Energy is a word that has been of relative importance in recent weeks, as two managers from the biggest football clubs in the world, Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool and Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona, have confirmed their departures from their respective clubs, following the conclusion of the current football campaign.

“I am – how can I say it? – running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.

My managerial skills are based on energy and emotion and that takes all of you and needs all of you. I am who I am and where I am because of how I am, with all the good and bad things, and if I can not do it any more then stop it. It was not my idea when I signed a new contract. I was 100% convinced in this moment that we would go until 2026. I judged it wrong. I underestimated because I thought my energy level was endless and now it is not.”

These are the words of Klopp that has made Liverpool very competitive since he took over from Brendan Rodgers following that title challenge that hilariously went off the rails in the business end of the 2013/14 season. Liverpool is Klopp’s third team he has ever managed, showing great loyalty in all the teams he represented.

Klopp spent seven years at Mainz, securing a Bundesliga promotion for the club, before moving to Borussia Dortmund in 2008, winning two Bundesliga titles off the Bayern Munich juggernaut, one DFB Pokal alongside two Cup finals, two DFB Supercups and one UEFA Champions League final in 2013. The German manager moved to Liverpool after seven years with Dortmund, revolutionized the way the Reds played, paving the way for many future stars and winning trophies to match – one EFL Cup, one FA Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one FA Cup, one Community Shield, one UEFA Champions League and the club’s first Premier League title in 30 years.

While it’s sad to see that there’d be no more Kloppage Time, you can also understand Klopp’s frustrations challenging a team like Manchester City for the Premier League title. He has confirmed that he’s not coming back to England under any circumstance, and with Liverpool currently in pole position in the Premier League, you’d imagine that the players will go all out to see Klopp leave on a high note, and yes, they have the quality to do it. 

Xabi Alonso has already been earmarked as a potential replacement, and in all honesty, he has been doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. They are currently unbeaten in the Bundesliga but have the obvious threat of Bayern Munich to contend with, as they are only two points ahead of the Bavarians in the title run-in. Alonso’s team is also in the DFB Pokal quarterfinals and Europa League knockout round, so there’s a lot to play for this season.

Hopefully, these Liverpool links don’t serve as a distraction for the young Spanish manager and he would want to leave Leverkusen in the best possible shape before leaving for such a massive job like Liverpool. 

Elsewhere, Xavi has confirmed that he’s leaving Barcelona, but unlike Klopp, Xavi seems really frustrated,

You often feel there is lack of respect, you feel that your work is not appreciated. It wears you down terribly, in terms of health, of mental health, your mood, your emotional state. I am a positive guy but the energy goes down, down, down, until the point at which you say: it makes no sense. It makes no sense to continue. That’s how I explain it.

Being Barça coach is so difficult. You see how they kill you, they criticize you, it affects you.

Xavi joined Barcelona in September 2021 when they were in the trenches, and he focused on giving chances to some of their youngsters and went really far in the Europa League. Last season was quite good for Xavi and Barcelona, with the club winning the La Liga, and everything looked peachy and creamy, but this season has been quite disastrous.

Barcelona is currently fourth in La Liga, some 11 points behind the surprise leaders, Girona. January was a shocking month for the club in terms of their domestic cup competitions, crashing out of the quarterfinals at the hands of Athletic Bilbao, as well as losing to Real Madrid shambolically in the Super Cup finals. The only hope of silverware is in the Champions League, but they have to navigate the double legged clash with Napoli and will still have the threat of other strong teams in Europe.

There hasn’t been any whispers on who would replace Xavi, but in as much as Barcelona remains one of the biggest clubs in world football, the club is in shambles right now – their financial issues have been well documented, their recent recruitment haven’t lit any fireworks and their ancestral home of Camp Nou has been out of commission due to renovation. 

While Klopp and Xavi have dominated the headlines based on news of their imminent departures, should we expect this to become a bandwagon? 

Sayonara.

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