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Klopp: I know that I still look like a complete idiot sometimes!
The Reds boss admits he cannot control himself while watching his side from the touchline
Jurgen Klopp says he looks "like a complete idiot" because of his conduct on the sidelines during Liverpool matches.
The German coach is famous for his energetic and emotional reactions to events on the field, which have landed him in trouble with officials throughout his career.
But Klopp admits he cannot control himself, as he said in the new film The End Of The Storm:
“The most obvious thing is people see me very animated constantly, grinding my teeth and pointing.
"I cannot look overnight like The Thinker, standing out there like this [adopts Rodin pose] and everybody thinks obviously something must be going on in his mind. At specific moments I still look like a complete idiot on the sidelines, I know that.
“I still have the most red cards, or certainly the most fines, as a manager in the history of the Bundesliga. Irony doesn’t help. Referees cannot really deal with that. I think it was my first red card as a manager, I went to the assistant referee and I said: ‘How many wrong decisions are allowed? Because if it’s 15 we have one left.’ He raised his flag, and whoosh, I was already on my way to the stands. But I can’t sit down.”
The 53-year-old says he is proud of the diversity in his side and described how the team accommodates Muslim players like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
“I love that we have so such ‘Multi-Culti’. I would say [having] the best ambassadors for being a Muslim in the team is really great." he said.
"Muslims wash their body very often in specific situations. Before warming up, after warming up, it takes time. So we decided to do things differently.
“We only had an hour when we arrive in the stadium and when we go back in the dressing room after warming up to do these rituals. It costs us exactly two minutes to do these rituals. It’s easy to give these two minutes away that they can do in this moment what is to them absolutely important.”
The former Borussia Dortmund boss has instilled an intense playing style at Anfield, but he says their high pressing helps players conserve energy.
“You don’t have to be fitter to play for Liverpool. You just have to be fit and to fit our plan," he added.
"Our game is not actually as intense as it looks. We do the things we do to save energy. Winning the ball back immediately is a two or three-yard sprint. If you don’t win the ball there, 10 players have to run 50 or 60 yards to win the ball, it’s much more exhausting.
“Even when we are attacking we need to have players who are ready to defend. Because the only time in life when you can feel free is when you have protection.”