Eimear Ryan: Part mascot, part manager: We all project onto Jürgen Klopp

Klopp's detractors seem to take umbrage with his hugs, his touchy-feeliness, his exuberant celebrations after goals – in short, his full range of emotional expression

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has cut a forlorn, puffy-coated figure of late, stalking the sidelines of empty stadiums. Picture: PA

When I open the upper left cabinet in my kitchen – the press that contains tea, chocolate, and carbohydrates, and thus is opened more frequently than any other – I am met with the smiling face of Jürgen Klopp. 

It is a postcard of Klopp’s official squad portrait from the 2016-17 season, purchased at Anfield several years ago, largely due to its being the cheapest souvenir in the official merch store. When we got home, the postcard was blu-tacked to the inside of the cabinet door – initially as a joke, but no one has ever been inclined to take it down since.