Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists he did not waste a minute of his time at the club and is “absolutely fine” with the amount of silverware he won.
Klopp will bow out at Anfield on Sunday after eight and a half years having won eight pieces of silverware, including one Premier League title after a 30-year wait and the club’s sixth success in the Champions League.
His critics will say he did not maximise the talents of a squad which peaked between 2018 and 2020 and the Reds boss accepts they are entitled to hold that viewpoint.
But he sees things differently, saying: “I really think it was the absolute opposite of a waste of time.
“We used absolutely everything and tried to make the best out of everything and tried to enjoy it as much as somehow possible.
“For me it is absolutely fine (the success he had). I know we could have won more but I cannot change that. We could have won less, that’s possible as well.
“Not becoming champion for a point (when they finished second with 97 points in 2018) is not a great experience but it is an experience which shows you that you are really good.
“That will not be in the history books, obviously. And the nearly-wins won’t be there, that’s life.
“When you are in it you cannot see it like that. I couldn’t have done anything different in these moments.”
Just over a month ago Liverpool were competing for an unprecedented quadruple, having won the Carabao Cup in February, but they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United and the Europa League by Atalanta before a poor fortnight in April saw their Premier League titles dreams evaporate.
With third place and a return to the Champions League secured there is nothing riding on his final game at home to Wolves so the last week has been something of a grand farewell, attending various events to say goodbye to people he has worked or been associated with during his time at Anfield.
And his stay has had a lasting effect on him, but not necessarily from a footballing point of view.
“A decade in your life is a massive one and I will not forget a day in that time because I met the best people I ever met and I did it for the best club I could have imagined,” he added.
“I take memories with me, fantastic memories. I take friendships with me, relationships with me – forever.
“You realise the older you get when time slips through your fingers you look back and think ‘My God, that was quick’. I don’t think it was quick, the nine years.
“I said before, I would not be happy if I thought I could have done more. I couldn’t.
“Could I have done better? Me? No. Could someone else have done better? Probably. That’s possible. But me in that situation, no, and that’s why I am fine with it.
“The rest will be judged by the people and I am pretty sure more of them are fine with what we did and some think it is not enough and both is absolutely all right if they think that.
“Nothing is perfect nowadays but the maturity of the people in this city is as close as possible because of the way they are, the way they deal with life, the way they welcome you and the way they treat you.
“And I don’t mean me, I mean all people I know who arrive in this city. What they tell me describes people in Liverpool and that is wonderful to know.
“I am completely at peace. It is wonderful to know I spent a big time of my life here. I got the key of the city (he was awarded the Freedom of Liverpool in 2022) and I know probably for a lot of people that’s rather funny but for me it feels like responsibility.
“I don’t imagine the club will need my help in the future but if the city needs me I am there. I want to be helpful in whatever way and we will see how that looks.”
