"I will watch these until I die" - five things spotted in 'The Reds Roundtable' - Liverpool FC

Feature"I will watch these until I die" - five things spotted in 'The Reds Roundtable'

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By Joe Urquhart

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Jürgen Klopp, assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders, Academy director Alex Inglethorpe and players Harvey Elliott and Cody Gakpo all feature in the first episode of 'The Reds Roundtable.'

Following its launch, Liverpoolfc.com has picked out five things to note from the first instalment of the new series, which has been produced alongside principal partner Standard Chartered.

Watch the video below now and read on for the key moments...

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'I will watch these until I die'

Klopp likes a Liverpool YouTube compilation – and who can blame him?

Under his Anfield watch, the Reds have won the biggest prizes English, European and world football has to offer.

And the boss will continue to relive his treasured moments even after he departs this summer.

Klopp said: "We obviously created some really special moments over the years. It's easy to find them if you put on YouTube 'Liverpool celebrations' or 'big moments' or 'big games' or whatever.

"That's why we do what we do. That's exactly what you want to feel [and] what you cannot get enough of. It's a very rare moments which you cannot get in normal life because you need to bring together a bunch of very talented football players and a very passionate crowd and then you can create something like that.

"Absolutely special. Until I die I will watch these things from time to time and in the last few years we created a few of these moments."

Elliott's determination

Elliott has put in the hard yards to get where he is today at Liverpool.

The No.19, who joined the Anfield ranks in 2019, bounced around academies as a youngster, though was fully focused on achieving his goal to be a professional footballer.

Ahead of joining Fulham as a teenager, he retells the story of his determination not to let his size get in the way of his dream, with a little help from his dad.

"I think the only thing that was going to stop me was potentially my strength, speed, stuff like that," Elliott said.

"My dad throughout the whole summer in the off-season was like, "Nope, you're running up big hills!'

"I used to do a one-to-one session with a former Team GB sprinter called Lukesha Morris. She taught me sprinting techniques to accelerate in the first steps."

Academy lessons with Inglethorpe

Even as a seasoned talent-spotter at Liverpool's Academy, Inglethorpe continues to be surprised year on year.

You're never too experienced to learn, as they say, and Inglethorpe pointed to a very recent Reds example in his work at the Kirkby facility.

"What I love about being in the Academy is that every year there is a lesson for you," he said.

"Dannsy [Jayden Danns] was a good one for me this year. Last year [he] starts off and couldn't get in the U18s. This year [he] starts off really well in the U18s but couldn't get in the U21s.

"It wasn't until a little bit later; I remember phoning Pep [Lijnders] and saying I think you need to have a little look because there's something there.

"He trained for a bit and then three weeks later just after the cup final Pep texted me and said, 'When you wanted me to have a look, is that what you meant?'

"It's gone from three weeks of training with the first team to playing in a cup final. You just don't know.

"You never know until someone actually steps foot in a stadium full of people with the team. I don't think you ever really know whether someone can play until they're put on the stage and given the opportunity."

Pep's 'holy trinity' ideal

The three things required to align for success at any club: manager, players and supporters.

Assistant manager Lijnders, who will also depart Liverpool this summer, believes that the late, great Bill Shankly was right in his belief, and it plays a huge role in his own footballing philosophy.

He said: "The feeling I get is seeing the fans. Nothing would have been possible without them pushing us and we give the light, the fire to them.

"They say the holy trinity – Shankly said the fans, the manager, in this case Jürgen, and the players, they three think the same about the game.

"That's the base of everything and I believe that. We were able to create that and that the fans think the same about the game and the players – I think that's something special."

'Forgive and you will be forgiven'

What is the best piece of advice Klopp has ever been given? We'll let the boss explain in his own words…

He begins: "It's in my prayers and it is 'forgive and you will be forgiven'.

"That helped me a lot in life. I can get angry, how you all know, for a moment, but I will not be angry for long.

"A couple of things happened to me in my life where I thought, 'OK, maybe that was a bit over the top and I should not deal with that person maybe anymore.'

"But I just cannot stay angry. That's just how it is. I try to do it with the way I treat people and that for me is forgive and you will be forgiven.

"I don't have to be perfect to be alright, let me say it like that. That's the best message I got in my life."

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