Jurgen Klopp‘s near nine-year reign at Liverpool was characterised by the rejuvenation of a club and its people. ‘Doubters to Believers Liverpool FC: Klopp’s Era’ captures that excellently.
Doubters to Believers Liverpool FC: Klopp’s Era is available on Amazon Prime now.
From Kyiv’s lows to Madrid’s highs, Liverpool got swept up in a wave of Klopp-fuelled emotion that resulted in a Black Forest German gradually ascending to the status of football god.
For all the passion, noise and personality of Klopp the football manager, there remains a grounded individual who manages to see the beautiful game as what it ultimately is: a game.
Not everything went to plan during his time at Liverpool. When you take a step back, his luck was lamentable and he should have come away with far more silverware.
However, the misfortune and imperfection made him more human. Even the making of ‘Doubters to Believers Liverpool FC: Klopp’s Era’ didn’t go to plan.
What was originally supposed to be a series taking us behind-the-scenes of a fairytale ending became a retrospective on the era as a whole.
We still get an insight into the real lives of some of the players, but this was mostly confined to the interview chair.
One of the main themes of the documentary was the embedding of Liverpool’s youth into the first team.
Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Jayden Danns take centre stage as their families feature and ensure we realise the incredible sacrifices these athletes have made, effectively skipping a large part of their childhood.
There is also time for reflection on the pure sporting achievements managed by Klopp and the team. The manager became a father-like figure for people he didn’t even know, but that couldn’t have happened without on-field success.
Notably, Liverpool’s 97-point season in which they finished second is given the respect such a campaign deserves. Pep Guardiola’s exclusive words were another nice addition.
It is always worth remembering that for all the media quips, all the fist-pumps and all the emotion, Klopp is first and foremost a generation-defining football manager.
Tied into the academy theme, Liverpool’s 2024 Carabao Cup win still made for enjoyable viewing, but there was dismay in equal measure.
Despite the Reds’ trophy charge ultimately collapsing late in the season, the boss still left a smile on the face of optimistic supporters.
Intimate scenes from final days
It is here, his final days as Liverpool manager, where the documentary is really sold.
You have to watch over three hours to reach it, but when you do, the view from behind-closed-doors is an intimate one.
It shows how the man connected with each and every individual at Liverpool. No matter their rank or job, they really were valued.
The final scene is perhaps the most touching in the entire saga with cameras allowed full access to his departure.
As the boss left his office for the final time and embraced the driver of his taxi, the tears couldn’t be hidden but that beaming smile still peeped through.
It was the same beaming smile that lit up Anfield nearly nine years earlier as a man still in his forties and about to embark on the most difficult, successful and impactful years of his life.
While ‘Doubters to Believers Liverpool FC: Klopp’s Era’ didn’t quite turn out to be the detailed look behind the curtain we hoped, it is still well worth a watch for supporters.
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