250onWorldCup,277,278

KreisklasseC,136Kuhnert,Stephan,72Kuranyi,Kevin,85Kurier,154Kurrat,Hoppy,78Kurth,Frank,49Kurzschlussreaktion,62

Labbadia,Bruno,260,261Lallana,Adam,99–101,103,104,109–10,222,224,227–9,232,234Lallana,Arthur,228Landesliga,133‘Lange,Der’,43Lauterriver,38Lawrenson,Mark,106LeagueCup,105,110,228LechPoznań,94LeedsUnitedFC,15LeicesterCityFC,46,223,229,230

Leipzig,VfB,62Leiva,Lucas,227Lennhofhotel,Dortmund,19Leverkusen,18–19,63,82,84,157,187,191,195,196,199,283Lewandowski,Robert,94,189–90,205,207,209,217,266,272,275LexingtonAvenue,NewYork,28lfc.tv,106,230LiberalDemocraticPartyofGermany,10liberos,seesweepersLieberknecht,Torsten,54,72Liebrich,Werner,32Lindgren,Astrid,36LiverpoolEcho,224LiverpoolFC,25–30,46,99–117,221–36,250,293–8

AnfieldStadium,108,110,114,224Benítez’smanagement(2004–10),182,297BorussiaDortmundmatch(2016),111–16,250conditioning,222Dalglish’smanagement(2011–12),26double-trainingsessions,101EuropaLeague(2015–16),111,116–17FenwaySportsGroup(FSG),27–30,116,229,293,295Frankbrothers’scouting,46Houllier’smanagement(1998–2004),297lfc.tv,106,230Melwoodtrainingcomplex,99,100,108,224Milanmatch(2005),113nutrition,99,222possessionfootball,225,235pressingandGegenpressing,100–104,224Rodgers’management(2012–15),25,27,226supporters,roleof,109,110–11,114,224trainingcamps,229USpre-seasontour(2016),221–2videosessions,102

Lovren,Dejan,115,226Löw,Joachim,49,72,250

Lübeck,VfB,156,160Lünschermann,Fritz,77,90,93,113,116,193,283,284,287,296

Machado,143MachtderMotivation,Die(Enkelmann),65Magath,Felix,80,170Mainz,Rhineland-Palatinate,6,46,209

carnival,6,9,20,35,59,153,161,163,170Gonsenheim,174,175,244Gutenbergplatz,158,161,263MainzUniversity,54SAT1,238

Mainz05,FSV,5–13,16,32,35,44,51–73,132–45,146–86,253–65backfour/zonalmarkingsystem,7,11,52–8,63–5,70–1Bruchwegstadion,8,51,58,60–1,129,136,151,155,170,183,185Bundesliga,promotionto(2004),160–3,243carnival,6,9,20,35,59,153,161,163,170,179Constantini’smanagement(1997–8),9,63–4core-stabilityexercises,61Frank’smanagement (1995–7;1998–2000),7,8,11,12,51–62,64–9,143,248

geil,192Hummels’management(1994–5),132,135jobinterviews,167–8Jung’smanagement(1989–92),132,134Karkuth’smanagement(2000),143Klopp’smanagement (2001–8), 11–13,16, 19, 20, 24, 25, 28, 39, 71, 108,146–86,192,247,253–65

Klopp’splayingcareer(1990–2001),9,55–8,132–45Krautzun’smanagement(2000–1),6–10,71,149Krawietz’sscouting,54mentaltraining,65–7‘MissionPossible15’,184OpelArena,176,223,254policebarracks,trainingat,151Rohrbachprisonvisit(2006),178Saftig’smanagement(1997),62–3

salarytiers,135SAT1coverage,238supporters,roleof,148,170–1,179–80,183,185,262,263sweeper,52–3,63,64,71team-buildingexercises,166,253–4trainingcamps/sessions,61–2,66,71,151–2UEFACupqualification(2005),172ultras,184,262‘Unpromotables,The’,158videosessions,54,147–8,250work–lifebalance,168–9

