Thomas Tuchel has paid tribute to Jürgen Klopp after the latter announced that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.
Tuchel and Klopp had a friendly rivalry. The pair first faced each other in November 2009 when Mainz travelled to the Westfalenstadion to play out a 0-0 draw against Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp got the better of Tuchel, winning 11 of their 19 meetings, losing three and drawing five.
It was Tuchel that succeeded Klopp at Dortmund in 2015, and the duo would meet again in the 2015/16 Europa League Quarter-Final, which would see Klopp’s Liverpool advance. During Klopp’s time at Liverpool, he would also come up against Tuchel’s Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea teams.
When asked by press on Friday, Tuchel appeared shocked at the announcement:
“I have to digest that first, I can’t say anything at the moment,” said Tuchel (h/t: iMiaSanMia). “Kloppo is one of the very best coaches in the world, he has always managed to influence the clubs where he worked. It’s big news.”
Klopp was, in many ways, not just the perfect manager, but the perfect person for the Liverpool fans to adore. Nevertheless, he was always going to be judged upon his results, and thankfully, he was able to deliver on a level that some Liverpool fans had only ever heard stories about.
