Mikel Arteta has thanked Jurgen Klopp for making the Premier League and its managers “better” during his eight-year spell in the dugout at Liverpool.
On Friday, the German dropped the bombshell news that he plans to step away from management at the end of the season having run out of energy.
The 56-year-old cited the stresses and strains of the last campaign as a driving factor while also maintaining that his new-look squad is well-equipped for a future without him at the helm.
“I think he’s made this league much better,” said Arteta when asked about Klopp’s impact on English football.
“First of all the person, the character, the charisma, the way of transmitting his ideas and his passion for the game is something special. I think he’s had a big contribution for the growth of this league.
“Then I love the way he did it [announced his departure], the emotion that he put in. When you see a human side explaining the reasons behind it and the challenges and everything that goes related to our job, I think it was spot on.
When someone has done what he’s done for that football club, for the league, you have to respect that and basically say thank you, because I think it made the league better, it made every manager better, and it made this league much more beautiful and intense.”
Within 24 hours of Klopp’s announcement, Barcelona’s head coach Xavi Hernandez revealed he too is planning to stand down at the end of the season. Like Klopp, he hinted that the stress of the job had become all-consuming.
When it was put to Arteta that being a manager of a top club today is far more difficult than yesteryear, even as recently as the eras of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, he replied:
“I cannot respond to that question. I used to speak with Arsene and he took his job like we all do. We put so many hours and we put our lives to it and all that energy.
“Sometimes you feel that you don’t have it anymore. It can happen when you are a player, when you do any job and as a manager, you have to be very cautious managing that energy and your time and how much you invest on that because it is extremely demanding.
“I love it, I’m young and I have a lot of energy but I understand that after so many years, I think with Jurgen it was 24 years doing different jobs in different countries, it’s something that naturally happens.”
Arteta was quick to assure Arsenal supporters that burnout isn’t something he’s struggling with at the moment. Having already dismissed links with the Barcelona job as “fake news” he outlined where he gets the energy to drive his project at the Emirates.
“I think it’s because I love what I do,” he said. “I love every minute and I get a lot of joy with waking up every morning and knowing that I have to drive to Colney and I’m going to meet these people, spend time together with them, and prepare to be better for the next day.
“That’s what drives you, it drives you when you feel respected, when you feel loved as well, when you see a clear direction and ambition for what you want to do as a club and as a team, and this is where we are right now.”
It remains to be seen whether Klopp’s departure throws Liverpool into a period of transition. In the last decade both Manchester United and Arsenal have attempted rebuilds under new managers and the trajectory has not always been upward and linear.
In theory, a settled Gunners outfit could be well-positioned to take advantage of any drop-off from Liverpool, who’ve finished in the top four six out of the last seven seasons.
“We don’t know,” said Arteta on whether his side could now dominate the league.
“I think we can take care of our own business. We’ve got a lot here still to do. And what others do, we don’t know. Sometimes they sign new managers, and they have really great impact straight away. And we have some cases in this league that happened in the past. And sometimes, as you said, they need some transition. We cannot control it, let’s focus on what we can do.”
Arteta will get the chance to pass on his thanks to Klopp in person next Sunday when Liverpool visit north London for the second time this year. If the Gunners beat Nottingham Forest tomorrow and secure a win against the Reds, it would certainly liven up the title race.
Let’s do what we can to prevent the fairytale ending for Klopp. Getting tired already of the adulation. He didn’t cure cancer, he won a league and CL. The constant need to mythicize everything in football gets a bit exhausting.
Nail on head, Billy. He has won one PL trophy, same as Ranieri. One CL, same as Di Matteo. All this with the generational talent of Salah, VVD, Alisson, etc. Don’t understand the hype, won’t miss his seething snarling OTT touch line antics.
You’re right that we don’t have to “mythicize everything in football.” But it is, famously, the most important unimportant thing, so I think Arteta’s attitude–that Klopp made the league and football better–is both fairer and healthier for supporters of another club like us. Henry and Bergkamp didn’t cure cancer either, but I’m grateful they played football really well.
Maybe I’m just cranky. I do love the myths of football, how rich it makes the sport. I don’t want to be a party pooper. Could be I’m bitter at their success. I don’t know, the outpouring does feel too much. He says he needed to announce it or it would’ve been leaked. Maybe, maybe not, he could’ve waited imo.
No sentimental wishes here, I just don’t care for Liverpool: their players, their fans, their managers- they can get into the sea with the 18 other clubs in the league that aren’t the arsenal.
The fact that he stopped Spurs from winning the CL trophy, I will always see him as curing a cancer for me.
Everything else he has achieved,
other than stopping the spuds from winning the CL, I don’t really care.
I might be downvoted here, but I’m of the personal opinion that Klopp is a wanker.
He is for sure.
for what reason?
He’s too sweet to be wholesome.
If he weren’t he’d have stayed at dortmund. Came to Liverpool for the money, stayed for the money.
Well, he stayed to win the CL and the PL as well.
His record of 44 losses in 317 games for scousers is not to be sniffed at either, we were linked to him with his Dortmunds performances against us in the CL before the 2015 season but Arsene still had a year left on his contract and always stayed the course of them, us then giving him a further 2 year contract which wasn’t our best decision, Klopp by all accounts wanted to go to Arsenal but wasn’t prepared to wait another season at Dortmund when his stock was high then went to Liverpool, says it all at the time we… Read more »
Know him, do you? Because from the outside he looks like he might just have some passion for his job at Liverpool outside of the money.
I think if he was really all about the money, he would have had much better choices then Liverpool back then. I always admired that he seems to fancy underdog or struggling side more than dominating ones
It’s good that you knew his intentions. Mind you, I would suggest winning Liverpool the league and champions league I don’t see them complaining.
I’d be more concerned with arteta’s coworkers being tired of his intensity and drive than mikel himself.
I have a lot of respect for Klopp and I was truly envious of Liverpool when they got him. He would have made a great manager for us but I guess it went how it went for a reason. We have Arteta and I wouldn’t change that for any other manager now.
All the best to Klopp wherever he goes (except Chelsea, Citeh, Man U, Barca, Real Madrid, Bayern or PSG). I hope we haven’t seen the last of him in the dugout.
a) I admire him for taking the fight to Oil FC for the past number of years & b) he stopped the Tiny Totts winning the Champions League.
Good luck to him.
The drama of his media speech was intentionally Shakespearean, but still a surprise. Great mgr, great career.