Roy Keane left with egg on face after ‘cringing’ at famous Jurgen Klopp Liverpool moment

Roy Keane said that he ‘cringed’ at one of Jurgen Klopp’s most famous moments at Liverpool, but admitted that the ‘smart cookie’ of a manager was proved right.

Liverpool has officially got its new era underway, with Arne Slot in place at the training ground and making plans for the new season. But the Dutchman has a huge act to follow, after the glittering tenure of Jurgen Klopp — with Roy Keane admitting last month that he was wrong to ‘cringe’ at one of the manager’s more famous moments.

Klopp would of course go on to win every major trophy at Anfield, ending Liverpool’s long wait for the Premier League crown while also reaching three Champions League finals, winning one. But it was a major coup for the Reds to even attract him in the first place, while languishing in mid-table after the Brendan Rodgers era took a steep downturn.

Before going for the top prizes, Klopp had to turn Liverpool into a top-four club again. That involved overhauling the squad, but also the whole mentality of the club.

On day one, he issued his famous ‘doubters to believers’ mantra. And much of his early reign was dedicated to transforming the culture on and off the pitch.

Nonetheless, Keane was one of many to ‘cringe’ when Klopp got his team to link hands and go to the fans after a home draw against West Brom in December 2015. The Midlands club was firmly rooted in lower midtable, but it took a 95th minute equalizer from Divock Origi for Liverpool to snatch a point.

Under the instruction of Klopp, the team went over to the Kop, saluting the fans and celebrating the fruits of fighting to the end. But at the time, the German was one of the few to see the big picture.

“I was at home cringing going ‘what’s this guy up to?'”, Keane admitted to Sky Sports last month. “But he knew what he was doing. He’s a smart cookie.

“Huge respect for what he’s done with the club from his personality to style of football. They’re back competing at the highest level.”

Liverpool.com says: Years later, Liverpool players would go over to the Kop in a similar fashion after that iconic fightback against Barcelona. You can draw a line between that and the West Brom game.

It’s not a direct link, but Klopp had to sow the seeds of that never-say-die attitude, that unwavering self-belief. He was never celebrating a point against West Brom, he was celebrating what it represented. Keane wasn’t the only one to miss it at the time, but he was certainly left looking foolish.

Now it’s up to Slot to set a culture of his own. Fortunately, he inherits a pretty great starting point from Klopp, with far less work to be done.