Jurgen Klopp and his gegenpress provide blueprint for climate crisis

In the golden age of over-analysis, we describe football tactics as chess moves or guerrilla warfare. But here’s a novel take: Jurgen Klopp’s gegenpressing is basically football’s renewable energy revolution.

Yes, really.

Because at its core, gegenpressing is about efficiency, regeneration and maximising output with minimal waste – the same principles underpinning wind turbines and solar farms. Sounds like something you’d hear at a climate summit, doesn’t it?

High-Intensity Football, Low-Carbon Vibes
Under Klopp, Liverpool didn’t just press, they swarmed. Lose possession? Expect 10 players to bury the ball within seconds. But this wasn’t a panic response; it was structured energy deployment.

Think of it like solar panels: storing energy when the sun shines – i.e., pressing high to force turnovers and releasing it exactly when needed, crushing opponents in midfield or deep in their own half. Every sprint was about recycling momentum, reclaiming possession high, striking fast and sidestepping the waste of chasing back to defend. That’s textbook energy efficiency.

Stats back it up. During peak Klopp years, Liverpool typically led the Premier League in distance covered per game and presses per 90 minutes. Players like Gini Wijnaldum were logging unprecedented kilometres per match. It wasn’t just hard work; it was work designed to squeeze maximum output with minimal waste.

The Sustainability Paradox
But while gegenpressing is like a well-oiled electric vehicle (we’re not gonna namecheck Elmo’s brand), it might not be sustainable across a full season or longer. Players burn out. Ligaments snap like overloaded circuits. Even Liverpool’s machine hit limits.

Wijnaldum was the perfect example. In 2019, he was Liverpool’s heartbeat – sprinting, covering, connecting and looking like he could power a small city. By 2021 at Paris Saint-Germain, though, he looked spent. That trademark relentless energy had run dry.

Klopp has admitted the difficulty of sustaining his energy-sapping style. “It’s really tough to play the kind of football we want for 60 games a season,” he said in 2020. “You need a big squad and good players to do that.”

It’s thrilling in bursts, but over 60-plus games, it strains the squad, like trying to run your grid solely on kettles and vibes.

READ: Mo Salah is first name on the Net-Zero XI teamsheet as green clubs rewarded

Klopp: The Eco Manager?
Off the pitch, Klopp has openly used carbon-conscious rhetoric. He’s taken aim at private jets. “I think private jets are just not good,” he told the BBC in 2021. “They are not good for the environment and that’s a fact.”

He’s also criticised over-tourism, urging clubs to rethink endless overseas tours. While Liverpool haven’t published a climate white paper, they’ve quietly launched The Red Way, aimed at reducing single-use plastics, slashing carbon emissions and even rolling out plant-based options at Anfield, a move apparently in alignment with their former manager’s beliefs.

So yes, his football might burn bright and fast, but Klopp’s off-field philosophy echoes his on-field method – smart, renewable, restorative.

For balance, let’s run the Klopp metaphor across other managers…

• Pep Guardiola – Nuclear Power: Efficient, unstoppable, needing constant regulation. Holds a steady, high yield, but a meltdown can be spectacular (see over-thought tactical plans in the Champions League knockout rounds).
• Mikel Arteta – Wind Turbines: When the system flows, the ball moves like air, generating beautiful football. But when the energy dies, it’s all static and frustration. Title challenges fade when the Gunners lose the wind at their backs.
• Sean Dyche – Coal: Reliable, hardworking, gets the job done. No frills. Heavy on default power, heavy on carbon, too.
• Mauricio Pochettino – Hydrogen: Full of promise – flexible, powerful – but volatile. Explosive mixes of success and bust.

The Real-World Impact
The Premier League has set its own Environmental Sustainability Strategy, aiming for net-zero by 2050. Clubs like Liverpool – through stadium LED lighting, reduced plastic and fan initiatives – are already making inroads.

Klopp’s outspoken barbs, like calling private jet use “useless” and urging responsible club travel, add weight. For a man who drove fans wild with emotion, he also nudged them toward conscious energy use.

Winning titles? Renewable, even when the manager himself is replaced. Sustaining energy? Not always.

But it’s clear football’s effort to tackle the climate crisis needs its own gegenpress. Maybe it’s time other clubs learn the lessons of Klopp’s system and rhetoric. Earth first, trophies second? That might be a hard sell. But both are achievable if we only press hard enough.

To learn more about Pledgeball and how you can pledge to help your club shoot up the sustainability standings, visit Pledgeball.org.