An animated Jurgen Klopp is talking bucket lists. The Liverpool manager's sporting passion extends way beyond the game which has brought him both fame and fortune.
“I have to watch hurling in Ireland,” he tells the ECHO.
“I also need to go to a Gaelic football match live for sure.
“I have this kind of list and seeing the All Blacks playing rugby is on there too, probably a home game.
“Cricket? Yeah, I need to experience it, I just don't understand the scores.
“I see them constantly flash up on the TV but I have no idea who's in the lead. It could take a while for me to get cricket. Baseball seems a bit easier to count the points at least.”
Klopp ticked that one off on a recent trip to Boston during the Reds' pre-season tour of America.
It will be three years in October since he arrived at Anfield but, remarkably, it was the first time he had visited the headquarters of owners Fenway Sports Group.
Klopp joined the FSG hierarchy of John W Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon at Fenway Park to watch their in-form Boston Red Sox take on Minnesota Twins.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp meets the ECHO's James Pearce
“Fenway Park is quite a spectacular place to be honest,” Klopp said.
“It's really interesting. I heard there was a picture of me at the game where I looked quite bored, I wasn't bored! I was concentrated, I tried to get the game.
“Tom Werner explained it to me. Not that complicated, even I understood after a few minutes that there are actually tactics.
“Before I just thought someone threw the ball and someone else just tried to shoot it out of the stadium.
“After nearly three years at Liverpool, it was time for me to see Boston at least. I flew over, had a few meetings and saw a baseball game. It was a nice experience, I enjoyed it.”
Henry's wife Linda Pizzuti ensured a trip to the Red Sox store was factored into the schedule. Klopp is now properly kitted out having been pictured wearing a New York Yankees cap while on holiday in Ibiza earlier this summer.
“To me, it just had New York on it,” Klopp explained. “They kindly gave me some Red Sox ones.”
Klopp immediately hit it off with Henry, Werner and Gordon when he met them for talks in New York in the autumn of 2015 about the possibility of taking over from Brendan Rodgers.
He enthusiastically mapped out his vision for Liverpool over six hours in a Madison Avenue law firm and within a week his appointment had been confirmed.
Since then the bond with FSG and in particular with Gordon has only strengthened. Trophies may have eluded the Reds but the rate of progress has been impressive.
Klopp described himself as 'The Normal One' at his Anfield unveiling, but Werner told the ECHO shortly before May's Champions League final in Kiev that 'The Exceptional One' was a more fitting description.
FSG's belief in Klopp is unwavering and the manager says they have backed him to the hilt.
His squad has been bolstered with £170million worth of talent this summer following the £75million swoop for Virgil van Dijk back in January. It was a mutual decision to sanction the £142million sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.
For more than six years Andy Carroll was Liverpool's record signing – that £35million figure has since been exceeded on six occasions.
“Absolutely, the relationship with the owners is strong,” Klopp said.
“It's been there from the first moment but it has grown in a pretty healthy way.
“From the sports side, we never ask for crazy things. It's not that we say: 'If we don't get this, we cannot do it.'
“I've always known about the things we could do and the opportunities we have. There has never been any need to moan.
“John and Tom are our owners too but Mike is my person. He's our man, in FSG he's the LFC man.
“He's doing an outstanding job and has a big heart for LFC, that's how it is. He loves the club and wants what's best for it – that's the truth.
“We like working together – Mike Gordon, (sporting director) Michael Edwards and myself. It's a really healthy relationship.”
Klopp insists the calibre of the Reds' leadership off the field is matched by the man wearing the armband on it.
Jordan Henderson is back at Melwood after an extended break following his exploits at the World Cup with England.
Typically, the Reds captain wanted to return early but Klopp was adamant that he needed to take three weeks off to rest after a gruelling year for both club and country.
This will be Henderson's fourth season as skipper. Some questioned where he would fit in after the signings of Naby Keita and Fabinho but he remains key to Klopp's plans.
"Hendo is so important to us, not only as a player but also as a person and as a leader," Klopp said.
"You need these players like Hendo and Millie (James Milner) to help create a special spirit in the squad, otherwise it doesn't work.
"There are no doubts about Hendo. I didn't need the final proof in and around the World Cup or in last season.
"He had to learn kind of a new position for him. I still remember the Burnley game (at Turf Moor in August 2016) when we lost 2-0 with 80% possession.
"Hendo for sure was involved in the first goal with a press ball that he didn't win. One of the main things I was asked about after the game was: 'Can he really play as the No 6?'
"I said: 'Yes, he can and he will.' He had to learn and he had to improve and that's exactly what he did.
"He can still play as the eight or we could play some games with a double six, Fabinho could play the eight or whatever, that's all possible.
"If things were fixed with just one line up and all the others were only needed when the rest are ill that would be the wrong way and we'd have no chance."
Klopp certainly boasts greater strength in depth for 2018/19 than at any other stage of his Anfield reign.
That was underlined during Saturday's 5-0 thrashing of Napoli in Dublin when he was able to unleash the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Daniel Sturridge, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri off the bench.
"What we've tried to do during this transfer window and during the last few as well is to widen the squad, to widen the quality," Klopp added.
"I really love our young boys, I really love them. But it's always in difficult moments in a season that you need them.
"It's so important that you are prepared for the times in the season when it is really intensive, like in January.
"If someone wants to see it in a difficult way – maybe August and September before the Champions League starts, before the League Cup starts, one or two players might think they don't play enough, but after that we will need them all constantly.
"If you have played 40 games at the end of this season that would be brilliant, not 50. Most of the boys probably played around 50 games last season but 43 or 44 would be perfect.
