Like most top managers, Jurgen Klopp displayed both cheerful and cutthroat parts of his personality – and Adam Bogdan saw them first-hand.
The former Hungary international joined Liverpool from Bolton Wanderers in the summer of 2015, just a few months before Klopp took over at Anfield. And it was prior to Klopp’s arrival on Merseyside that Bogdan saved three penalties in a League Cup shootout win over Carlisle, with the Reds going on to finish as runners-up against Manchester City in the competition that season.
A ruthless start to life at Anfield saw Bogdan, 36, relegated to third choice among Klopp’s goalkeepers. However, the manager later proved he had a heart with one gesture that Bogdan will never forget.
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“Danny Ward came back to the club in January 2016, a couple of months after Klopp arrived,” Bogdan exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone (via The Mirror). “I had no complaints about that decision, because I wasn’t doing well. The way that I found out about that decision was not very nice, though, and that, coupled with the fact I knew I wasn’t doing as well as I knew I could, it brought a lot of emotion out of me.”
“You start self-blaming, and your head is down, and you just can’t afford to do those kind of things at top clubs like Liverpool. The one thing Jurgen Klopp did do, though, was put me on the bench for the Carabao Cup final. Even though I was third-choice at the time, he put me back on the bench, which was a touch that I will never forget.”
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“That’s a class act from him, even when I put aside everything that happened with Danny coming back to the club, or whatever he thought of me. He realised that I was a big part of that cup run and he put me back into the squad at Wembley to recognise that.”
Liverpool eventually lost the 2016 Carabao Cup final to Manchester City following a penalty shootout, having previously beaten Stoke in another. It marked the only season where Bogdan had any significant impact at the club, having spent periods on loan at Wigan and Hibernian, before departing Anfield for free in 2020.
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Klopp, 56, has been regarded by some as the affectionate, emotionally charged coach while others see him as a shrewd strategist. But as his nine-year stint at Liverpool nears its conclusion this summer, there’s no denying that regardless of his methods, the former Borussia Dortmund gaffer has restored pride to Anfield.
Despite not securing the title that day at Wembley, Bogdan has always cherished his involvement. Interestingly, Klopp’s tenure at Liverpool began and ended with a League Cup final in his first and last seasons, but this time they managed to triumph over Chelsea.