With Euro 2016 in the rear-view mirror, Bayern Munich now prepares for a United States tour and the 2016-17 Bundesliga campaign. May 21, Bayern Munichplayed its last game of the Pep Guardiola era, a scoreless draw against Borussia Dortmund in the finals of the German Cup (DFB Pokal); the Reds won 4-3 in penalties to lift the trophy.
On June 12, three weeks later, Germany played its first match in UEFA Euro 2016, the European Championships held every four years. The squad featured six Bayern regulars: goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defenders Jerome Boateng, Joshua Kimmich and Mats Hummels (a new acquisition), midfielder Mario Götze, and forward Thomas Müller. The Germans advanced to the semifinals before falling to France, for whom Bayern midfielder Kingsley Coman is a contributor.
Meanwhile, newly acquired young midfielder Renato Sanches played a key role in Portugal's shocking title run; he scored one of only two goals in Portugal's quarterfinal advancement over Poland. The other scorer: Poland's Robert Lewandowski, a Bayern star.
Defenseman David Alaba was probably Austria's biggest star before they got eliminated in group stage. Midfielder Thiago was on Spain's squad.
Across the Atlantic, Bayern midfielder Arturo Vidal was probably the best player on a Chile team that just won the Copa América Centenario. If not for injury, Bayern midfielder Douglas Costa would have had a feature role for Brazil's squad in the same tournament.
The Euro 2016 finals took place on Sunday, July 10. On July 20, Bayern will host Manchester City for a friendly. By July 25, Bayern will have flown to the United States to participate in the International Champions Cup. They will play AC Milan at Chicago's Soldier Field on July 27, Inter Milan at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium on July 30, and Real Madrid at New York's MetLife Stadium on Aug. 3. (You can find the full ICC schedule here.)
On Aug. 14, they play Dortmund in the German SuperCup. On Aug. 26, the Bundesliga season begins.
There was an offseason somewhere in there. In European soccer, the offseason is more of a theory.
What's changed about Bayern's squad?
While their players have been off playing internationally, clubs themselves have continued their day-to-day activity. But Bayern hasn't been incredibly active, either with players in or out of the door. Backup midfield Sebastian Rode, who appeared in 38 matches over two seasons, left for Borussia Dortmund. Meanwhile, from Dortmund, they picked up Hummels, a 27-year old-defender who began his career with Bayern. And from Benfica, they added wonder kid Renato Sanches, who chose Bayern over Manchester United and others. Also: They got Pierre Højbjerg back from a season-long loan with sixth-place Schalke 04, then sold him to Southampton.
There are always transfer rumors floating around, and it wouldn't be a tremendous surprise if Götze or defender Mehdi Benatia were to end up sold to another club at some point. But that hasn't happened just yet, and attempting to parse transfer rumors for realistic tidbits is a challenge.
The biggest change, obviously, comes at manager, where Carlo Ancelotti will grace the sideline instead of Pep Guardiola, who left for Manchester City.
Guardiola's legacy in Munich is fascinating. In three seasons, Bayern won three Bundesliga titles; they have now won four titles in a row for the first time. In Pep's tenure, Bayern also won two of three German Cups and reached the Champions League semifinals in all three of his seasons.
But they never won the Champions League. In terms of quality, Guardiola accomplished nearly impossible consistency, but his tenure will forever feel slightly incomplete because it didn't finish with a European title. So there is one specific way that Ancelotti can top him.
Ancelotti has not necessarily had the league success that Guardiola has at Bayern and Barcelona, but if you're looking to secure the one thing Guardiola couldn't, Ancelotti is a bit of a ringer. He is the only manager to have won the Champions League three times (2003 and 2007 with AC Milan, 2014 with Real Madrid), and he has made the semifinals on three other occasions.
The 57-year-old former Roma and Milan striker sat out last year recovering from back surgery after his ouster from Real Madrid.
Actually, Renato Sanches deserves his own section.
Hummels is probably the most likely new acquisition to have an immediate impact, simply because of need. But Sanches is a fascinating addition.
We'll see what impact Sanches can have at Bayern in his first season; to say the least, Bayern's midfield is a bit crowded. Veterans Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben are both expected to be healthy when the season begins, Vidal is in peak form, Costa seized control of a regular spot last year, and I haven't yet mentioned Thiago, Coman, midfielder/attacker Götze, or midfielder/defender Kimmich.
When he hits the field, though, be sure you're watching.