MajorLeague,218,220Málaga,CF,115,213ManchesterCityFC,24,26,109–10,116,203,212,224,294ManchesterUnitedFC,22–3,110,111,209,224,294Mandžukić´,Mario,210,218Mané,Sadio,222,223,224,230LaManga,Spain,229‘MannequinChallenge’,147Mannheim,Baden-Württemberg,140

WaldhofMannheim,56Maoris,167Maradona,Diego,6,122Marbella,Spain,14,90,112MarcelSchmelzer,213–14Marseille,203,271Martínez,Javi,210Matip,Joël,222McManaman,Steve,110Meier,Michael,15,259Meier,Urs,245Meisterschaft,59,192,195,198,200Melwoodtrainingcomplex,Liverpool,99,100,108,224Menschenfänger,148mentaltraining,48,65–7,249Mercedes,2MercedesBenz-Arena,Berlin,89

Mertin,Herbert,178Mexico,121–2MiddlesbroughFC,230Mignolet,Simon,108–9,227MikaAshtarak,FK,172Milan,AC,47,53–4,55,113,200,217Milner,James,226Mislintat,Sven,94‘MissionPossible15’,184Mkhitaryan,Henrikh,267Möller,Andreas,130,240Monaco,AS,49MondayNightFootball,224Mongiatti,Robert,43Monopoly,9MontyPython’sLifeofBrian,107moonlanding(1969),35MorganStanley,15‘MortandPhil’,173Mourinho,José,105,201,214,224Mouskouri,Nana,253Moyes,David,23Müller,Gerd,243Müller,Michael,57,135Müller,Sven,124–7,128,282Müller&Meirer,32Munich,Bavaria,22,28music,41–2‘MyWay’(Sinatra),130

Nagelsmann,Julian,249Napoli,SSC,271NationalligaB,46Nationalmannschaft,seeGermannationalteamNaturalHistoryMuseum,London,219Neckarstadion,Stuttgart,39Neger,Thomas,126

Nemmer,Mona,99,222Netzer,Günter,244–5Neu,Hubert,124,125,127NeueZürcherZeitung,173Neuhaus,Norbert,127,128Neuneck,Baden-Württemberg,41Neustädter,Peter,57,72NewYork,UnitedStates,28–30NewZealandAllBlacks,167NewcastleUnitedFC,222Niebaum,Gerd,15Niepieklo,Alfred,77Nkufo,Blaise,154,155Nolan,Christopher,172‘NormalOne,The’,107NorthKorea,112Northcroft,Jonathan,125Nürnberg,FC,46,178,187,201nutrition,48,60,99,222

Obama,Barack,86Oberliga,8,122,123OberligaHessen,124,127obstaclecourses,152Odonkor,David,250OldTraffordStadium,Manchester,111OlympiacosFC,203Olympicstadium,Berlin,50,69,170,207OnceCaldas,CD,184Opel,282–3OpelArena,Mainz,176,223Origi,Divock,104,111,113Osnabrück,VfL,95,137

ParisSaint-Germain,202–3ParkHiltonHotel,Munich,22Pekovic´,Milorad,254

Pelé,119,246Pentecost,38,120Pérez,Florentino,272Petric´,Mladen,84Pfingsten,38Pforzheim,FC,122–3,127Pickenäcker,Ingo,49,50–51PinkPanther,185–6Playmobil-Stadion,Fürth,5PlazaHotel,Hamburg,120PlazaHotel,NewYork,28Pochettino,Mauricio,102,224Podolski,Lukas,225‘Pöhler’,25Poland,120,189,250Port-sur-Saône,Burgundy,43possessionfootball,225,235Prandelli,Cesare,200Preißler,Alfred‘Ady’,77PremierLeague,24,25,28,209

2013–14season,2262015–16season,46,100–162016–17season,221–362017–18season,232,293

pressingandGegenpressing,80,84–5,100–4,197,211,224,278,280preventativebackpaintherapy,142Prosinecˇki,Robert,38Protestantism,37Prussia(1525–1947),9psychologicaltraining,seementaltraining

