Bayern Munich’s prolific goal scorer Robert Lewandowski has stated that Jurgen Klopp is his favorite manager. The Polish striker had worked with the Liverpool FC coach during their time at Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. Lewandowski’s attacking exploits were further developed under Klopp at Dortmund, which made Bayern Munich take notice of him and sign him shortly thereafter.
Lewandowski termed Klopp to be an amazing human being besides being a great football manager. Moreover, the 31-year old Bayern star added that the German coach had “two faces”, with one face representing a caring father, while the other displayed qualities of a commanding coach.
“[Klopp] has two faces. You can see that he is kind of like a father, but the second part is like a coach, a manager. He can tell you everything – and I’m not speaking about the good things – about the bad things.
“His performance as a coach is amazing, but not only as a coach but also as a man.”
It was Klopp who had signed Lewandowski for Dortmund back in 2010 from Polish side Lech Poznan. The two men then went on to work together across four seasons at the German club, winning two Bundesliga titles in the process. Moreover, Klopp’s Dortmund side were successful in reaching the finals of the 2013 Champions League, only to lose to arch-rivals Bayern.
The Dortmund side put together by Klopp, consisted of world-beaters like Lewandowski, Marco Reus, Matt Hummels, and Mario Gotze. The German side achieved widespread dominance in the Bundesliga with back-to-back league titles. Dortmund’s run of form also established them as a clear challenger to Bayern’s stronghold over Germany’s topflight football.
Lewandowski claimed that for him, Klopp was a better manager than Pep Guardiola. The latter had coached the Polish striker following his move to Bayern Munich. The duo had worked together for a span of three years, achieving Bundesliga dominance in all seasons. However, Guardiola had failed to win the coveted Champions League trophy with a world-class Bayern Munich side.
“I think…Jurgen Klopp [is my favourite] and after that Pep Guardiola. 100 per cent.
Last season too, Klopp’s former disciple had heaped huge praise on the Liverpool FC manager. Bayern Munich had been due to face the Reds in a two-legged Round of 16 tie in the Champions League. Prior to the first leg, the Polish international had expressed his gratitude towards Klopp for the German’s contribution to his overall development as a player.
Lewandowski had labeled Klopp to be a huge influence on his playing career since their days at Dortmund. Moreover, he had voiced his delight of having had the glorious opportunity to work under the German coach’s expertise.
