There is a Jürgen Klopp quote doing the rounds again today, and I have to admit, I absolutely love it.
Because Liverpool fans who lived through those incredible title races against Manchester City will remember just how painful they were.
Klopp’s Liverpool finished second to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in both 2018/19 and 2021/22, despite producing two extraordinary campaigns.
Liverpool finished the 2018/19 season with 97 points, losing just one league game. It still wasn’t enough, with City finishing on 98.
Three years later, Liverpool collected 92 points and again fell just short, as City finished on 93. The Premier League’s own records confirm the closeness of both title races.
And now, following today’s developments surrounding Manchester City’s financial case, Klopp’s words from 2024 have suddenly come back into the spotlight.
“If you organise a bus parade, I’m in!”
When Klopp was asked about the possibility of Manchester City being stripped of titles and Liverpool potentially benefiting, his response was absolutely classic Klopp.
“If you organise a bus parade, I am in! How long it takes I don’t care!”
That was Klopp.
No long explanation.
No carefully prepared answer.
Just pure Jürgen.
The comment came during his farewell period in 2024, when he was asked about the possibility of Liverpool being awarded titles if City were ultimately stripped of honours. The Guardian reported the exchange at Klopp’s farewell event in May 2024.
And now people are remembering it.
Those two title races still hurt
I don’t think you can properly explain what those seasons meant to Liverpool supporters unless you actually experienced them.
Liverpool won 30 of their 38 Premier League matches in 2018/19 and lost just once. Their 97 points remains one of the highest totals ever achieved by a team that didn’t win the Premier League.
Then came 2021/22.
Liverpool finished with 92 points and took the title race to the final day. The Reds did their job, beating Wolves 3-1, but City came from behind against Aston Villa to win 3-2 and retain the title.
It was relentless. Every time Liverpool won, City seemed to win too, and there was almost no room for error.
Klopp could only congratulate City afterwards while insisting Liverpool would go again.
Imagine Klopp actually getting his bus parade
This is where I can’t help smiling.
Imagine Jürgen Klopp actually coming back to Liverpool for a bus parade.
He left the club in 2024 after almost nine incredible years, having restored Liverpool to the very top of English and European football. He won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and Club World Cup.
But there was always a feeling that he should have won more Premier League titles.
Liverpool had extraordinary teams and were producing points totals that would normally be enough to win championships. They just happened to be competing against Manchester City at the height of Guardiola’s reign.
That is what makes the idea so compelling.
And that’s what makes today’s story so fascinating
I’m not going to start handing Liverpool trophies out just yet. The situation still has to run its course, and nobody knows what the final outcome will look like.
But there is something undeniably fascinating about seeing Klopp’s quote again now.
When he made that joke in 2024, it felt like classic Klopp humour.
Now?
People are looking at it slightly differently.
The latest developments have brought those old title races back into the conversation and, for Liverpool supporters, inevitably raise the question:
What if?
What if Liverpool had been awarded those titles?
What would those seasons be remembered as?
Would supporters finally get to look back at 2018/19 and say, “We were champions after all”?
Would that incredible 97-point campaign receive the recognition it deserves?
And most importantly…
Would Jürgen Klopp really come back for that bus parade?
I think we already know the answer.
He told us himself.
Klopp would probably love it
That’s one of the things I miss about Klopp.
He understood Liverpool supporters.
He understood the history.
He understood the emotion.
And he understood that sometimes football isn’t about giving the perfect answer.
Sometimes you just say:
“If you organise a bus parade, I’m in!”
I can imagine the scenes if it ever actually happened.
Klopp back in Liverpool.
Thousands of supporters lining the streets.
The players from those remarkable campaigns finally being celebrated.
And Klopp standing on top of the bus, probably laughing at the whole situation.
“How long it takes I don’t care!”
Classic Jürgen.
Whatever happens next, those title races will remain a huge part of Klopp’s Liverpool story. His team pushed City to extraordinary levels and showed just how good Liverpool could be.
So if that bus parade ever does happen…
I’ll be watching.
And I’m pretty sure I’ll know exactly who should be leading it.
Jürgen Klopp.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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