At 18, he was the man of the match in Portugal's Euro quarterfinal win over Poland, a staggering feat. In his play, he never forgets to remind you he's 18 -- on the rare occasion that he is dispossessed, the odds are good that he's committing a foul within about six seconds -- but his skill and physicality are something else. With Sanches, Costa and Coman in the midfield, Bayern boasts three of the most exciting young players in European soccer.
Beyond all else, Bayern has further crafted a squad built around options. Guardiola took positional flexibility to almost comical levels at times, but whatever tactical shape Ancelotti craves, there are pieces for it.
Bayern doesn't have Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, and it bears mentioning that a team with one of these two players (along with, yes, quite a few other stars) on it has won the last three Champions League titles.
But in terms of long-term planning and the compilation of depth, no club has built itself to succeed, year after year, like Bayern Munich, and as good as Guardiola is, it certainly appears they are as much a threat to win Europe without him as with him.
Bayern is hitting the American markethard.
As a nod to its growing U.S. fanbase, Bayern had its home stadium, Allianz Arena, lit up in red white and blue on July 4. It also announced that its 100th U.S. fan club had just come into existence. Lucky No. 100: Greer, S.C.'s Stern des Südens South Carolina. ("Stern des Südens" means "Star of the South" and is one of the many nicknames associated with Bayern.)
We can forever debate the level to which soccer might catch on in the States, but it has caught on enough for powerful clubs to want a piece of the market. Bayern appears to be doing as good a job as anyone in that regard. Their English Twitter account has 577,000 followers, which is dwarfed by the follower totals for English-language Real Madrid and Barcelona accounts. But Bayern appears the only of these clubs with a U.S.-specific account.
The International Champions Cup is a series of friendlies involving a significant number of clubs in three different countries: the United States, Australia and China. A total of 10 matches will take place in the States, involving not only Bayern, Real Madrid and the two Milan clubs, but also Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and English Premier League champion Leicester City.
This marks the second time in three years that Bayern have made an American sojourn in whatever constitutes the "offseason." In 2014, they played two matches (against Deportivo in New York and against the MLS All-Stars in Portland) in coordination with their opening of an American FC Bayern office in New York City.
The European Championship throws up a host of players to watch out for every passing tournament. The likes of Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Mesut Ozil, Daniele de Rossi, Philipp Lahm and Sami Khedira are some of the big names who have come to the fore after the passing of every Euro Championship. The sporting event is expected to continue its tradition of producing big players this time around as well.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Bastian Schweinsteiger are among the big names present in the Euro 2016. However, what about the lesser-known stars who have the capabilities to make it big in the scene?
Let us look at some of those stars who can really light up the tournament for themselves this time around:
Dele Alli - England
The Tottenham Hotspur youngster can turn out to be one of the integral members of Roy Hodgson's side in the tournament. Alli, 20, has a massive potential to become one of England's best midfielders in the coming future and the Euro 2016 could just be the platform he needs to show his capabilities to the world.
In his debut Premier League season itself, Alli became one of the breakout stars of the English league and he not only bagged a confirmed berth in the Spurs XI but also picked up ten goals and nine assists over 33 games in the EPL this season.
Highly revered for his passing abilities and his strong sight to pick out the forwards through defence-splitting balls, Alli could be expected to become just the player The Three Lions have always craved for. He made his debut for the England senior team in October 2015.
Paul Pogba - France
The Juventus midfielder is one of the most feared players in football at the moment. Highly regarded as the next breakout superstar from Les Blues who could join the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps in the hall of fame, Pogba, 23, can be the main person who could just help France bag their third European Championship title.
A complete versatile schemer, Pogba bagged a total of ten assists from all competitions for Juventus this season.
If Mesut Ozil was the one providing all the goals for Olivier Giroud throughout their season at Arsenal, it is best left to imagination as to what the combination of Pogba and Giroud could turn out for France. Also, the presence of Dmitri Payet and Antoine Griezmann can make the line-up a formidable one.
Granit Xhaka - Switzerland
Arsenal have already signed the player knowing his capabilities and strengths, and rarely has Arsene Wenger made a bad judgement before roping in a player. Xhaka, 23, is a no-nonsense midfielder known for his stamina and abilities to link the defenders with the forwards with elan.
Switzerland is in a tough group with France, Romania and Albania. However, if the star-studded Swiss team, most importantly, the duo of Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, perform to the best of their abilities, it wouldn't come as a shock even if Switzerland top the group before entering the knockouts.
Xhaka, who became the skipper of Borussia Monchengladbach only at the age of 22, already has 43 caps for the Switzerland senior football team.
