Jurgen Klopp: Enter Iron Man

As far as tales of legendary comebacks go, Avengers: Endgame is now second best this summer. If there were 14,000,605 possible outcomes for Liverpool in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal tie against Barcelona, Jurgen Klopp scripted the solitary one in which his team would win. Four gems—a brace each from unlikely heroes, Georginio Wijnaldum and Divock Origi—did the damage.

Nobody seemed to give Klopp's team a chance—not after the 0-3 reverse in the first leg, and definitely not after his two best attackers were ruled out. But, a 4-0 victory on the hallowed Anfield turf followed, thanks to the Iron Man of Merseyside. Out of nowhere, a second consecutive Champions League final now beckons for Liverpool.

Klopp is the kind of man who thrives in such situations, as he has proved time and again. At Borussia Dortmund, he fought the mighty Bayern Munich with a bunch of home-grown talent and smart buys to win consecutive Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012. He then reached the Champions League final in 2013, crushing Real Madrid on the way, before losing to Bayern.

It seems like an encore for him at Liverpool, battling the wealth of a rampaging Manchester City. The two have played out one of the greatest battles for the Premier League title, so much so that Klopp's opposite number, Pep Guardiola, has nothing but respect for Klopp.

"In my career as a manager, I played against incredible sides and there are two that are 'wow'. One is the Barcelona of Luis Enrique with Neymar, Messi and Suarez in front. The other is this Liverpool," Guardiola said at a press conference last weekend. High praise from a man who coached one of the greatest teams of all time—Barcelona's golden 2008-2012 era.

These are two of the best football coaches in the world at the moment, for what they have each done with two teams. Guardiola may have forged a replica of his Barcelona team with City, but there is one trait that has made Klopp stand out. The difference between the two is best summarised by a player who played under them both—Mario Goetze.

"I am still in touch with Jurgen. He taught me everything about professional football," Goetze said in an interview last year. "Technically, Guardiola was a tremendous asset. But he is very focused on the game and doesn't think about players outside of his plan. He didn't have much empathy."

It would be unfair to paint Guardiola as a cold-hearted, trophy-hungry master, as there are players from his Barcelona and Manchester City squads who would disagree. Regardless, Klopp has set the standard for creating a warm dressing room and shares an excellent rapport with every player he has coached. The sight of him running out and giving bear hugs to his players is one that the Anfield faithful wait for, after every victory.

His large-heartedness, though, does not extend to his tactics. The "gegenpressing" associated with Klopp's teams was on full display as the Liverpool side ruthlessly attacked and pressed Barcelona. Klopp once referred to his style of play as "heavy metal football" because of the intensity, pace and aggression that he demands of his players. Aggression in a clean way though, not a blood-and-thunder, bone-crunching sort of play.

Klopp has not built a team out of nothing. He used the money available at his disposal to make some of the best purchases in the last two years, including the most expensive defender, the second-most expensive goalkeeper of all time and an attacker who had failed to impress for a Premier League rival club.

The defender, Virgil van Dijk, is this season's Premier League's player of season awardee and a potential Ballon d'Or contender; the attacker, Mohammed Salah, won that award last year and continues to shine; while the goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, has been named in the team of the season. Such has been the overhaul of this team that Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge were the only players on the pitch from Luis Suarez's last season at Liverpool in 2014.

After Liverpool's victory, even Jose Mourinho lauded Klopp's guts and drive. "This [remontada] has one name—Jurgen. This is not about tactics, this is about heart and soul.... This is a reflection of his personality, a fighting spirit. Every player giving everything." Klopp has instilled a sense of grit and hunger on his players that very few teams possess these days.

Barcelona, Lionel Messi in particular, usually feeds on the fear that opponents harbour. But it was Liverpool who instead fed on Barcelona's complacency that came with having a three-goal advantage. It is horror shows like this that deprive Messi of the invincibility status.

Like the first leg, there were heart-stopping moments for Liverpool when Messi went for goal. But the solidity in Klopp's defence rendered the flicks of Messi's magic wand ineffective. Alisson played a crucial role in scripting another incredible Champions League comeback against Barcelona when he played with AS Roma last year.

There was one other thing that Mourinho pointed out that a person like him would otherwise find hard to relate to. A serial whiner at press conferences himself, Mourinho said that Klopp was not complaining in difficult situations. "He's not crying because he's missing a player. He's not crying because they are playing 50 or 60 matches a season."

That is partly true. Klopp has given his fair share of excuses at pressers during his time at Liverpool. After losses, he has blamed the conditions for being too windy or snowy, the pitch for being dry, the referee for breaking the game's rhythm and even broadcasters for influencing the number of minutes in injury time. But, he has been relatively positive of late.

After the first leg, Klopp recognised that there was nothing more he could ask of his players. A day before the return fixture, he looked optimistic in a sorrowful way that drew sympathy. He acknowledged that an impossible task lay ahead but followed it up with the immortal words, "If we can't do it, let's fail in the most beautiful way."

Minutes into the game, the cameras showed Klopp on the touchline mouthing the words, "Please, no. Please, no," when his captain and midfielder Jordan Henderson fell to the ground clutching his knee after a collision. But Henderson soldiered on. The physical toll of a demanding season can be cruel on the teams that fight till the end. The matchday lineup was already without the injured trio of Salah, Roberto Firmino and Naby Keita.

There would be few in this squad as desperate as Salah—who turned up at Anfield wearing a T-shirt that had "never give up" emblazoned on it—to erase memories of the disastrous final against Real Madrid, last year. Sergio Ramos's wrestler's takedown that deprived Salah of influencing the game, left the Egyptian in tears and fears of missing out on the World Cup. He will be fit in time for this year's finale with nothing but the winner's medal on his mind. And his coach will be counting on his main man once again.

Klopp has now reached two Champions League finals and one Europa League final in his four seasons at Liverpool. Add the other final with Dortmund and he has a bad record in European finals. The winner of the Ajax-Tottenham semifinal will face his side in Madrid on June 1. This could be Klopp's best chance to land that elusive trophy.

On the domestic circuit, Liverpool is on the verge of losing a record-breaking title race. Having lost only one league game all season and with just one game to go, the team is on 94 points—one less than leaders City and five more than the previous record for a second-placed finish in the PL. Only a miracle on Sunday will make City lose to lowly Brighton. But after last night, Liverpool fans have a renewed belief in miracles.

Even if the 29-year wait for the English championship continues, one man and his unbridled passion for the sport can heal the wounds of last year's final and bring tangible returns for an incredible season, in Madrid.