Hans-Joachim Watzke: 'Jurgen Klopp can repeat Borussia Dortmund success'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 08 March 2016

The man who appointed Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, Hans-Joachim Watzke, backs the eccentric boss to achieve similar success at Liverpool in the next few years.

Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has suggested that it will take three years for Jurgen Klopp to make a telling impact at Liverpool.

The 48-year-old, who spent a total of seven years at Dortmund, has made small strides since taking charge of the Merseyside outfit in October.

During his time with Die Borussen, Klopp built a group of players capable of challenging on both domestic and European fronts, but Watzke believes that the key to success is keeping patient in the early days.

"It took Jurgen three years," he told The Sun. "Before he came we finished 13th and then sixth in his first season. The next year we were fifth and the following year, as the team grew, we won the title.

"People at Liverpool, the owners, believe in him and he has the time. It's better now to beat Manchester City and lose to Swansea than vice versa.

"It's easier to find the style to beat Swansea than to beat Man City. Jurgen is a fantastic coach and if the owners of Liverpool believe in Jurgen they will have success."

Among Klopp's achievements as Dortmund boss was a run to the Champions League final in 2013 and back-to-back Bundesliga titles in the two years prior.