David de Gea - Spain
Definitely one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League over the last few years, this is De Gea's biggest opportunity to showcase his abilities for the national team in front of the entire world. Recognised as the perfect successor to veteran custodian Iker Casillas, De Gea, 25, is expected to be one of the key players who will help La Roja in defending their Euro title.
His unpredictability and insane reflexes and diving skills make him the frontrunner to start the matches for Vicente Del Bosque's side in Euro 2016, ahead of Casillas.
De Gea featured neither in Euro 2012 nor the FIFA World Cup 2014, despite being in the squad for Spain. However, this time around, he is expected to start the games and give the performance that will cement his place in the Spain starting XI for many years to come.
Kevin De Bruyne - Belgium
From the moment he started playing for Manchester City after shrugging off his share of injuries, De Bruyne has been unstoppable -- be it on the scoring front or the assisting front. Still yet to enter his prime, the 24-year-old has turned out as a star under Manuel Pellegrini at City and one can only imagine how much he will be progressing more under Pep Guardiola.
For the national team too, De Bruyne is expected to carry his momentum to the Euro 2016 and showcase his impressive skills on the grand stage. Belgium have a star-studded squad, which features the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke and Eden Hazard.
The forward line of the team is formidable and thing is for sure, if they gel together, Belgium will be unstoppable in Euro 2016.
Robert Lewandowski - Poland
Undoubtedly, one among the top three strikers in football today, Lewandowski can make the Euro 2016 a goal festival if he displays his abilities to perfection and take the tournament by a storm. The 27-year-old not only comes to the tournament with a great scoring record for Bayern Munich but also for the national team.
He scored 30 times from 32 games in the Bundesliga this season and was also the top scorer in the Euro 2016 qualifiers with 13 goals. With a sensational form like he is in at the moment, the opposition defenders really have to step their game up if they want to have any attempt of preventing Lewandowski from scoring.
Poland may not have that many star names to be honest, but on any given match, if the ball is delivered accurately to Lewandowski inside the six yard box, the result of the kick may not turn out that unpredictable too.
Bayern Munich have declared their stance on the rumoured exit of Robert Lewandowski and David Alaba, stating neither player will leave the club this summer.
Following speculation of a move to Real Madrid for the pair, club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has extinguished the reports by confirming the German champions will not be forced in to selling their best assets.
"We have closed the door. No player will leave Bayern against our will," confirmed the 61-year-old to Sport Bild.
According to Rummenigge, the CEO of Real Madrid, Jose Angel Sanchez, sent a message that ensured Los Blancos would never contact a Bayern player without first talking to the club.
The apparent harmony between the two clubs is sensed by new head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who feels player departures from the Allianz Arena will not be an issue this summer.
"The players we have are happy to stay at Bayern, they've signed long-term contracts, so we have no such problems." stated the Italian, in an interview with the BBC.
Having enjoyed a league and cup double in the 2015/16 season, the Bavarian side will now be keen to reclaim the Champions League trophy they acquired in 2013.
This season’s UEFA Champions League final takes place at Milan’s hallowed San Siro on 28 May and, with both semi-final ties in the balance, all four remaining clubs harbour realistic ambitions of reaching the showpiece event. Manchester City’s first leg against visiting Real Madrid finished goalless, while Atletico Madrid will defend a 1-0 lead at the Allianz Arena – a venue synonymous with UEFA Champions League drama –against Bayern Munich, for whom Thomas Muller will hope to start.
The fixturesTuesday 3 MayBayern Munich - Atletico Madrid
Wednesday 4 MayReal Madrid - Manchester City
Match of the day Bayern Munich - Atletico Madrid, Allianz Arena 20:45 (CET)
When Bayern play at home in the UEFA Champions League, entertainment is practically guaranteed. Back in this season’s group stage, Pep Guardiola's men dispatched Dinamo Zagreb 5-0 and Arsenal 5-1, while their thrilling 4-2 extra-time win over Juventus in the Round of 16 second leg was a knockout tie that will live long in the memory.
Last season, Bayern produced more of the same, beating Porto 6-1 in the last eight, Barcelona 3-2 in the semi-final and racking up a 7-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 16. Germany’s record league champions have won their last 11 home games in the UEFA Champions League, and victory against Atletico would equal the record of 12 set by Manchester United between 2006 and 2008.
