Klopp’s childlike enthusiasm – and incalculable savviness

Where were we? Oh yes, Liverpool were running away with the Premier League and a mere three months later have sealed the deal. For Liverpool fans it must have seemed like the longest drum roll in history. A week ago the drum roll ended in an explosion of joy — too literal an explosion for some tastes — for those who worship at the temple of Anfield. Liverpool were champions of England for the first time in 30 years — and the wait for the first English manager to win the Premier League was extended for another year.

That last fact must be one of the sorriest statistics in English sport, which is to take nothing away from Jurgen Klopp’s achievement. Klopp’s front of childlike enthusiasm and charm screens a manager of incalculable savviness — both in matters of man management and playing winning football.

Why hasn’t an English manager picked off the Premier League title after all these years? First, this period has coincided with an era of outstanding non-English managers — Ferguson, Wenger, Mourinho, Klopp, Nuno Espirito Santo et al.