After Jurgen Klopp became the first Liverpool manager to win 50 European games on Thursday night he insisted “everybody will hate it.”
Klopp changed his entire team for the opening game of the Europa League group stage away to LASK and, despite falling behind, Liverpool won 3-1.
That victory broke a tie for most European victories with Rafa Benitez who won 49 games between 2004 and 2010 and, like Klopp, led the club to a Champions League title.
The victory put Liverpool top of Group E which also contains Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse who drew on Thursday.
“Let me say it like this, if I still have 50 after the group stage, then even if I’ve still got the most wins in Europe as a Liverpool manager then everybody will hate that,” he said.
“It’s nice,” he added. “We have played a lot of games in Europe, but it is good we have won that many and we have frequently qualified for finals.”
“It’s great, but probably because the competition now has so many more games than in the past.”
Bob Paisley, who won three European Cups with Liverpool won 39 European games, out of 61. His legendary predecessor Bill Shankly won 34 out of 65 and led the club to a first European trophy: the UEFA Cup in 1973.
Thursday night was Klopp’s 82nd European game at the club. Benitez managed the club in 85.
