Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid: He duels with windmills – Jurgen Klopp cast as the Man of La Mancha

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp can be cast as the Man of La Mancha verses Diego Simeone and his Atletico Madrid team.

He is the embodiment of the ‘hero’s hero’ and thus this Quixote – Man of La Mancha  comparison is spot on; the self-described, “normal one”. So what is the great fascination with Jurgen Klopp, you may ask?

I recall José Mourinho’s envious comments on Klopp a few years back, ‘I just don’t understand the fascination with this guy…he hasn’t won anything.’ It is the same fascination that the world has held for nearly four centuries for Don Quixote. He duels with windmills. Something José, like Sancho, will never understand.

His temperament, attitude, and humility are obvious to anyone listening to him talk. He is a refreshing deviation from the dictatorial, totalitarian, ‘my way or the highway’ kind of leadership that sadly, regrettably has only become too common in the world today.

There have been several high profile players in the past few years who have expressed an interest in coming to Liverpool to play for Klopp. Kylian Mbappe and Timo Werner are two of the most recent if rumors are to be believed. (I don’t put much stock in these rumors…nothing is certain until the ink is dry as they say; remember Nabil Fakir).

But the fact remains that players everywhere from kids here in the states to players from the far flung corners of the globe; in various stages of their development, are dreaming of having the chance to come learn and grow under his tutelage.

Currently his Liverpool squad are the ‘cleanest’ team in Europe; per a recent study by CIES.

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This is part of his football philosophy which says; ‘it is not whether you win or lose, but how did you play the game’; and fouls are not a substitute for solid defending. Fouls will occur as a natural occurrence, football is a contact sport after all, but fouling should be held to a minimum.

I feel like I should give you Jurgen in his own words here as he certainly speaks for himself better than I can. His open letter appeared in The Players Tribune in Sept. 2019. The title is quite telling, and this was the inspiration behind my Don Quixote comparison. The final 4 lines say it all; This damnable game that we all love belongs to the dreamers.

A well grounded individual quite comfortable in his own skin, he can be self-deprecating, funny, charming, fierce, passionate and everything in between. Humility is endless.

If I were left on a desert island and I could have one novel, it would be Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes; The Man of La Mancha stands for everything that is good, gentle, forlorn, pure, unselfish, and gallant. The parody has become paragon. Surely this mantle fits well on Jurgen Klopp’s shoulders.

Likewise, if I had a daughter or son who had the skills to play football I would want them to play for a manager like Jurgen. In fact it isn’t even a close call.

Words by Paul Landwehr.