An extension of a bond at Anfield: how fans helped propel Liverpool to title

Jurgen Klopp is of an affable nature; a charismatic, likeable man. He is, however, a born and bred winner. He will, as was drilled into him by his father Norbert, do what is required to win. He made that clear when he was presented as Liverpool coach back in 2015.

The quip that he was the 'Normal One' garnered most headlines but buried amongst the charm was a line that spoke of a man who has lived his career as - and revelled in being - an underdog.

"You can be as good as you want but you have to have control over the other team. If they are really good you have to bring them to your level. On your level you can kill any team," said Klopp.

At Mainz 05, Dortmund and Liverpool, Klopp has put together teams that are greater than the sum of their parts.

It can, of course, hold that Liverpool have spent serious money and also be greater than the sum of its parts. It can also hold, as incongruous as it sounds, that a club that have spent £75 million on Virgil van Dijk and £63 million on Alisson Becker can be described as underdogs, certainly financially, anyway. In absolute terms, Klopp has access to greater resource than ever before in his career but in relative terms - measured against the Manchester clubs, Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG or Bayern Munich - the Reds do not operate financially on the same level.

The acquisitions of Van Dijk and Alisson were partially funded by Barcelona's ill-thought-out decision to fill the Anfield coffers to the tune of £140 million for the services of Philippe Coutinho. Further, there are rumours that those signings were predicated on the fact that Fenway Sports Group (FSG) would not be expected to make any substantial signings for two to three summer windows post that big outlay. It is a peculiarity of modern state-backed football that a club who spent £75 million on a centre-half could be considered an underdog. It is all relative, of course, but in winning the Premier League and a Champions League in the current era of hyperinflation while doing so in a financially sustainable manner is an overachievement.

How has Klopp consistently overachieved at clubs as varied as Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool?

While the signings of Van Djik, Allison and, to a lesser extent, Mohamed Salah represent key moments in Liverpool's return to the summit of the British and European game, the building blocks for that success were set in the German's first season. In the same way they were set at Mainz and Dortmund.

Klopp, as well as being affable and charismatic, is demanding. Hugely demanding. The demands he places on his players were evident in his first Premier League match as Liverpool boss. It was against Tottenham. When Adam Lallana left the pitch after 81 minutes to be replaced by Joe Allen in October 2015, the England international would collapse on the side of the pitch such was the effort he committed to Klopp's gegenpress.

Much of Klopp's early tenure was marked by the peaks and troughs of a team who were getting to grips with a tactical framework and philosophy that accentuated their strengths and masked their weaknesses. Impressive wins against Chelsea (3-1) and Manchester City (4-1) were soon followed by defeats against Crystal Palace and Newcastle.

Following the Palace game - a 2-0 defeat at Anfield - Klopp spoke of his disappointment to see fans leave early, saying he felt alone.

“After the goal on 82 minutes, with 12 minutes to go, I saw many people leaving the stadium. I felt pretty alone at this moment. We decide when it is over. Between 82 and 94 [minutes] you can make eight goals if you like."

Klopp had, in the same way he demanded more of his players, demanded more from the club's fans. It was under his mentor and former boss at Mainz Wolfgang Frank that Klopp was convinced that synergy between the pitch and the stands could elevate a team above its mean. Hence the use of the word 'alone'. It was pointed and used to evoke a reaction. It is no coincidence that Mainz, traditionally a 2. Bundesliga mid-table outfit, were soon pushing for and attaining promotion to the Bundesliga under first Frank and then Klopp, whose high-intensity football had turned the previously quiet Bruchwegstadion raucous.

According to Raphael Honigstein, such was Klopp's conviction in the importance of fan participation, when asked during the interview process for the job which areas of the team he would address he spoke at length of his desire to weaponise the Liverpool crowd. For Klopp, players and fans are one. It was a contributory factor to the German getting the job ahead of another interviewee Carlo Ancelotti, who extolled the virtues of strengthening the spine of the team.

Klopp reinforced the importance of the fans after the 2-2 draw with West Brom in December of 2015. Divock Origi had scored a 96th equaliser to salvage a point. Klopp assembled his players to salute the Kop after the match, in a move that was ridiculed at the time.

To ridicule it missed the point. The statement made by Klopp was that each and every point mattered, each and every match mattered regardless of opponent. In an era of hyper marketing, Premier League grounds can become listless entities for matches that do not have the natural grandeur of, say, a Merseyside derby. Klopp in that moment set about addressing that. The point was made not just to the fans but also the players. Every minute matters. It is the psyche of a perennial underdog. Klopp was aware that the tone of a club can be set from the stands, one must only look at the Emirates for confirmation of that fact.

That act set in motion the renewal - and extension - of a bond at Anfield. The connection between fan and club has become a marginal gain that can be almost solely attributed to Klopp.

It is a point not lost on Pep Guardiola.

"The motto ‘This is Anfield’ is no marketing spin. There’s something about it that you will find in no other stadium in the world," said Pep Guardiola of Anfield.

"They score a goal and over the next five minutes you feel that you'll receive another four. You feel small and the rival players seem to be all over."

There are, of course, many other aspects - smart recruitment, tactical fluidity, analytics etc - to Liverpool's re-emergence as a genuine force but the demands Klopp placed on the support of Liverpool is illustrative of a coach that coaxes the maximum out of his club. In those early months Klopp had set the tone for his tenure. In fact, the German had made the club more than the sum of its parts.

Liverpool's excellence this season has been manifold, the sum of many marginal gains as a result of Klopp demanding more from every sinew of the club. The fans and the Anfield atmosphere played no small part in a first title in 30 years. When required they have either elevated - or brought teams to - Liverpool's level for the kill. The fact that Liverpool will win the title behind closed doors only serves as a reminder of that.