"Then you can keep the level really high. I am completely happy with the choice I have in this squad and Jordan will play a very important role."
“I have to watch hurling in Ireland,” he tells the ECHO.
“I also need to go to a Gaelic football match live for sure.
“I have this kind of list and seeing the All Blacks playing rugby is on there too, probably a home game.
“Cricket? Yeah, I need to experience it, I just don't understand the scores.
“I see them constantly flash up on the TV but I have no idea who's in the lead. It could take a while for me to get cricket. Baseball seems a bit easier to count the points at least.”
Klopp ticked that one off on a recent trip to Boston during the Reds' pre-season tour of America.
It will be three years in October since he arrived at Anfield but, remarkably, it was the first time he had visited the headquarters of owners Fenway Sports Group.
Klopp joined the FSG hierarchy of John W Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon at Fenway Park to watch their in-form Boston Red Sox take on Minnesota Twins.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp meets the ECHO's James Pearce
“Fenway Park is quite a spectacular place to be honest,” Klopp said.
“It's really interesting. I heard there was a picture of me at the game where I looked quite bored, I wasn't bored! I was concentrated, I tried to get the game.
“Tom Werner explained it to me. Not that complicated, even I understood after a few minutes that there are actually tactics.
“Before I just thought someone threw the ball and someone else just tried to shoot it out of the stadium.
“After nearly three years at Liverpool, it was time for me to see Boston at least. I flew over, had a few meetings and saw a baseball game. It was a nice experience, I enjoyed it.”
Henry's wife Linda Pizzuti ensured a trip to the Red Sox store was factored into the schedule. Klopp is now properly kitted out having been pictured wearing a New York Yankees cap while on holiday in Ibiza earlier this summer.
“To me, it just had New York on it,” Klopp explained. “They kindly gave me some Red Sox ones.”
Klopp immediately hit it off with Henry, Werner and Gordon when he met them for talks in New York in the autumn of 2015 about the possibility of taking over from Brendan Rodgers.
He enthusiastically mapped out his vision for Liverpool over six hours in a Madison Avenue law firm and within a week his appointment had been confirmed.
Since then the bond with FSG and in particular with Gordon has only strengthened. Trophies may have eluded the Reds but the rate of progress has been impressive.
Klopp described himself as 'The Normal One' at his Anfield unveiling, but Werner told the ECHO shortly before May's Champions League final in Kiev that 'The Exceptional One' was a more fitting description.
FSG's belief in Klopp is unwavering and the manager says they have backed him to the hilt.
His squad has been bolstered with £170million worth of talent this summer following the £75million swoop for Virgil van Dijk back in January. It was a mutual decision to sanction the £142million sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.
For more than six years Andy Carroll was Liverpool's record signing – that £35million figure has since been exceeded on six occasions.
“Absolutely, the relationship with the owners is strong,” Klopp said.
“It's been there from the first moment but it has grown in a pretty healthy way.
“From the sports side, we never ask for crazy things. It's not that we say: 'If we don't get this, we cannot do it.'
“I've always known about the things we could do and the opportunities we have. There has never been any need to moan.
“John and Tom are our owners too but Mike is my person. He's our man, in FSG he's the LFC man.
“He's doing an outstanding job and has a big heart for LFC, that's how it is. He loves the club and wants what's best for it – that's the truth.
“We like working together – Mike Gordon, (sporting director) Michael Edwards and myself. It's a really healthy relationship.”
Klopp insists the calibre of the Reds' leadership off the field is matched by the man wearing the armband on it.
Jordan Henderson is back at Melwood after an extended break following his exploits at the World Cup with England.
Typically, the Reds captain wanted to return early but Klopp was adamant that he needed to take three weeks off to rest after a gruelling year for both club and country.
This will be Henderson's fourth season as skipper. Some questioned where he would fit in after the signings of Naby Keita and Fabinho but he remains key to Klopp's plans.
"Hendo is so important to us, not only as a player but also as a person and as a leader," Klopp said.
"You need these players like Hendo and Millie (James Milner) to help create a special spirit in the squad, otherwise it doesn't work.
"There are no doubts about Hendo. I didn't need the final proof in and around the World Cup or in last season.
"He had to learn kind of a new position for him. I still remember the Burnley game (at Turf Moor in August 2016) when we lost 2-0 with 80% possession.
"Hendo for sure was involved in the first goal with a press ball that he didn't win. One of the main things I was asked about after the game was: 'Can he really play as the No 6?'
"I said: 'Yes, he can and he will.' He had to learn and he had to improve and that's exactly what he did.
"He can still play as the eight or we could play some games with a double six, Fabinho could play the eight or whatever, that's all possible.
"If things were fixed with just one line up and all the others were only needed when the rest are ill that would be the wrong way and we'd have no chance."
Klopp certainly boasts greater strength in depth for 2018/19 than at any other stage of his Anfield reign.
That was underlined during Saturday's 5-0 thrashing of Napoli in Dublin when he was able to unleash the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Daniel Sturridge, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri off the bench.
"What we've tried to do during this transfer window and during the last few as well is to widen the squad, to widen the quality," Klopp added.
"I really love our young boys, I really love them. But it's always in difficult moments in a season that you need them.
"It's so important that you are prepared for the times in the season when it is really intensive, like in January.
"If someone wants to see it in a difficult way – maybe August and September before the Champions League starts, before the League Cup starts, one or two players might think they don't play enough, but after that we will need them all constantly.
"If you have played 40 games at the end of this season that would be brilliant, not 50. Most of the boys probably played around 50 games last season but 43 or 44 would be perfect.
"Then you can keep the level really high. I am completely happy with the choice I have in this squad and Jordan will play a very important role."