Quast,MartinonBochummatch(1996),58onBorussiaDortmund,26onBundesliga,172onBundesliga2.,141onDFBPokalfinal(2012),208,209

onErfurtmatch(1991),134onFrank,deathof(2013),73,74onHafner,136onKarkuth,143onKemweb,174Klopp,relationshipwith,34,39,74onKrautzun,149onLiverpool,108onMainzplayers,162onOpellaunch(2014),282–3onpresidency,296onSAT1,239,240,241onThurk,169,182onVideoToni,176

ran,237–8Rangnick,Ralf,56,67,72,88,149,153–4,164,210,241–2,256Ranzengarde,9Rapolder,Uwe,56,164,170Rath,Hartmut,40,41–2,43,118–19Rath,Ingo,40,42Rath,Ulrich,32–43,118–19Rauball,Reinhard,49,188RealMadrid,201,203,213,214,216,272RedBullSalzburg,224RedStarBelgrade,38RedaktionsNetzwerkDeutschland,207regeneration,48Regensburg,SSV,160Rehberg,Reinhard,10,61,63,146,160,171,257,262Rehhagel,Otto,50,59Reich,Elisabeth,seeKlopp,ElisabethReich,Eugen,34Reich,Helene,34Reich,Isolde,3–4,34,35,36,37,39,40,44,123Reus,Marco,113,212,213,214,218Reutlingen,SSV,157

Revierderby,85Rhein-Post,69Rhein-Zeitung,51RheinEnergieStadion,Cologne,191Rhineland-Palatinate,Germany,6,31,155,178,238Ribbeck,Erich,52Riedle,Karl-Heinz,115Riedwiesenfootballpitch,Glatten,3riotpolice,151Rizzoli,Nicola,219Robben,Arjen,198,205,207,219Röber,Jürgen,49Röckenhaus,Freddie,21,75–6,292Rodgers,Brendan,25,226Rodriguez,Marcio,69Rohrbachfederalprison,Wöllstein,178Romania,69Röschingersisters,239Rose,Marco,162RoseMonday,6,9RoteErde,Dortmund,128RottenburgamNeckar,Baden-Württemberg,118Rowe,Richard‘Dick’,261RTL,252RubinKazan,FC,105Rückenschule,142Rufer,Wynton,51Ruhr,Germany,21,25,49,69,95,275,287,291Ruhrnachrichten,131Ruman,Petr,175‘RumbleintheJungle’(1974),207Rummenigge,Karl-Heinz,207Rumpelfußball,163Runjaic´,Kosta,151Rüsselsheim,Hesse,282Russia,105,213Rutten,Fred,260

Saarbrücken,FC,56–7,139Sacchi,Arrigo,47,53–4,200SachsenLeipzig,FC,70Sachsenhausen,Frankfurt,124,125Saftig,Reinhard,62–3S¸ahin,Nuri,115,187,192,197,198,201,271Sakho,Mamadou,115Sammer,Matthias,19,77,92,165,190,210,214,266–7Sané,Souleyman,64SAT1,237–41SaudiArabia,6Schäfer,Guido,133–4,135,137–9,141,143,145Schalke04,FC,5,73,90,164–5,171,179,182,183

BorussiaDortmund,rivalrywith,85–6,94–5,97–8,191,205,291,296Scheurenbrand,Ralf,120Schlauch,Rezzo,2Schlitzohr,180Schmelzer,Marcel,16,82,187Schmidt,Alfred‘Aki’,78Schmidt,Lars,72Schnapsidee,10Schneck,Josef,19–20,75–9,86,88,95,220,281,288‘Schotten’,76Schubert,Axel,128,129Schuler,Markus,155Schuster,Axel,157Schwachhausen,Bremen,25Schwalb,Martin,241Schwanen-Bräu,34Schwarz,Sandro,11,72,143–4,146,147,155,157,158,163Scotland,1Seeler,Uwe,120Senegal,222Serbia,130,150,240SevillaFC,173,203ShakhtarDonetsk,213Shankly,William‘Bill’,106