The Bavarians will no doubt look to build on that formidable home form on Tuesday night, but while they remain on course for a treble this season, their impeccably high standards have appeared to slip of late. Guardiola’s side, showing eight changes from the line-up that featured in Madrid last week, were held to a 1-1 home draw by Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday and missed out on securing a 26th German Bundesliga title.
After the game, Muller admitted something was missing from their play. “We’re lacking fluency in our game, and we’re not able to score many goals right now,” said the FIFA World Cup™ winner and top scorer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Yet while Bayern's goals-per-game ratio has indeed dropped from three to two since the end of the winter break, Muller is confident they will set the record straight against Atletico and equal AC Milan’s record of reaching a sixth final in the UEFA Champions League era.
“We’re still looking for that special ingredient [but] we’ll use the emotions to our advantage," Muller said. "We’ll give it absolutely everything we have and then we’ll see where that gets us. We need an explosive performance.”
For Atletico, Uruguayan defensive lynchpin Diego Godin, perhaps the clearest embodiment of his coach Diego Simeone’s philosophy on the pitch, will likely return after missing the first leg with injury. Like Bayern, Simeone’s men are also in the running to be domestic champions after a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend, but for now, their focus is entirely on the Bundesliga leaders.
“The chance of getting to the Champions League final is spurring us all on,” said Antoine Griezmann, the matchwinner against Rayo. “We’re all looking forward to a fantastic game on Tuesday.”
In the spotlightAs for the second tie, opinions remain divided as to whether Manchester City’s goalless draw with Real Madrid last Tuesday was a good result. The Citizens were playing in their first-ever UEFA Champions League semi-final and a clean sheet at home is a good platform on which to build, but there was a nagging sense of disappointment that Manuel Pellegrini’s side did not take something more from the encounter, particularly considering Real Madrid badly missed Cristiano Ronaldo's services.
The Portuguese talisman had to sit out with a thigh injury, but he resumed training on Sunday and Real coach Zinedine Zidane is optimistic he will be fit for the return game. “I hope and think that Ronaldo and Karim [Benzema] will be ready on Wednesday,” Zidane said.
That Pellegrini is prioritising the semi-final over City’s domestic engagements was made clear not just by the Chilean making eight changes to his team for Sunday’s English Premier League match at Southampton – a 4-2 defeat – but also by his post-match comments. “I would do exactly the same again,” said the 62-year-old in defence of his team selection. “We have an important game ahead of us on Wednesday. We’re playing for a place in the final of the Champions League.”
The defeat leaves City in further danger of missing out on qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League, but Pellegrini maintained that fielding a much-changed side was necessary in view of the trip to Madrid. “We want to finish in the top four but we had to risk that [today],” he said.
Player to watchThomas Muller was top scorer at South Africa 2010 and is level with Robert Lewandowski on eight goals as Bayern’s leading marksman in this season’s UEFA Champions League, but he was an unused substitute for the first leg at Atletico. Former Bayern coach Louis van Gaal once said, “In my team, Muller always plays,” but current boss Guardiola had other ideas.
“The reason Thomas didn’t play is simple: I wanted to play with just one striker," Guardiola said. "Maybe it would have been better to play him. Maybe! But I thought every possibility through and when it came down to it, I had to make a decision.”
The Bavarian native himself has already put the disappointment of the first leg behind him and is now looking forward to the return game, where he looks likely to be restored to the starting line-up.
“We have to make sure we function as a team and as a club," Muller said. "I’m confident we’ll get through. We have a huge challenge ahead of us, but that’s how we’ve always wanted it.”
The stat 0 – The number of goals Real Madrid have conceded at home in this season’s UEFA Champions League. Los Blancos have also scored 18 goals, winning all five home matches, and since 2011 have lost just one – a 4-3 reverse against Schalke in the 2014/15 Round of 16 – of their last 29 UEFA Champions League encounters in Madrid.
What they said“Everyone killed me after the game, but I’m not dead yet. I’m, wow, full of energy for this week. We still have 90 minutes to play and we’ve managed it [a positive result] in other situations. I’m happy. I like these situations.” Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola
It looks like prolific Ajax striker Arkadiusz Milik could be lighting things up in Italy. We can exclusively reveal that the Nerazzurri have had the 22-year-old watched on a number of occasions, and are preparing to make an approach from June onwards. He is valued at €12 million by the Lancers, but the Nerazzurri's scouts have been very impressed by his technique, along with his elegance, physical prowess and nose for the killer pass.
Milik is coming off a strong season with Ajax, in which he netted 23 goals and provided 11 assists. This year, the towering striker has kept up his streak, netting 17 times and replicating his assist total from 2014-2015.
