The air in the locker room was intense. Currently every team member whether it's starters or substitutes, had crammed into the tactical meeting room. But the coaching staff was nowhere to be seen – most likely they too had fired together with Doll.
The space felt strange without them, like a classroom missing the teacher. And most of the players were anxious.
It was not that they loved the past coach very much. The change in manager means change in tactics, which means change in starting eleven, which could potentially affect the daily hood of every player. Even Marco was slightly anxious, even though he knew he was very compatible with Klopp's coaching philosophy.
Amid the tense atmosphere, the door to the room opened with a slight creek.
Hans-Joachim Watzke, the CEO, entered the room first. He was a tall and composed man with a very noticeable presence. But for the players, at this time, he was almost invisible. Because he was followed by a middle aged man with wire-rimmed glasses.
Jurgen Klopp.
His energy and presence was noticeable that he seemed like a volcano, ready to erupt at the slightest notice. He wore a track suit, but somehow made it look authoritative. His eyes were intense, observing the room with the confidence of man who wants to conquer everything.
And the confidence was not strange at all. Considering his achievement at his past club, Mainz, his confidence was well placed.
The club FSV Mainz 05 was a small, perennial second-division side with a tiny budget and no history in the top flight. It was even dubbed as the unpromotable club by the media.
After two agonizing "near-misses" where the finished fourth on the second division table, under the command of Klopp, they finally marched into their first-ever Bundesliga promotion in the year 2004.
Despite having the league's smallest stadium and budget, he kept them in the Bundesliga for three years, even qualifying for the UEFA Cup through the fair play draw.
But last year they were relegated and failed to return immediately the next year, he voluntarily resigned. His farewell speech in front of thousands of weeping fans proved he wasn't just a coach – he was a leader of people.
Watzke moved to the front. Klopp stood behind him, hands in pockets, studying the team silently with his intense eyes.
"Gentlemen," Watzke began. "You must have watched the press conference. As you've heard, we've made a change in the coaching staff. Thomas Doll is no longer with the club. Some may have some complaints, but this wasn't a decision that was made lightly, but we believe it's necessary for Dortmund's future."
He gestured to Klopp. "This is Jurgen Klopp. He is our new manager. He has done an excellent job at Mainz to become your new head coach. I'll let him introduce himself."
Watzke stepped back.
Klopp stepped forward.
For a long moment, he said nothing. Just exchanging gazes with the whole squad. In his eyes there was no judgement or recognition. He looked directly at them, not their past, not their current skills. Seeing each player as an individual.
Then he let a genuine smile appear on this face.
"Hello," he simply started. His voice was rough, energetic like a compressed lighting. "I am Jurgen Klopp. And I am going to make you into champions."
Suddenly there was a small bout of silence in the room. But after processing the words, the players didn't take it seriously, just treating it as some casual words. Some one even let out a slight snort from the back.
Klopp heard it. But his smile only widened after.
"You don't believe me. Good. I dont need your belief. I need WORK." He started pacing, hand animated. "Belief comes later. After you've sweat, after you've bled, after you chase down every ball like your life depending on it."
He stopped pacing, stood at the center.
"Let me tell you what I saw at Mainz. I saw a team that was supposed to be relegated. Small budget, no stars, no history, small stadium, poor training facilities. And we stayed up, then we improved. Then we got promoted. Then we stayed in the Bundesliga for years against the club with ten times our resources."
"You know how we did it? Through PRESSING. Aggressive, relentless, suffocating pressing. We didn't have the best players, so we made sure our opponents couldn't use their best players."
As soon as he finished those words, there was a slight shift in the room. Young players had a light of hope and anticipation shining in their eyes, while the demeanor of the veterans seemed to be gloomy.
Aggressive, relentless pressing tactics demanded high physical fitness and recovery abilities from the players. Veterans who were past their prime cannot cope with this high demanding style, but the young and upcoming players have plenty of energy to spare.
Klopp also noticed this, and continued his speech, "Every one will get their chance. We can't rely on just eleven players to carry the team with the same intensity all along. I don't want the whole squad to burn out at the half way point. I want the youth's energy and passion, but i am also going to need the experience of veterans."
He paused for a moment and continued.
"I don't care about what you did in the past, how many accolades are on your shelf. I don't care if you were a bench warmer in the past or did not have anything special. I don't care about all that. But this.
He pointed at his heart.
"I care about THIS. Your heart. Your commitment. Your willingness to SUFFER for your teammates."
"We're going to make every opponent hate playing against us. They'll wake up the night before facing Dortmund in a cold sweat, knowing they're about to run for ninety minutes."
After a moment of silence, Hummels raised his hand.
Klopp pointed at him. "Yes?"
"If we press that high, the defensive line needs to be extremely high as well. Thirty meters from goal, maybe closer. Are we really going to play with such a defence."
His confusion was justified since in this era a high defensive line considered radical and risky. The low block defence was mainstream.
Klopp's grin got wider. "What's your name?"
"Mats Hummels. Sir. I play as the center back"
"Well, Mats Hummels, your doubt is justified. You clearly understood my game. Good." Klopp pointed at him. "The line WILL be high. Very high. Twenty-five to thirty meters depending on the opponent's position. Think you can handle that?"
Hummels didn't hesitate. "Yes, coach."