Jurgen Klopp became an icon at Liverpool with his festive text message showing his true colours
Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp once instructed his squad of stars to enjoy their Christmas party, despite being in the midst of a poor run of form. Rewind to December 2015, just a little after two months after Klopp had taken over from Brendan Rodgers who was sacked as manager in early October of that year.
From the off, the iconic German manager stressed that camaraderie and team spirit were crucial to the long-term health and success of the club, after the Reds had begun to flounder under their former boss.
Despite a gradual uplift in performances under Klopp after he took charge, Liverpool were still very much a work in progress. With just one win in December, their Christmas party came off the back of a humbling 3-0 defeat away to Watford and many feared, and expected, the Reds’ festive bash would be put on ice.
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Klopp, however, thought differently. Instead of cancelling the event, all of the players received a text from their manager that read: “Whatever we do together we do as well as we can and tonight that means we party.”
The players were also told they had to stay until at least 1am. Speaking in April 2017, Klopp revealed the impact on going ahead with the party, insisting that he and his players took a lesson in unity from the get-together.
“We had a good Christmas party afterwards, that’s what I remember!” Klopp said. “I can’t remember what I felt after that game.”
The 2015 campaign was a benchmark season in terms of Klopp establishing a comradeship that would eventually stretch across the club and the city itself. A tough festive period saw Liverpool lose to Newcastle United and draw with West Brom ahead of the loss at Vicarage Road.
It was the 2-2 draw with the Baggies that ultimately became one of the enduring images of Klopp's time as Liverpool manager. It proved to be another example of how he was focused on mending the connection between himself, his players and the fans after years of discord.
Thanks to a stoppage time goal from Liverpool cult hero Divock OrigiKlopp joined hands with his players to celebrate in front of the Kop. The celebrations would become a source of ridicule for many rival fans, given Liverpool hadn’t actually won the game.
Yet, like his Christmas party text message, it was another step in the right direction. Speaking in the documentary, Doubters to Believers Liverpool FC: Klopp’s Era, he said: “I saw it, people were still there, and we said thank you.
“And it was not on purpose in the sense of, ‘come on, we have to do this, and that to bring the people’, it was just the honest thing to do, what we felt. Thank you for supporting us until the last whistle.”
The Klopp effect was beginning to work its magic. Even former Red Adam Lallana admitted it was a watershed moment.
“It was extremely different for us. We’d never done an ole in front of the fans before,” Lallana said. “Slightly embarrassed, I think, doing that. But the fans seeing his emotion and his passion on the sideline, they connected, and it soon changed the atmosphere at Anfield.”
Ultimately, Klopp fostered a fierce unity at the Reds that had perhaps not been seen since legendary boss Bill Shankly called the shots. However, the German’s revolution didn’t occur overnight, it was fashioned in increments, as demonstrated by his festive text message.
Brick by brick Klopp rebuilt a club that had failed on and off the pitch in the preceding years. In the space of a decade, Liverpool had wrestled with all the too real spectre of going into administration and sitting 19th in the league to Klopp leading them to their sixth European Cup and the Premier League title for the first time in 30 years.
