On 17 October 2015, Jurgen Klopp took his place on the bench for Liverpool for the first time and the stadium that made this debut was nothing more than a Tottenham gem, the White Hart Lions against the Spurs.
After the game, the special analysis of the match was written on the BBC: "Their playing styles may be different, but the roots of their football philosophy have a lot in common".
It's only 3,5 years before tonight, and the two coaches who know the culture of the management teams will lead their teams to the Metropolitan of Madrid to claim the most coveted prize in European soccer league, the Champions League.
Just as they did in preparation for last year's final against Real Madrid, Liverpool retired to a hotel just 15 minutes away from the impressive Marbella football center in the Spanish south. Predictors would say that he did not choose a change of routine wrongly, having in mind what happened last year in Kiev with the losing final. However, Clopos wants to get players away from the stress of a final. The decision has been clear for quite some time in training without distractions.
Poketino's approach is very different. For Argentina, there is nothing better than home. This probably comes as no surprise to behaviors and medals for a man who knows more than most coaches about extended pre-race training. These are the profits of being coached under the tutelage of Bielsa, in Newells and the Argentine national, when the historic manager banned his players even calling home more than once a day! Poketino acquired his psyche and now keeps players as close as possible to their nearest and dearest place of residence!
This year, one of the best coaches in the world will finally get the title he deserves - but the other will unfortunately stay at zero in the trophies. What will this be? Failure; For Pokettino who went Tottenham to a final? Or for the Clippers with two consecutive finals and claiming the premiere as the last race? Come on now We should probably start thinking about success differently.
And in the end, the question that will inevitably follow after the big match will be, what does the next day bring? Clop could consider extending the contract beyond 2022. He's so comfortable in the harbor at the moment that it doesn't seem to make any sense for a possible change, even though Florentino (one is Florentino) is a fan of him.
However, Poketino's future is less certain. after the semifinals Argentina had left open the possible farewell.
But these are all conversations that will start on Sunday. For today, just enjoy an epic finale.