Milik would also be the ideal profile to replace Mauro Icardi, should the Nerazzurri choose to sell him. He could also become the Argentine's sub, considering that the Beneamata doesn't really have an alternative to the already under-fire Argentine.
The Polish international is often compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and has been prolific for his country, combining with Robert Lewandowski for 19 goals (6 of them his) to help the Eagles qualify for France 2016.
The moves being made in the Bernabéu offices offer a glimpse of what the make-up of the squad will be like next season. Calls, detailed scouting reports, briefings, direct contact with targets and agents... all with the aim of ascertaining the availability of potential purchases in the summer transfer window.
Responses of all descriptions are being received, ranging from the hands-off warnings generally issued by other big clubs such as Bayern, PSG, Manchester City and Barcelona, to other messages warmly welcoming Real Madrid's interest.
The wishlist on the table is not a short one. It starts with a goalkeeper. Everyone knows how close David de Gea came to joining the club last year. Some directors find the idea of signing the Manchester United man, who is destined to be Spain's number 1 for years to come, irresistible.
Next up, the club is convinced of the need to bring in a centre-back. They would love to get Marquinhos, but they know how tall an order it could prove to prise him away from moneybags PSG. For this reason, 'Los Blancos' have also set their sights on an experienced young central defender in a similar mould from La Liga: Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte.
Left-back is another department that requires strengthening. Two names are being talked about. One is a more realistic bet, Ricardo Rodríguez. The other, David Alaba, is closer to a pipe dream: his versatility makes him extra appealing, but persuading Bayern to part with the Austrian promises to cost a pretty penny, not to mention a bit of a struggle.
Zinedine Zidane has expressly asked for midfield reinforcements. When it comes to clout, Paul Pogba is the main man, whereas Eden Hazard would bring class, and Leroy Sané - whom Barcelona and City are both also chasing - offers pace and trickery aplenty.
Last but not least, the attack. Goals are worth their weight in gold, however, and the names being bandied about to potentially bolster the BBC, or even replace one of the trio, would not come cheaply. The interest in Robert Lewandowski is no secret and his fellow Bundesliga sharpshooter, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has also appeared on the radar. And then there's Neymar, whom Real Madrid have always coveted.
Jürgen Klopp's life has been far from normal, despite what he told reporters in his first official press conference as the manager of Liverpool Football Club in early October, but what does the next chapter hold for the charismatic German?
Just a normal guy from Germany's Black Forest, or so he said on his first day on Merseyside exactly 77 days ago.
The honest truth, as everyone including the man himself is aware of, is far from different. Jürgen Norbert Klopp, born and bred in the small town of Glatten in the district of Freudenstadt in Baden-Württemberg and his steady rise to acclaim has been absolutely anything but normal.
The third child, and first son, of his parents - Jürgen was a more than welcome addition to the family and especially so from the perspective of his father, Norbert, who had desperately wanted a boy.
And it is his father - "a football maniac" - whom Jürgen Klopp has regularly lauded for pushing him to become the ultracompetitive, never-say-die character he is today, and it's no surprise.
Ruthless was the word he aptly used to describe his father whilst talking to Die Zeit in 2009. The type of man who would regularly criticise his son and very seldom dish out praise, Norbert's style brought Jürgen up to be meticulous and drive for nothing but the best in every walk of life.
Small beginnings and a rapid rise
Klopp's love affair with football - something that makes him exactly so popular with the fervour supporters of the clubs he has managed throughout his career - began at an early age, inevitably inspired by his father's love for the game.
It was clear from his early days that Jürgen, who quickly became a diehard VfB Stuttgart fan, had something about him. Klopp's future clearly lay on the football pitch rather than any other career path, a reality he has never been one to shy away from.
But that's not to say that his rise through the amateur ranks and up to his first professional contract, which came in 1989, was a simple one.
In order to earn his keep, Klopp maintained a number of part-time jobs - including working at a local video rental store in one job and loading heavy items onto lorries in another - all before catching the attentions of 1. FSV Mainz 05 manager Robert Jung.
The play-off final matches between RW Frankfurt, Klopp's team at the time, and Mainz as they fought for promotion to the 2. Bundesliga saw Klopp's application and commitment take centre stage.
He landed his first contract at Mainz later that same summer, finally becoming a senior professional footballer.
His move to the banks of the river Rhine and to a traditional carnival town, saw the birth of a relationship which would span 11 years, two different playing positions and 325 second-division appearances.
