Liverpool v Bayern Munich: Jurgen Klopp ready to face his old enemy as German giants arrive at Anfield
They say familiarity breeds contempt, and although that isn’t quite the case with Jurgen Klopp and Bayern Munich, the Liverpool manager must be sick of the sight of the German giants.
When Liverpool welcome Bayern to Anfield for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie tomorrow there will be a personal element to add to the gravity of the knock-out; Klopp’s history is inescapable, even if the man himself is keen to play it down.
“It’s just the draw. It will be a tough one, an interesting one, and I am looking forward to it,” he said in December when the match-up was announced.
“This is a different Bayern than what I played [with Borussia Dortmund]. We obviously know more about German football than about any other league, that’s true, but that doesn’t make a big difference. In the end the boys have to decide it on the pitch.”
Klopp has faced Bayern more than any other side in his 18-year managerial career. Considering the domestic dominance the Bavarians have asserted in the past few decades it’s hardly surprising that Klopp hasn’t fared too well.
In his time with previous clubs Mainz and Dortmund he has won just eight of his 29 matches against Bayern, losing 16 and drawing five.
Klopp may have guided Liverpool to a 3-0 friendly win in their last meeting at the 2017 Audi Cup, but that victory doesn’t hide the fact that they have proved to be his most frequent stumbling block.
Rivalry
Over the years Bayern have prevented Klopp winning the Champions League final, the German Cup final and the German Super Cup.
When you add into the mix Bayern’s viewpoint on the energetic, emotive Reds manager and it’s easy to see why such a rivalry exists.
Bayern president Uli Hoeness twice spoke with Klopp about succeeding Ottmar Hitzfeld as manager in 2008, impressed with the work he’d done at Mainz. But according to ‘Jurgen Klopp: The Biography’ by Elmar Neveling, Bayern were unsure over Klopp’s appearance and mannerisms, instead opting for the clean-cut former striker Jurgen Klinsmann.
Klopp joined Dortmund instead and set about turning his team into one ready to compete with the side who had snubbed him. It took two years, but by 2010 Dortmund were more than a match, winning five successive matches between the sides to upset the odds and win back-to-back Bundesliga titles and the German Cup.
Bayern reacted by flexing their financial muscles, poaching Dortmund stars Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski to seize control again and embark on a unprecedented period of success, winning six straight Bundesliga crowns up to the present day.
Nothing personal
Klopp had nurtured all three players, helping turn them into international stars, and the loss hurt – despite his attempt to gloss over his past in the pre-match press conference.
“It’s nothing, not a little bit personal or whatever,” he said. “There was never negative things with Bayern, but when we played each other and when they bought our players, how can I be happy and say: ‘Well, great, good idea’?
“That’s of course not the case. That was not nice for us at Dortmund, but it’s part of the business and long ago. I was never in my life able to be angry for a long time. In these moments I was not happy and probably everyone could see it.
“Bayern is a big club and was a big competition for us in Germany when I was there and I want Borussia Dortmund to be the champion [this year], but that’s pretty much all.”
Klopp moved on to join Liverpool in 2015 and has enjoyed a pleasant period without the figure of Bayern looming in the background, but the old enemy are back.
The familiar faces of centre-back Hummels and striker Lewandowski will be present at Anfield and their happy reunion with Klopp won’t be the only side-story to watch out for.
Clicking into gear
Liverpool midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri spent a trophy-filled three years on Bayern’s bench, while Naby Keita’s exploits at RB Leipzig means he harbours less favourable memories of facing them.
Keita was sent off against Bayern in the German Cup last season and the £50m summer arrival told German newspaper Bild he was “extremely bitter” about the situation.
The 24-year-old is finally beginning to show his class following a positive run of games and Liverpool will need his drive in midfield up against the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Leon Goretzka.
Klopp’s attempts to earn the win Liverpool want to take back to Munich in the second leg will be hampered by the absence of Virgil van Dijk through suspension, while Dejan Lovren and Roberto Firmino are both nursing problems.
Bayern are without the dribbling ability of Arjen Robben but defender Jerome Boateng has recovered from stomach flu and winger Kingsley Coman is also back from an injury scare. They will be packed full of experience.
The Germans are unbeaten so far in the Champions League and Nico Kovac’s side have recovered well from a poor start to the Bundesliga season to win 11 of their last 15 league games and move to within two points of Dortmund.
Having enjoyed a fruitful winter break the Bavarian trophy-winning machine might just be kicking into gear. How Klopp would love to be the one to derail it tomorrow.