Jürgen Klopp spent two hours unpacking how he leads people and how he thinks about clubs on the podcast: The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett. It felt less like a victory lap and more like a clear explanation of methods that made sense in the hardest moments as well as the best ones.

The conversation turned when he described why equal treatment and fair treatment are not the same idea. “You would never say that to him,” a player once told him. Klopp’s reply was blunt and human: “No, because he’s from Argentina, grew up without a window, and you are from Munich, and everything was fine.” The point was not about stereotypes. It was about starting from who a person is and what they have lived.

Accountability, he said, was collective and quick. “We had situations that players posted something at night and deleted it, but I still got aware of it,” he said. “Even deleted, I go in the dressing room… I know what’s there, but maybe you want to tell everybody.” It happened once, in public, and the behavior stopped.

Klopp also gave the story that many wanted to hear. He confirmed Manchester United “tried,” to hire hij and then he explained why he said no.

“United was that big, ‘we get all the players we want… we get him, we get him,’ and I was sitting there.” He concluded, “It was not my project… bringing him back never helps,” a reference to the allure of returning stars.

The contrast with the “pure football project” he later found at Liverpool was unmistakable.

He could still needle, too. When host Steven Bartlett spoke about long‑term culture, Klopp smiled: “The only problem is you have no clue about football, but besides that, that’s a small problem.” It landed as a joke and a reminder that shiny plans do not replace coaching work.

What the future holds for Klopp

The line that traveled furthest arrived late. “I said I will never coach a different team in England. So that means if then it’s Liverpool. So, yeah, theoretically, it’s possible.” He quickly set the limits. “I love what I do right now… I don’t miss coaching… I don’t miss going to press conferences three times a week.” The message read as permission to hope, not a promise to return.

There was grief in the room as well. Speaking about Diogo Jota, Klopp said, “I cannot imagine right now the dressing room without him being there… I still cannot speak properly about it.” The effect of that loss on people, more than on tactics, was the point.

He also spoke respectfully about what comes next for the club he left. He praised the talent in the squad and singled out Florian Wirtz as a difference‑maker. That sentiment fits Liverpool’s post‑Klopp era, where structure and recruitment have shifted without abandoning identity. His answer suggested belief in the project rather than longing for the dugout.

Strip the headlines away and the interview reads like a guide to managing a high‑pressure workplace. Listen first—set standards in daylight. Pick projects over promises. And leave room, just a little, for the future to surprise you.