Though he was never to play in the top-flight for Mainz, from 1990 to 2001, his return of 56 goals - despite switching from striker to defender during his career - set a new club record.
It was no surprise then, that Klopp quickly transformed into a fans' favourite. Whilst his technical skills were limited, as the man has admitted himself, it was his attitude, commitment and passion that endeared him to supporters and led him to becoming an intelligent, hard-working, no-nonsense defender after starting out as a striker.
But Klopp was always destined for more than just a memorable playing career. As a player, he would closely study the methods of his manager on the training field and eventually decided that management was the job for him in his post-playing years.
And so, Klopp committed to travelling twice a week to Cologne, just shy of 120 miles away, to learn under the legendary Erich Rutemoller at the German Sports Academy - pursuing the dream of earning a Football Coaching Licence, the highest coaching qualification available in the country.
From player to manager - Klopp's sudden step-up
Klopp's glittering managerial career began at the age of 33, in February of 2001. Embroiled in a second division relegation battle, Mainz boss Eckhard Krautzun was given the sack just two days before an important away game - opening the door for Klopp to take his first job as a manager.
It was decided in an emergency summit between the senior players and the backroom staff that Klopp should become the club's new boss, having always demonstrated his ability to be not just a leading figure, but an excellent tactician, throughout his playing days.
By this time, it had always been expected that Klopp would become the manager of Mainz, but not at such an early age. This was a huge decision for the club's higher management to take - but they were forced into the decision due to the importance of the coming fixture and their desperation to avoid relegation to the third tier.
Klopp's appointment was met with celebration by the club's supporters, the players and everyone else involved with Die Nullfünfer and their excitable reaction took very little time to be justified. With 12 games remaining to save their season, Klopp won six of their first seven and saved themselves from demotion with one game to spare. Not a bad return after just his first few months of management.
It was the start of what was to be a sensational spell with the club for Jürgen. The next two years, only last day shenanigans prevented them from being promoted to the top-flight - with the players fully embracing Klopp's pressing and counter-attacking philosophies, which emphasised a highly-energetic style-of-play that carefully relied upon the finer details in order to overawe their opponents.
In his second season as Mainz manager, having been the pace-setters from the very first match-day, his team took just two points from their final three games when as little as three would have secured them promotion. It was a devastating blow after such an incredible season, but it would be wrong to assume that the experience didn't strengthen the manager, the players and the club altogether.
The next year, similar disappointment followed, losing out because of just one goal - having gone into the final match of the season needing to trump Eintracht Frankfurt's superior goal difference. They did their bit, winning 4-1, but Frankfurt scored late goals to consolidate their position and once again deny 'Kloppo' and Mainz. Again, it galvanised them and only encouraged them to succeed further - even though there were plenty of heads hanging low in the changing rooms after the final day.
Finally, in 2004, the boss guided Mainz to a first-ever promotion in the club's history at the third attempt. Back-to-back heartbreaks were washed away by the joy and success of 2003-04, a campaign driven by the optimism and work ethic of Klopp - who had promised 10,000 supporters at the end of the previous season that they would go again. And go again they did, another dramatic year this time ending on a positive note - Karlsruher SC's defeat of Alemannia Aachen, who had been two points ahead of Mainz by the final game, seeing them leapfrog into third to secure promotion.
But despite quite literally drinking in all of the celebrations with the club's supporters after their success, Klopp was still determined to strive for even more. Despite the smallest budget and the smallest stadium in the Bundesliga, they avoided relegation for two successive seasons - finishing 11th despite facing up against better-equipped teams. They even qualified for the UEFA Cup in 2005-06, though they were unable to get past the first-round as they fell to eventual champions Sevilla.
Unfortunately, the success was not to last and Mainz were demoted in 2007 - just three points adrift of safety. There was more disappointment the following year as they failed to bounce back, finishing fourth in the second division by two points. By that time, Klopp's departure had long been announced - he was to end an 18-year affiliation with the club and move up a level. By this time, it was clear Klopp was destined for bigger and better things - even as much as he adored Mainz.
Realising the Dortmund dream
The next challenge for Klopp was the one in which he really made his name and earned a reputation for being one of the best in the game.Borussia Dortmund were one of a number of clubs that came calling, but it was they who swayed Klopp with the task of transforming such a huge club back to its fortunes, even financial giants such as Bayern Munich had shown interest in him.
A long-standing dream, Klopp jumped at the chance to manage BVB - regardless of the fact they had finished as low as 13th the season before - for this was the job that he would have taken over any other.