Shaqiri,Xherdan,210Shearman&Sterling,28Sheer,Ireen,253SignalIdunaPark,Dortmund,14,17,20,23,75,97,112,187,284,289Sinatra,Frank,130SinoFortone,295skiing,36,37,40,41SkySports,224,235‘sleepertrainfootball’,75,163smoking,138snowboarding,239Solaleatherplant,Dornhan,33Soto,Elkin,184SouthamptonFC,99,102,105,222,227,229SovietUnion(1922–91),120SpainMarbella,14,90,112Spain,14,24,173,216–17,227–8Sparwasser,Jürgen,127,128Spaßmannschaften,165Spezi,121Spiegel,Der,165,217,238spinthebottle,43Sport-Bild,261Sport1,176sportsscience,54,123,128,141–2,239spox.com,12St.PauliFC,263Staatstheater,Mainz,161StadioFriuli,Udine,89StadionimBrötzingerTal,Pforzheim,123StamfordBridgeStadium,Chelsea,105,223StanfordUniversity,221Stepanović´,Dragoslav‘Stepi’,130–2,240Stepi’sTreff,Frankfurt,130Stern,297Steubing,Walter,131Stöver,Uwe,57,72

Strobelallee,seeWestfalenstadionStrutz,Harald

onFrank’smanagement(1995–7;1998–2000),59,60–1,65,66,67onJung’smanagement(1989–92),134onKlopp’smanagement(2001–8),12,149,154,156,158,161,170,182–3,185,265

onKlopp’splayingcareer(1990–2001),134,135,137onKrautzun’smanagement(2000–1),9–10,149

Sturridge,Daniel,117Stuttgart,Baden-Württemberg,4,37,123

StuttgarterKickers,38,65,126,143VfBStuttgart,38,46,49,80,89,180,200,240

‘Stützpunkte’,127Suárez,Luis,226Subotić,Neven

2006signswithMainz,83;firstseasonwithMainz,183,1852007 Thuringia team-building exercise, 253–4; second season withMainz,255

2008 Donaueschingen training camp, 79; first season with BorussiaDortmund,82,85,88,89;Klopp’slastmatchasmanager,263–5

2009 first season with Borussia Dortmund, 92, 94; second season withBorussiaDortmund,97

2010thirdseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,190,193,194,1952011thirdseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,197;Bundesligawin,187,1882012fifthseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,2132013Málagamatch, 213;BayernMunichwinBundesliga andDFBPokal,211,213;sixthseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,268,270

2014seventhseasonwithBorussiaDortmund,279,2832015 seventh seasonwithBorussiaDortmund, 284, 291;Klopp announcesresignation,287,288

SüddeutscheZeitungonBorussiaDortmund,21,75,85,87–8,97,198,207,214,217,275,286,292

onKlopp’spunditry,248onLiverpool,107,110onMainz,55,59,69,152,163,179,262

SundayTimes,125,244

SunderlandAFC,234Supercup,seeDFLSupercupSwabia,Germany,2,34,40,72,86,124SwanseaCityAFC,234Sweden,166sweepers,52–3,63,64,71,164Switzerland,32,46–9,92SWR,41SydneyFC,294

Tagesspiegel,Der,40,75,119,121,133,142TastyPastyCompany,Cologne,183taz,133,165,173–4,192,297Teamchef,149TennisBorussia,49tennis,3,36,37,39,40,41Tevez,Carlos,285theoreticalstudy,53,55Thulius,Wolfgang,50Thuringia,Germany,253–4Thurk,Michael,169,170,175,177,180–2TopfundArsch,182TorinoFC,275Torjägerkanone,267TottenhamHotspurFC,24,100,101,105,224,231,234,261treehugging,69Trier,Eintracht,160,180Trochowski,Piotr,91Trump,Donald,296Trust,Oliver,149Tuchel,Thomas,113,115,249,276Tüftler,3Turkey,63,126,2012CVs,43

UdineseCalcio,87,89–90UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), see Europa League,

EuropeanFootballChampionshipUkraine,159,213,241Ulm1846,SSV,56ultras,76,95,172,184,216,262,290UnionBerlin,FC,153–5,156Unity,The,76,95,290UniversityofSouthFlorida,83Unterhaching,SpVgg,69,160

