It’s Easily The Most Special Trophy I Ever Won, Klopp Says About Winning Carabao Cup’

Jürgen Klopp declared Liverpool’s lifting of the Carabao Cup after defeating Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley as the ‘most special trophy I ever won’.

Virgil van Dijk headed in the only goal of Sunday’s final towards the end of extra-time to secure the Reds their record-extending 10th triumph in the competition.

The captain scored with a glancing header from Kostas Tsimikas’ corner with 118 minutes on the clock to decide the end-to-end showpiece, which ended with a youthful Liverpool side on the pitch.

That would be cool if I could see goals coming, I would relax [in] a lot of moments of my life. No, I loved it. I think that was the moment where everything just felt, ‘Come on.’ What we see here today is so exceptional, that we might never see it again and not because I am on the sideline, because these things don’t happen in football. I got told outside that there’s an English phrase, ‘You don’t win trophies with kids’ – I didn’t know that. Yeah! There are longer careers than mine but in more than 20 years, [it’s] easily the most special trophy I ever won. It’s exceptional. Sometimes I get asked if I’m proud of this, proud of that, proud of that, and it’s really tricky. I wish I could feel pride more often, I just don’t do. Tonight there’s an overwhelming feeling, ‘Oh my God, what’s going on here?’ I was proud of everybody involved in everything here.

I was proud of our people for the way they pushed us. I was proud of the staff for creating this kind of atmosphere sure these boys can just do what they are best at. I was proud of our Academy.
“I was proud of my coaches. I was proud of so many things. It was really overwhelming. It had nothing to do with maybe my last game at Wembley – I checked that, nothing to do with that. It was really because of how everybody contributed, seeing the faces after the game of the kids – Jayden Danns. Can you create in football stories which definitely nobody will ever forget? It’s so difficult because this happened before, this happened before, they won it then, there. This tonight, if you find the same story with Academy players coming on against a top, top, top side and still winning it, I never heard.

I couldn’t care less about my legacy. I’m not here to create one. As a manager of a football club, you are there to do the job actually. Nothing what we did in the last eight-and-a-half years would have happened… it’s not replaceable, you couldn’t have done the same in another club or whatever. It was exactly made for this combination and it’s fantastic. But we learlearnedmuch in that time, I learned so much, the people learned so much. It’s not a problem if the manager leaves or whatever, if these people would leave – our supporters – that would be a problem. But as long as they are the way they are, Liverpool Football Club will be fine and that’s the most important thing. But for these kind of things from time to time you need something to really celebrate.

Come on, this was so special. You saw the game, you saw the circumstances. We had problems before the game, they became bigger during the game… And then getting through all of this, you see tired players. I have no clue who can play on Wednesday because we had players on the pitch until the end of the game who had problems. We asked Harvey [Elliott] to stay, we asked Lucho [Luis Diaz] to stay up front, don’t go back anymore. So, I have no idea who can play on Wednesday but for tonight it is a night I will never forget. If nobody else sees it like that, no problem. For me, it’s a really nice memory forever.

On whether he just sees a ‘talent’ rather than a ‘teenager’ when making substitutions…

Obviously age is not at all in our thought process in that moment. We knew who we [would] take, we knew that we have to build a squad. It was clear that yesterday in training, it was so clear that these are the boys we will take. We needed fresh legs. We needed [that]. It was clear. You can always think [about] who you take off. In the end it’s always the wrong one because do we take off Cody [Gakpo] or do we take off Lucho? Do we take off Harvey or do we take off Macca [Alexis Mac Allister]? Do we take off [Wataru] Endo or Macca? Stuff like this. It’s clear we have to make changes. In the end, you follow us obviously pretty closely and the development of Bobby Clark… that’s really crazy I have to say. The development of James McConnell is absolutely insane, and Jayden Danns has only recently joined us in first-team training. I loved him from the first second; really special. And he comes on today, OK he played in the last game, but he can score two goals in a Carabao Cup final. It’s absolutely insane.

And the other kids out there which we could obviously have brought on as well. [Lewis] Koumas and Trey [Nyoni] and stuff like this. Some we left at home, Kaide [Gordon], so it’s just nice to partner these boys in these moments. To be the first one, not the last one obviously, but the first one who wants it. The way that the experienced group involves them is pretty special, pretty special. It was wonderful. So many players, some were not allowed to come here today from our squad, but so many players; celebrations. OK, Darwin [Nunez] and Dom [Szoboszlai] are obviously not fit in the moment, that’s why they didn’t play. But the celebration looked at 100 per cent, let me say it like that! I have to talk about that with the medical department! It is, for this group and for the club, a super-special night.

On Wataru Endo’s performance and development throughout the season…

A good development, huh? Yeah, I said it a couple of times we were lucky. We bring him in and obviously Wataru, I’m pretty sure in three [or] four years Wataru will sign another long-term contract at Liverpool just because he might be 30 or 31 on his passport but he’s not. He’s a machine. He is footballing-wise exceptional. His defensive brain is outstanding. He gives us a lot of freedom for a lot of things. Yeah, top development. Very helpful, very helpful.

On Van Dijk’s leadership…

I love talking about my players. I really love it. Virgil van Dijk from the first day since he stepped into Liverpool FC is absolutely outstanding. But you anyway in his lesser-good moments go for him like he didn’t want to perform. ‘Why is he like that?’ Sorry, they’re human beings, it happens from time to time. That we are not spot on probably happens to you as well. Yes, thank God, he’s absolutely spot on, top shape, we need him; we need them all. I think he learned an important lesson tonight for himself. Not that he needed to learn it, but we gave him the opportunity to learn it. Whatever happens, you always can win the game whatever.

Because we couldn’t explain to the players what the plan was. We explain to the players on the outside [that] we want them to do this and that. The majority of other guys standing on the pitch just adapt to it. Kids come on. Harvey outside, Harvey inside. Joey [Gomez] inside. Stuff like this. I was a player myself and you think, ‘What’s the idea behind that?’ But nobody, I saw it in their faces, nobody thought [that]. Just, ‘OK, come on.’ Then we do it like that. Yeah, he will not forget, not because it was the first trophy as Liverpool captain, [but] just because [of] the circumstances.

‌