It was a match made in heaven. He turned the club around and in only his first season, lifted them to a sixth-placed finish - only being denied a European spot on the final day of the campaign by Borussia Mönchengladbach.
By instilling the same philosophies and qualities which he stressed at Mainz, Dortmund began a stunning rise. Having nearly gone bankrupt in 2005, it was barely believable, but the following year, they were back in the Europe after finishing fifth. Again and again, Dortmund continued to demonstrate their improvements despite having one of the youngest squads in the league - and though a heavy metal man himself, Klopp was the orchestrator of what was to become one of the most finely-tuned squads around.
Backed by Peter Krawietz and Željko Buvač, the chief scout come video analyst, and assistant manager, during Klopp's time at Mainz before following him to Dortmund, and an incredibly talented young team which was in turn supported by the club's fervent fanbase, Jürgen had stumbled across all the perfect ingredients for success. And he mixed them up perfectly in 2010-11 season - in a year that will never, ever be forgotten by the famous Yellow Wall.
A run which brought 14 wins from 15 games in the first-half of the season was the catalyst for talk of a title charge, before they managed to maintain similarly superb form after Christmas. By the end of the season, Dortmund fully deserved their seventh Bundesliga title - and their first since 2001 - because of how brilliantly and excitingly Klopp had managed to get the youngest ever side to win the league to play. Die Borussen wrapped things up on matchday 32 - beating Nürnberg as rivals Bayer Leverkusen fell to FC Köln. Fast forward a few weeks and 400,000 piled onto the streets of Dortmund to show their support for Klopp and his charges - a day that, no doubt, he will remember well.
Despite being expected to fall short in defence of the title the next season, Dortmund and Klopp continued to defy the odds. After losing three of their first six league games, they proved unstoppable for all of their opponents from there on in. They went unbeaten for 26 games, winning 21 and scoring an awe-inspiring 73 goals. 10 memorable days in April sealed it, with wins over title rivals Bayern, Revierderby rivals Schalke and Gladbach sealing back-to-back triumphs.
Having broken records with an 81-points finish, sealing the title three games before the end of the season, Dortmund went on to break another record - winning their first league and cup double with an emphatic 5-2 victory over fierce rivals Bayern Munich in Berlin. This was Dortmund at their domestic best and Klopp was the very beating heart of their success.
Next up, the challenge was to conquer Europe. After a disappointing campaign in the year that they had won the double, dropping out in the group stages after a fourth-placed finish, Klopp wanted to prove Dortmund were a continental threat, not just a big player on the German footballing stage.
Though the all-conquering Bayern would usurp them in the Bundesliga, they could take nothing away from their incredible Champions League run. They topped a group containingLa Liga champions Real Madrid, Premier League winnersManchester City and reigning Eredivise champions AFC Ajax. Regardless, Dortmund topped it with four wins and two draws.
In the next round, they bounced back from a 2-0 first-leg defeat away at Shakhtar Donetsk to win the second-leg 3-0 and progress, before repeating similar heroics against Malaga in the quarter-finals. They trailed 2-1 with three minutes to go in the second-leg at theWestfalenstadion, before 91st and 93rd minute goals reversed the game and sent Klopp on a mad dash down the touch-line before jumping into the air in delight.
Into the final four they went. There, they met again with Madrid for the second time. Despite coming up against one of the most talented groups of players in Europe, led by Jose Mourinho - heralded as one of the best managers in the business, Dortmund thrashed them 4-1 on home soil in the first meeting - Robert Lewandowski stealing the spotlight with all four goals.
Despite a second-leg defeat, Dortmund held on to their aggregate lead to book a meeting with rivals Bayern at Wembley Stadium in May 2013. Ultimately, they lost 2-1 after Arjen Robben's 89th-minute strike - but it was their run, and the inimitable effect it had on neutrals across the globe, which sparked the imagination and proved that Dortmund were a force to be feared.
The final two years of his Dortmund reign were unfortunately less successful. 2013-14 saw them come second, 19 points before Bayern, in the league and lost to the same opponents in the cup final - as Real Madrid avenged their humiliation to dump BVB out of Europe at the quarter-final stage.
As if that wasn't enough, Klopp continued to have his best assets stripped from him. Lewandowski left for Bayern just as Mario Götzehad done the summer before. It all had a snowball effect in 2014-15, a year which was to be Klopp's final with the club.
