What Jurgen Klopp told Gary Lineker in 2016 is now haunting Arne Slot’s Liverpool

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Empire of the Kop

·12 de marzo de 2026

What Jurgen Klopp told Gary Lineker in 2016 is now haunting Arne Slot’s Liverpool

Arne Slot now finds himself in the awkward position of being haunted by Jurgen Klopp’s past comments.

The German famously told Gary Lineker back in 2016 that his football philosophy revolved around having ‘memorable games in a row’ – around delivering consistent enjoyment for the fans.

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With the Reds proving to be anything but consistent this term (perhaps consistently unreliable), however, it seems Klopp’s core mantra has become a distant memory.

Has the spirit of Jurgen Klopp officially died?

Our former German tactician told Lineker that his first target as Liverpool manager was to ensure fans were leaving the stadium eagerly anticipating the next game.

“Having memorable games in a row, that’s my first target,” the now Red Bull chief described his footballing philosophy to BBC Sport.

“You leave the stadium wanting to see the next game; you can’t wait for the next game – that’s what football should be.

“If you can do this very often, then you will be successful. 100%.”

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With the Reds currently trailing the top five spots in the Premier League (albeit by goal difference), and having suffered a 1-0 loss to Galatasaray in Turkey, the picture looks somewhat bleak at the moment.

I dread the next game currently
– jueves, 12 de marzo de 2026

Indeed, the dominant feeling in the fanbase at this point seems to be, in the words of @PaulSenior1 on X, ‘dread’.

And why shouldn’t it be? Liverpool’s current brand of football simply isn’t sufficient to inspire any immediate enjoyment, let alone hope for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.

Arne Slot needs to bring enjoyment back to Liverpool

If Slot is to learn any lesson in particular from his predecessor, it’s this: Liverpool was made to win trophies, of course, but it was also made to thrill on the pitch.

At the moment, our brand of control isn’t showing any signs of meeting either objective this term.

Against Galatasaray, we did appear the superior outfit in the opening stages, and it’s true we crafted more than enough chances to head back to Anfield with a healthy lead for the second leg.

* Liverpool and Galatasaray’s stats in their first leg (round of 16) Champions League clash (BBC Sport)

However, yet again sloppy defensive work (both in open play and around set pieces) proved to be the visitors’ undoing. In truth, we were fortunate to leave Istanbul just the one goal behind ahead of the second leg.

Ultimately, Liverpool’s brand of control in 2025/26 is failing to see them actually control games. And when coupled with an extremely distilled version of Jurgen Klopp’s energetic, aggressive philosophy, it’s difficult to see the value in the current approach.

To be clear, we very much want Arne to succeed and keep his job. But the clear priority for our Premier League-winning head coach must be to bring the joy back to Anfield on a consistent basis.

Starting with Tottenham this coming Saturday.