Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
Odds by

Dortmund’s Mkhitaryan says life’s better without “football madman” Klopp

Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund - UEFA Europa League Round of 16: Second Leg

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 17: Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Borussia Dortmund is challenged by Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur during the UEFA Europa League round of 16, second leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund at White Hart Lane on March 17, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Getty Images

When Jurgen Klopp leads Liverpool into the Westfalenstadion on April 7 for a reunion with Borussia Dortmund, there will likely be a lot of smiles and hugs despite the stakes of a Europa League quarterfinal first leg.

But that doesn’t mean all the players miss playing for their old manager.

[ MORE: Hart & Sterling out for England; Heaton called up ]

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is loving BVB’s football under new manager Thomas Teuchel, who has the side five points back of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga table.

The 27-year-old Armenian isn’t likely to be making his way to Anfield, calling himself more useful in the new system. Mkhitaryan has 10 goals and 13 assists in the Bundesliga this year, and scored in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Augsburg. He’s added six goals and nine assists in the Europa League.

From The Independent:

“With Klopp, he was a football madman: pressure and counter-attack,” he said in an interview with Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Instead, Tuchel has changed our lives. Now we command the game and I have more freedom to attack. Thanks to him I now make myself more useful.”


There had been some speculation that Mkhitaryan could be one of the BVB veterans to join Klopp at Liverpool, but these quotes would seem to indicate the opposite. Much like Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich coming to Manchester City, success and happiness on the pitch can be exclusive concepts.

Follow @NicholasMendola