'Does anyone in this room think that I can do wonders? I'm a normal guy from the Black Forest . . . I am the "normal one"' Jurgen Klopp, 9 October 2015
Jürgen Klopp's announcement in January 2024 that he was to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season would see an unprecedented outpouring of grief from his adopted city. The Anfield Wrap has followed Liverpool through nine remarkable years, ten cup finals, and eight trophies, and now the 'normal one' is finally set to return to a normal life.
But the story of Klopp and Liverpool is a special one. A city haunted by tragedy and economic hardship rapidly found itself reinvigorated and redrawn by one man's philosophy, and an approach to life and football that was driven by joy, passion and inclusivity. Klopp's arrival led not only to spectacular footballing success, but also saw Liverpool itself becoming more culturally relevant than at any point since the height of Beatlemania.
Neil Atkinson, host of The Anfield Wrap, tells the story of this unique relationship with a passion, zeal and humour befitting of the man himself. Structured around nineteen notable games in Klopp's Liverpool career, Atkinson expertly weaves the personal and the political into this retelling of one of football's most improbable journeys, one that would change both the landscape of the sport and the city of Liverpool forever.
"Nobody writes about football like Neil Atkinson. A compelling and perceptive voice, not just on Liverpool but on the game itself, its motives, its meanings and its place in our lives"
JONATHAN LIEW
"Jürgen Klopp is a perfect fit, an ideal match for Liverpool. An outsider who 'got' the club and the city in the same way that Shankly and Dalglish did, and who now belongs in this sentence with them simply because he did. It will take a Scouser and a Red to appreciate and capture this divine connection and the 9 years of unique excitement it sparked. Nobody is better placed to provide that insigh
