Official presentation
Klopp explains what he plans to do at Red Bull – and what he doesn’t want to do
Jürgen Klopp wants to take Red Bull football to a new level. He explains how he wants to do this at his official presentation in an aircraft hangar in Salzburg.
Jürgen Klopp is at peace. Slim, well tanned and still with his loud and infectious laugh, he sits between Formula 1 cars and airplanes – and talks about his vision as the new global head of football for the Red Bull Group. “I don’t want to be a passenger or a celebrity in the room. I want to do my part and create value,” says the 57-year-old during his introduction at Salzburg Airport.
He has left his time as a trainer behind him. “I was on the sidelines for more than 1,000 games, I didn’t want to do that anymore,” emphasizes Klopp and immediately clears up any speculation that might have popped up with a promise: “I won’t be the coach of a Red Bull team, there is one clear agreement. I will not replace any of the Red Bull coaches.”
Jürgen Klopp: Don’t become a national coach
The same applies to the job of national coach. There is no agreement with Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff. “We haven’t talked about it,” said Klopp. “I think we already have the best man for the job. I hope he stays for many years.” After his voluntary departure from Liverpool FC after nine years, Klopp has been in new responsibility since January 1st.
There he wants to give the faltering success story of football under the banner of the can a new boost. “I want us to be recognizable. We are not the favorites in any league, we are the challengers,” says the champion coach of Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool FC. He sees the legacy of the former RB architect Ralf Rangnick as a “wonderful foundation on which we have to build.”
Klopp doesn’t want to name specific goals; that would only cause unrest. His boss says so. “At the end of the day, we do professional sports to win. Formula 1, the Tour de France and one day the German championship,” says Mintzlaff. Leipzig was the first purely RB club that Klopp visited on Sunday.
Day-to-day business is taboo
Klopp wants success at all levels, preferably with the current staff. “We have great coaches at the moment, as far as I’m concerned we can work with them for the next ten years,” says Klopp, perhaps delighting his old friend Marco Rose. The Leipzig coach was criticized at the end of last year when the Saxons didn’t win a single game in November.
But Klopp’s field of responsibility is far larger than Leipzig. New York, the Brazilian Bragantino, Salzburg and Omiya Ardija in Japan are part of the RB cosmos, as well as holdings in FC Paris and Leeds United. “There is no medicine for everyone, no antibiotic that always helps,” says Klopp. “I have experience and I want to share it, but in the right moments.”
Day-to-day business is taboo for him, but Klopp still seeks influence. “I see myself as an advisor and a good advisor is part of the decision,” says the Swabian. His credo should be anchored in all clubs: “We will probably write it on the walls in the academies at some point: counterpressing is not a suggestion, it is a law.”
No permanent job
Klopp does not have a permanent job. “The world is my office,” he says, grinning. And in addition to all the work, one thing is important to him: he doesn’t want to miss out on having fun. “I have a whole list of sports that I have never seen live. I will have time for that,” says Klopp. After a good 90 minutes he disappears between a few palm trees and an airplane in Hangar 7. It is the start of a trip around the world.
DPA
tis / Tom Bachmann
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
