Anfield was shaking. The referee blew the final whistle and the fans burst into applause.
It was their Liverpool coming back from losing once again, producing a moving performance throughout the last minutes of the second-half. Divock Origi could not hide his feelings during his post-match interview:
“The way the supporters pushed us on at the end was something I’d never seen until now in my career.
“It was very emotional. It pushed us to score that goal. We’re all in this together and we wanted to thank them.”
You guessed wrong. Origi’s comments were not the follow-up of Liverpool’s miraculous victory against Borussia Dortmund last week.
It was his reaction after the team’s draw against West Brom back in December.
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The Belgian international managed a late equalizer, providing his club with a home draw against the Baggies. Klopp gathered his players, led them to the Kop and urged them to salute the fans. It was a rather uncomfortable moment for both the players and the faithful, but the German manager seemed totally aware of what he was doing.
Social media erupted into heavy criticism against Klopp’s decision to celebrate a home draw against West Brom. Rival fans seized the opportunity to mock the Reds’ underachievement and even some Liverpool supporters felt frustration regarding their manager’s choice.
“It was only a thank you. Nothing else. I don’t know enough other possibilities of ways to say thank you,” explained the German gaffer.
“It is not important for everyone to understand what we are doing. It is for us. It is for Liverpool fans. It is for the relationship of the team with the fans.”
When you manage to draw against West Brom #LIVWBA 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Y01d7v3geA
— Steve Shurey (@ShureySteve) December 13, 2015
The moment Klopp spontaneously decided to grab his players’ hands and lead them to the Kop was a turning point for Liverpool. Although the decision was widely misinterpreted, he had managed to achieve one of his major goals since his arrival at Merseyside.
He strengthened the bonds between the fans and the team.
There are not many clubs around the world that can derive such amounts of energy from the stands and successfully turn that into football audacity on the pitch. Liverpool belongs to that category and they have managed to prove that more than a handful of times in the past.
Minutes after the final whistle against Borussia Dortmund, former defender Jamie Carragher posted on Facebook:
Born and raised in Merseyside, Carragher undoubtedly understands the importance of the connection between the club and Liverpool supporters.
He played a vital part during the historic night in Istanbul, when the famous “You’ll never walk alone” permeated all the way from the stands through the walls and into the dressing rooms, during the final’s halftime break.
Klopp recalled the ‘Istanbul miracle’ during his halftime talk against Dortmund.
“I told the lads, ‘I was not there but a few Liverpool players who are a little bit older and work now as experts for television, they were 3-0 down at half-time but won a Champions League final. So even when it’s not really likely, it is for sure possible and we should try it.”
In his post-match interview, Origi confirmed Klopp’s inspirational quotes.
“The coach told us ‘create a moment to tell our grandchildren, make it a special night for the fans’.”
Since his arrival, Klopp realised that in order to reassemble a struggling Liverpool, he had to put efforts into rebuilding the cracked bridge between the squad and supporters.
On his article in the Liverpool Echo website back in October, journalist Kristian Walsh highlighted that “Klopp must turn Liverpool into old Liverpool before turning them into Dortmund,” concluding that “Klopp may have to take a step back, and rediscover what made Liverpool the team they once were, before moving forward with them.”
Destiny brought the two teams against each other, in a match that deservedly gained a spot into Liverpool’s book of historic comebacks. After the final whistle, the players ran towards the Kop to salute the home fans.
This time, though, it was just something that came naturally to them. No one had to force them and no one would dare to criticize them.
Although Origi’s equalizer against West Brom can be proved to be the springboard of Liverpool’s rejuvenation, it is quite certain that hardly anyone in the world of football will remember that night.
It was just the first brick placed in the construction of the bridge which aims to bring back the magical connection between the fans and Liverpool’s players.
Assigned with the hard task of being the chief contractor, Klopp is determined to successfully accomplish the project.
His ultimate target, however, is to ensure the dynamic stability of his construction on and off the pitch.
Klopp’s managerial experience provides him with the know-how, regarding the way that teams with strong bonds with the fans operate.
It remains to be seen whether he can inculcate this philosophy into a club like Liverpool that already contains such characteristics in their DNA.
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