Liverpool Boss Jurgen Klopp Recalls His First Managerial Job and Claims it Was a 'Suicide Mission'

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has looked back on his time managing German club Mainz, and has revealed that he thinks his coaching career would have been over if he had got the boot. 

The charismatic German was the surprise appointment when he took charge of the then 2. Bundesliga club back in 2001, having played as a center back for the club. 

He managed to save the club from relegation to the third tier, finishing in 14th place, three points clear of relegation. Klopp then established Mainz in the Bundesliga after earning promotion with the club in 2003-2004, and he has told Goal that taking the job was a risk he didn't realise at the time. 

“I realised I had no experience [as a coach] but was so excited about the opportunity that the thought of getting sacked never crossed my mind.

"I only realised years later that nobody would have ever given me a second chance if Mainz had sacked me. It was a bit of suicide mission.”

Getty Images/GettyImages

After his success at Mainz, Klopp went onto manage Broussia Dortmund, where he won the Bundesliga title, before moving to the Premier League with Liverpool in 2015. 

In the interview, Klopp also talks about his efforts to bring the whole club and community together.

“To create a situation where everybody feels important, enjoys themselves, knows their jobs, feels respected and feels needed - that’s how life should be,” He said when asked about his coaching style. 

Klopp led Liverpool to a fourth place finish last season, and his team currently sit in 3rd place in the Premier League, just one point behind second place Manchester United.