After winning the DFL-Supercup, Dortmund struggled in the league. Of their 17 games before the Christmas break, they won just three - losing 10. It was completely out of character for a man who had catapulted Dortmund to heights beyond imagination, but though the world viewed them as a club in crisis - the supporters who had been through all that and worse in the years before Klopp stayed patient and knew he could turn it around.
He did, after they resumed their season at the end of January, they went on to lose only four games of 17 - winning an improved nine and lifting themselves to a more respectable seventh-place and Europa League qualification.
And so it came to the day which Klopp had to say another emotional goodbye. May 23, 2015, saw Dortmund overcome SV Werder Bremen in Klopp's final afternoon in front of the Yellow Wall. Again, Klopp was reduced to tears as the supporters serenaded him whilst a video message played on the big screen in the stadium.
Sadly, his final ever game, the DFB-Pokal final against VfL Wolfsburg was not the perfect farewell that the boss, and everyone else, may have hoped for it to be - as they lost 3-1 and brought an underwhelming end to a seven-year spell which had heralded 179 wins from 318 games, five pieces of silverware and an abundance of memories.
What lay ahead was a welcome break. A time to reflect, to sit back and rest after the exhaustion which inevitably ensued from the intensity and enthusiasm with which he had led Dortmund from 2008 and 2015. This was a goodbye to his beloved Dortmund, but the footballing world knew he would be back when the time was right.
Reds come calling - a new love affair?
On 8 October 2015, Klopp's next destination was officially confirmed.Liverpool Football Club was to be his next job after a four month break replenished his appetite for the beautiful game.
It was almost as if destiny had guided him to Anfield. On Klopp's last game for Mainz, away at St. Pauli, the supporters sang You'll Never Walk Alone as he sat on the turf and soaked in the emotion and feeling of the supporters so devastated to see him leave.
In his seven successful years at Dortmund, You'll Never Walk Alone was, and still is, regularly sung by the the impassioned fanbase and the south terrace - a free-standing grandstand of 25,000 fans that creates an intimidating and absorbing atmosphere that people the world over want to experience.
But it is on the River Mersey where You'll Never Walk Alone is arguably most famous. It began back in the days where the Kop could hold 30,000 fans in one of Europe's largest single-tiered stands, when a November afternoon in the 1960s saw the supporters burst into a rendition of Gerry Marsden, leader of the British Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers, and his song You'll Never Walk Alone.
From then on, it has been played at every home game and continues to receive a tremendous reception from the home crowd. Unlike other clubs, for Liverpool, YNWA summises the pride, pain and passion which the city has felt. It is not just a pre-match ritual, but a battle cry - one which Klopp will be desperate to hear at its heartfelt best over his years as manager.
But it would be wrong to assume that You'll Never Walk Alone is not the only thing linking Jürgen Klopp and his previous managerial jobs, for there are many similarities between the three clubs which he has managed.
Fast forward a few months and the only word for Klopp's Anfield reign so far can be frantic. It has had ebbs and flows, but the hope is that the immense success he enjoyed in his homeland can be replicated with Liverpool - another sleeping giant in desperate need of reawakening.
There have been as many downs as ups thus far, but Klopp has the tools to get the Reds back to their consistent best. Whilst the English top-flight does not afford a festive break to sit back and analyse the first few months of the season, like in Germany, you can bet that Klopp will be spending most of his time over the Christmas period doing what he usually does. Scrutinising over footage of his side's next opponents as well as looking at the performances of his own team. Looking at what went wrong, what went right, where improvements can be made, strengths, weaknesses. Just about everything his eagle eyes can pick out. Everything in order to improve, to take a step forward and move closer towards that end goal.
The peaks and troughs of his time, albeit short, on Merseyside have given us a glimpse of what to expect from his tenure, but also a reminder of the sheer size of the job that the German has taken on with the Reds.
Performances against Manchester City, Chelsea and Southamptonhave demonstrated the effect which Klopp can, and has, had on the players already at the club - but the real excitement comes in thinking about the job he can do when he brings in his own players and begins to shape the side to his liking.
Whilst this side are capable of success in their own merit, there is no debating that the current Liverpool team will need more than a few additions, and departures, if they are to reach the goal that Klopp set out on his introduction to English football - the Barclays Premier League title.
It's going to be hectic, tumultuous and frenetic few years - but with a man as infectious and endearing as Klopp, invoking the 100mph style-of-football from his players and the fanaticism of the club's loyal supporters, it's sure to be an enthralling, and unforgettable, ride. With Jürgen Klopp, it always is.
