Jurgen Klopp has stressed the importance of openness for information for any potential new signing as he touched on the well-discussed settling in periods some players require.
It has been no secret throughout Klopp’s time at the helm at Liverpool that a number of new signings have required an extended time to find their feet and slot into the Reds’ system.
Andy Robertson is a prime example, as is Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and most recently Takumi Minamino, with time on the training pitch and not a competitive game prioritised.
It can be a time of frustration for the players themselves but it’s a “completely normal” situation for Klopp as he ensures time is carved out, even when it doesn’t feel as though there is any, to help the transition for the entire team.
It’s a part of the German’s management style which has been well covered in the past and the boss opened up on ‘feeling no rush’ to fast-track a new signing when speaking on The Robbie Fowler Podcast.
The conversation started with Klopp being asked what a “Jurgen Klopp player’ looks like, to which he jokingly replied “good” before delving into the key trait of openness and confidence without a know-it-all attitude.
“Open. Open for information. What I like is a very, very confident football player and person who doesn’t take himself too seriously,” he explained.
“Very self-confident so you know I’m good, but I understand I need all the others as well otherwise I have no chance in this game. So a little bit like that.
“But if that’s your only strength, you have no chance in my team. First and foremost you should be able to play really good football.
“Another blessing in my life is that I’ve worked together with players that are so much better than I ever, ever, ever was and so that makes it really easy for me to enjoy their skills.
“There’s not a typical Jurgen Klopp player. But you should be open for football information.
“If you arrive here and think you have already got the game to the extent that you know everything about the game, I’ve never met that person, then you could struggle a little bit as we have a lot of information.”
And even if you are the best player in the world, you may still need time to adjust alongside the team as relationships and instinct within the setup can take time regardless of ability.
For Klopp, it is part and parcel of the transition and he never feels he needs to rush the process despite external talk or transfer price-tags.
“They all should help you. That’s now a little bit the problem, we’ve had the situation quite frequently that a new player comes in and they’re really good, we’ve paid a lot of money for them and then they need time,” he continued.
“In the beginning, they get some information, we try to condense it as much as possible but that’s the moment they start thinking.
“A football player who is led by [the mind] is not too cool, you have to feel the game and so that means until that information goes in a little and becomes more natural for the players and that can take time.
“And that’s why sometimes players arrive here, everybody is talking about the big money signing and then they need time. From time to time that happens and that’s completely normal.
“For me, I feel absolutely no rush in that. It’s just all these different pieces in a football game have to fit together and just bringing the best player in the world into a very good team doesn’t mean it will work together immediately.
“We all need time to settle, we all need time to tune all these kind of things.
“The little problem we have in football is you usually don’t get that time, but we are cheeky enough to just take it and give ourselves the time and make it happen.
“So far, it’s worked most of the time.”
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