VanBasten,Marcel‘Marco’,55VanGaal,Louis,97,195VanMarwijk,Bert,16,80Vandereycken,René,6Vertragsamateur,32videosessions,54,80,102,147–8,195,250,278VideoToni,Gonsenheim,175–6Vienna,Austria,63,64Viererkette,241–3ViktoriaSindlingen,FC,125,127–31VillarrealCF,116VítkoviceOstrava,120Vogts,Berti,53Volkswagen,2,43Völler,Rudi,163Voronin,Andriy,159

Wache,Dimo,9,156WaldhofMannheim,SV,140,148walking,142–3Walter,Fritz,31,32Walter,Ottmar,32Watex,14Wattenscheid09,SG,64Watzke,Hans-Joachim,14–19,76,92,96,98,270

2005becomesBorussiaCEO;securesloanfromMorganStanley,152007discusseshiringKloppwithHeidel,162008 hiring ofKlopp, 17–19; givesKloppwinged rhinoceros figurine, 98;

Donaueschingen training camp, 79; Petric´–Zidan transfer, 84; launch ofpressing and Gegenpressing strategy, 84–5; Hoffenheim match, 87;Udinesematch,89

2009extensionofKlopp’scontract,91;Schalke04match,952010Kölnmatch,191;preachessilenceon league table,196;Klopp’s jokeaboutWeidenfeller,196

2011 BayernMunich match, 198–9; visit from Italian national team, 200;Bundesligawin,189;ChampionsLeaguecampaign,203

2012DFBPokalfinal,206,207;ManchesterCitymatch,2122013ShakhtarDonetskmatch,213;Götze signswithBayernMunich,215;Champions League final, 219; Klopp’s comment on Sammer, 267;encouragesRealMadridtosignLewandowski,272

2014KloppapproachedbyManchesterUnited,22,23,24; secondplace inBundesliga,273;declineinqualityofplay,275–80

2015teamsuffersrelegationangst,284;Klopptendersresignation,286,287,288,292

2016Liverpoolmatch,111–12,115–16WDR,196WehenWiesbaden,SV,70,262Weidenfeller,Roman,188,196,277,284Weise,Dietrich,121–2,124,127Weiß,Hendrik,240Weißhaupt,Marco,58Welt,Die,114,164,208,212,254WembleyStadium,London,72,110,217–20,222,266Wenger,Arsène,50,221,224WennwirvomFußballträumen(Biermann),214WerderBremen,50–1,70,97,168,180,184,200,283,289Werner,Tom,28,116,231Wersestadion,Ahlen,156WestBromwichAlbionFC,111WestGermany(1949–90),32,38,127WestdeutscheZeitung,297Westfalenstadion,Dortmund,14,17,20,23,75,97,112,187,284,289Wettingen,FC,49whisky,42Wickede,Dortmund,78

Wiesbaden,Hesse,7Wijnaldum,Georginio,222Willian,232Winterthur,FC,49‘WirimSüdwesten’,239Wirges,SpVggEGC,120Wolfsburg,VfL,63,97,179,200,210,267,281,290WolverhamptonWanderersFC,229Woodburn,Ben,231Woodward,Edward,22–3work–lifebalance,168–9WorldCup

1954Switzerland,321974WestGermany,127,2411986Mexico,121–21990Italy,120,2372002SouthKorea/Japan,2412006Germany,61,76,163,176,177–8,244–522010SouthAfrica,2522014Brazil,272,277

WuppertalerSV,70

Yeboah,Anthony,130,240YellowWall,Westfalenstadion,20,97,284,289‘You’llNeverWalkAlone’,25,185,263Yugoslavia,38,55,130

Zagreb,Croatia,38ZDF,6,18,176,182,209,242,244–52,272Zebec,Branco,55Zeigler,Arnd,196Zeit,Die,118Zidan,Mohamed,84,87,94,168,175,184,254zonalmarking,7,48,53,55,56,72,242,248Zorc,Michael,16,18,20,87,92,98,189,196,199,201,207,286Zwanziger,Theo,185,251

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