It has been a well-documented fact that Anfield hasn’t produced anything spectacular, in terms of the atmosphere since the 2013/14 season. With Liverpool losing 1-2, and the team looking like it couldn’t produce anything spectacular, Jurgen Klopp signaled to the fans to get louder and get behind the team. The fans complied with the German boss and Anfield was louder than it has been in recent memory. Divock Origi’s deflected shot from distance found the net in the 95th minute and Liverpool ensured they didn’t suffer successive defeats in the Premier League. Klopp placed his hands behind his ears and demanded more noise from the crowd. Then Anfield was louder than it was before the equalizer.
“It was the best atmosphere since I’ve been here, it was great. People were disappointed or frustrated, but they didn’t let us feel it. They saw the lads tried everything”, Klopp said after the match.
Klopp had made a point after the Crystal Palace loss that he felt alone when the fans started leaving before the final whistle.
“After the goal on 82 minutes, with 12 minutes to go, I saw many people leaving the stadium. I felt pretty alone at this moment”, Klopp said after the match.
When results don’t come, fans do feel disappointed but the manager made his point that results can and will come in the dying embers of the game, so why not support your team instead of turning your back on it?
Origi’s first Premier League goal ensured Liverpool drew, and that’s how it stayed till the final whistle that ensued shortly. There was no winner. Liverpool didn’t capitalize on losses to their top 4 rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United and displayed plenty of problems in terms of defensive frailties, Christian Benteke’s form. The injury to an in-form Dejan Lovren was also equally disappointing.
So when Klopp stopped the players from leaving the pitch and instead going towards the Kop and thanking them, many mocked the gesture calling it “small time” and “cringeworthy”. Why should 5-time European champions celebrate a league draw against West Brom?
Perhaps they don’t realize the depths of it. Anfield is no longer a stadium rival teams feared coming to and the special atmosphere still talked about is pretty much a farce. Klopp, like any other manager, realizes the importance of the home ground and fan support to achieve special things at the club. So why are we making more of the Liverpool players and manager taking a bow and applauding the supporters who had played an equal part in the result and were also equally the differences between no point and one point (which could become vital come the end of the season)?
Fans, players, and manager all putting in ‘a shift’ and working together for the same purpose should be viewed with respect.
It was the team showing their gratitude to the Kop. This is a regular practice in the Bundesliga, and in some clubs of the MLS as well. Klopp did it regularly with Dortmund. Even during the worst period of his last season at the German club, the fans were there, singing, telling the team to move forward. This was Klopp incorporating the fans into the team, and letting them know they are as important as the players on the pitch in determining the results. It’s a simple gesture of camaraderie and in a way, solidifies the relationship between the fans and their club.
It was not a celebration, it was simply a thank you.
