Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he is preparing himself for a "brutially emotional" farewell to the Borussia Dortmund fans at the end of the season.
Dortmund thumped SC Paderborn 3-0 at home on Saturday in the first game since the popular coach announced that he would be ending his seven-year spell at Signal Iduna Park.
The home crowd lauded the 47-year-old, who won two Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, toward the end of the encounter, and Klopp says that he will need a "thick shield" to protect him from his emotions after his final game in charge.
"I think it's really good that the crowd today was full. They [the fans] behaved properly [supporting the team as normal], because it today was not about me, but about the team having a good game," he told reporters.
"Of course it's nice when you are celebrated by the fans in the 88th minute, but we have some games left, so I try myself, as a person, not to embrace it, because I know that there will be a game at the end, where it will be brutally emotional.
"I will need a thick shield."
Klopp has been linked with replacing under-fire Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini in the summer.
Second-half goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Shinji Kagawa sealed the win for eighth-placed Dortmund.
Shane Callaghan
