Bundesliga
Klopp: "I see myself as an advisor"
The former Borussia Dortmund and Mainz coach spoke about his new job of Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull during a press conference in Salzburg, Austria. He identified developments at his former clubs as a model RB Leipzig could follow and underlined that he will take an advisory role.
The legendary coach, who took Mainz into the Bundesliga for the first time in 2003/04 and led Borussia Dortmund to back-to-back German titles in 2010/11 and 2011/12, described his new role as a behind-the-scenes job focused on guiding how Leipzig and other Red Bull-associated clubs in Austria, France, USA, Brazil and Japan might develop.
Klopp explained how his past experience in the Bundesliga may help his work with Leipzig and other clubs, saying: "My job as a coach has always had some of the strategic side to it. At Mainz, I worked with people on improving the club and by the time I left for Dortmund, it was a completely different club.
"We tried to improve everything with the resources that we had. We also had to change Dortmund when I arrived, and by the time I left it was a different animal. I was always interested in looking at the infrastructure and culture - that can always be improved at a club, and sometimes you need an outside view for that."
The 57-year-old stressed that day-to-day operations in Leipzig and elsewhere will remain a matter for the respective clubs' management.
Klopp assured the assembled reporters that he has no plans to coach Leipzig or other clubs under the Red Bull umbrella at any stage, saying his role would be to instead to support the coaches already in place. He added that the fact he already knows Marco Rose well, having previously been his coach at Mainz, will aid their co-operation.
The former Liverpool boss did not outline specific targets for Leipzig, saying: "We want to be the best we can in each club."
In addressing questions why he chose to work in an advisory role for Leipzig having previously been employed by more traditional clubs, Klopp spoke about his impressions after attending their Red Bull Arena for the first time in his new position in Leipzig's 4-2 win over Werder Bremen on Matchday 16.
He said: "I saw 47,000 supporters there, and 42,000 of them were supporting Leipzig, and I thought. 'Do they not deserve good football?' I love the fact football can give positive vibes to a region."
Comparing himself to a doctor who should not care about the background of his patients, Klopp added: "I'm Doctor Football, I love helping wherever I can."