Jürgen Klopp: Notes On A Season

by Jürgen Klopp

Official There has never been a season like 2019/20. And there has never been a manager like Jürgen Klopp. On and off the pitch the campaign was extraordinary and at the heart of everything, one man had a goal to create history for Liverpool Football Club and take the club's fans somewhere they hadn't been for decades. Finishing the 2018/19 season with 97 points, the third highest total in English top-flight history, yet still not winning the Premier League title, would have destroyed most squads. For Liverpool and their incredible manager it only inspired them to reach even greater heights. There followed an amazing league season where the Reds set such a blistering pace that nobody else could keep up. By late February they were unbeaten, smashing records along the way, the Kop having the luxury of being able to belt out We're gonna win the league months before the title was actually secured. Jürgen Notes on a Season is an official club book that provides a fascinating look back at this unique campaign in the words of the manager who was the driving force, making it all possible. The Liverpool boss is a one-off and his programme notes for every home game gave fans a window into his thoughts as he became the first manager since Kenny Dalglish in 1990 to turn Liverpool into champions of England. There were other highlights for him to reflect on as the Reds won the UEFA Super Cup, became champions of the world for the first ever time, and the kids humbled derby rivals Everton in the FA Cup. Then, as coronavirus threatened to derail Liverpool's title bid, Klopp became the voice, not only for the club, but all of football as his statement on the situation drew praise from around the world. But for Liverpool fans the 2019/20 season will forever be the year Klopp's Reds clinched title number 19 and Jürgen Notes on a Season is a glorious reminder of a unique season and how the German genius plotted the course.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published September 3, 2020

About the author

Jürgen Norbert Klopp is a German professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of Premier League club Liverpool. Klopp spent his entire twelve-year playing career at Mainz 05, before going on to become their longest-serving manager from 2001 to 2008, during which time they achieved promotion to the Bundesliga. In 2008, Klopp joined Borussia Dortmund, leading them to back-to-back Bundesliga wins in 2011 and 2012, as well as the DFB-Pokal in 2012, the DFL-Supercup in 2008, 2013 and 2014, and their second appearance in a Champions League final in 2013. Klopp won the German Football Manager of the Year in 2011 and 2012, before leaving Dortmund in 2015 having also become their longest-serving manager. He became manager of Liverpool in October 2015.

Reviews

[Martyn Perry]

A fantastic idea for a book, a collection of match day programme columns from home games and significant interviews from away games, all in chronological order of our title winning season.

As a Liverpool fan it was great to relive the season game by game in this form and Klopp’s words and approach are obviously very interesting and inspiring.

Recommended?: definitely for Liverpool armchair fans like myself rather than those season ticket holders that should have read every word anyway! Only minor gripe, on the summary team sheet and scores at the end of each match day text, would it have been so hard to include the opponent team sheet and goal scorers/times too?

[Demonico Winter]

2.5 ⭐️⭐️💫

“This is our moment. We have all earned it. So embrace it and cherish it.”

As much as I like Klopp ( he’s one of my favorite managers of the recent era ) , however I feel this book was more of a factfile on the season than an exploration on how the season impacted the players and Klopp. I wouldn't have minded if the book was a factfile as long as there was input from the other players on how each game gave them the strength and mentality to win the league. It would've made the book more of a personal journey. In the end I felt bored whilst finishing it.

It's a bit of a nitpick but it would've been more immersive to include pages of photos that showcase different matches or key moments in the season ( especially if it's in order ) , it would make the experience of winning the title after 30 years more fun to see.

I will say however , I do quite like how in each of his Pre-game notes , he always compliments the managers and how they’ve made progress with their teams , no matter how the seasons have gone for them. It demonstrates Klopp's positivity towards others. It was also quite fun to look back at the 19/20 , as it was the first one under Pandemic rules , and seeing old faces that still play in the premier league.

[Darragh Howley]

A sentimental, biased 4/5. Liverpool's achievements that season won't be fully recognized or appreciated for years to come.

klopp is a great guy who throughout the book clearly shows how he loves the club and his players and always looks out for players welfare (his own players and others). It's also evident the great respect he has for other teams, players, fans and managers.

He is also very blunt about the fact that football is important but not as important as most other things in life especially in the current pandemic.

The one downside not information about other teams lineup's or scorers which would add a lot

[Patrick]

I was pretty disappointed with this book. The 'notes' on the season are the pre-match columns for home games (which are all very similar and formulaic), and part of the post-match interview for every game. I expected the notes to be more about tactics, team selection, opponents, strategy, etc. Also, every game has a match summary that includes the opposition, tournament, date, location, score, LFC starting 11 and bench, and LFC goal scorer(s), but doesn't include the opposition lineup or goal scorer(s).

I felt there was a lot to be desired in this book. Clearly it's meant as a nostalgia piece so maybe I will appreciate it more through the years.

[Stephen Kirley]

Im slightly biased given my football persuasion but I loved this collection of post match interviews and programme notes from The Boss. Really enjoyed reminiscing over the season and bringing the title home! 🔴⚽️🏆

[Hannah Ruth]

This little collection of all his notes made my LFC heart happy. It's like a big encouraging hug from football's best manager. I needed this!

[Clare]

I'm a Manchester United fan, but I found this book amusing. Klopp is a funny, interesting, and inspirational character.