Klopp: I still chat to my Mainz players on WhatsApp!

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed he still reminisces about his early days as a coach by keeping in touch with Mainz’s class of 2004 via WhatsApp.

Klopp guided Mainz to promotion to the Bundesliga during the 2003-04 season, enjoying three campaigns of top-flight football with the club.

That spell laid the foundations for a career that later saw Klopp win back-to-back Bundesliga crowns with Borussia Dortmund and now sees him preparing for his first full season in charge at Anfield. 

And Klopp believes it is important to cherish successful periods as a coach.

“I know football is all about success, but it’s also worth having a situation in 20 years when you can look back and think over the great times you had together in this development and learning period with hard work,” he told Goal.com. 

“I have this with the squad I promoted from Mainz. We have a chat group on WhatsApp called ‘Team 2004’ and a lot of these players are now coaches and managers and they all still take away things from this time we shared. 

“I had no idea when we started how it would work. I had absolutely no experience as a coach and it was just having a little human understanding, respecting everyone and helping each other to reach our best potential. 

“I love looking back or dreaming back to these kind of things and remembering that it was unbelievable. You think maybe it will never happen again, but then I had the chance for something special at Dortmund. 

“And here at Liverpool, we have that chance again. It’s again possible to do something great. It’s always possible to improve together, it’s always possible to get the next highlight. 

“There are always sunny days, but you just have to make sure you are prepared to make the most of it.”

And Klopp is keen to leave a legacy when he does eventually depart Merseyside.

“When you sit in the main chair like I sit, you have a lot of power, but even more than that, you have all the responsibility,” he added.

“And responsibility for me means it never ends, even when you leave. You need to create something where you can really be measured by even after you’ve gone.”