Just one of four players to play for both Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, Karl-Heinz Riedle is better placed than most to comment on making the transition from the Westfalenstadion to Anfield.
In June 1996, Riedle was scoring twice in Dortmund’s 3-1 Champions League final win over Juventus. Six weeks later he sealed his transfer to Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp made the move in October 2015 after three months spent outside of management and is currently midway through his third season on Merseyside.
Jurgen Klopp is the right man to continue taking Liverpool forward, believes Karl-Heinz Riedle
Klopp is a favourite among his players and Liverpool fans due to his charismatic approach
Klopp has charmed the majority of Anfield’s supoort with his passion for the game and his connection with the fans, just as he did in Dortmund. But even Riedle admits sometimes the manager goes a little too far with his antics on the Anfield touchline.
‘He is a special guy full of emotions,’ Riedle tells Sportsmail. ‘He never holds it back and sometimes maybe it’s too much!’
‘But in Dortmund the fans absolutely loved him and I know a lot of Liverpool fans do too. He is absolutely the right man for them.’
Klopp’s tenure at Liverpool so far has produced a lot of free-flowing football, a lot of excitement but nothing in the way of silverware.
The German’s time at Dortmund was similarly trophy-less for the first two seasons but he then led the club to the first of two back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011.
However, Riedle believes that Klopp must start delivering with trophies at Anfield
But while Riedle believes Klopp has been a success so far at Liverpool, the former Germany international knows his compatriot must win something soon.
‘The way football works is you must win titles in the near future and Jurgen knows that he is no different. Emotion won’t win them for you.
‘I don’t know that he is under pressure but Liverpool is definitely a club with big expectations and when he arrived he made a promise to win titles.
‘At Dortmund it took him three years but maybe at Liverpool it is harder because in England there are five or six teams who can challenge for the title. They are not far away but Manchester City are so strong this year.’
While the Premier League might be out of Liverpool’s reach this season, they are 18 points off leaders Manchester City, Riedle thinks his former side have a genuine chance in the Champions League.
Liverpool face Porto in the knockout stages with the first leg of their last-16 tie in Portugal on Wednesday evening and Riedle is backing his former side to make an impact in this season’s competition.
‘With their attacking potential of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino they can be outstanding in European football,’ Riedle added. ‘And Klopp knows exactly what to do on the European stage.’
While Liverpool were involved in the January window’s two biggest transfers – selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for £145million and signing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for £75m – Riedle’s former employers Dortmund were also in the thick of the action.
Arsenal signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the Germans for a club-record £56m, reuniting the striker with his former Dortmund team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Aubameyang finished with 141 goals in 213 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund but his final six months at the club were marred by indiscipline.
Klopp is currently preparing his side for their Champions League last-16 tie against Porto
The Gabon international was suspended twice by the club this season, once for making an unauthorised trip to Barcelona to visit former team-mate Ousmane Dembele and once for skipping a compulsory team meeting, before joining Arsenal.
Dembele meanwhile had spent just one season in Dortmund but forced through a move to Barcelona in the summer by skipping pre-season training sessions.
And Riedle admits he was annoyed about the way how Aubameyang and Dembele left the Westfalenstadion but insists Arsenal should not be concerned about their new signing’s professionalism.
‘The way players these days are getting out of their contracts makes me angry,’ Riedle said. ‘Players put so much pressure on the club to let them go.’
Riedle says Arsenal shouldn’t be worried about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s professionalism
He added: ‘Aubameyang was turning up late for team meetings, not coming back from holidays in time… you cannot do this.
‘But for Arsenal I wouldn’t worry too much because he was a fantastic professional for years. Maybe he was just not well-advised by his friends or his agent then but I think Arsenal are getting a really great player.’
‘And with Henrikh Mkihitaryan [who joined from Manchester United] he was doing fantastic and becoming something we’d never seen before at Dortmund. They really have a great understanding.
‘At United I think Mkhi suffered because he is a sensitive player who needs the support of the coach. Now he’s at Arsenal together with Aubameyang, I think in the long term he will be a big success.’
He also feels Henrikh Mkhitaryan will prove a success there after leaving Manchester United
Karl-Heinz Riedle was in Dortmund with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to meet fans ahead of the club’s next fixture. To see how the Car Rental Company creates unique experiences and provides special offers for football fans, visit www..enterprise.co.uk