OPINION: Jurgen Klopp's shock resignation may be final Liverpool masterstroke

It's safe to say no one saw it coming, except maybe the Liverpool board of directors, who were reportedly informed of the German's decision to leave at the end of the current campaign back in November.

Klopp cites tiredness as the key reason for his impending departure: "I'm running out of energy, I can't do the job again, and again, and again. After all the years we've had together, all the time we spent together, after all the things we went through together... the least I owe is the truth," Klopp told Liverpool's official website.

And it's fair enough. Eight years in this day and age is a lifetime to spend at one club, a rarity reserved for only a select few in the Premier League - even English football as a whole - since the long-gone days of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

In that time, Klopp has won the Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Super Cup and Community Shield, as well as securing the club's first Premier League crown and Club World Cup title. There have been plenty of runner-up medals, too.

Only Manchester City's Pep Guardiola can hold a candle up in comparison, and you'd be forgiven for expecting the Spaniard to be the first to depart of the two given how fond Klopp seems to be of his adopted city and its people.

But this style of resignation isn't exactly out of character. Klopp has always stood out as something of a 'man of the people', willing to speak on matters not just about football but important world affairs, holding high standards of morals and truthfulness - even if he wasn't always right to do so, or perhaps fuelled too much by his exuberant emotions.

While the 56-year-old's announcement certainly is shocking given how competitive Liverpool are currently - top of the Premier League and a shoe-in to be competing for the title come the end of the season, as well as eyeing up an EFL Cup final and decent runs in the FA Cup and Europa League - his honesty and openness remains admirable that he feels it's the right thing to let everyone involved with the club - and its fans - know in good time. To prepare mentally. To enjoy the time they have left together.

A decision made a long time ago?

Perhaps he's known for longer than two months that his tenure was coming to an end. 

His style on the training field and touchline appears pretty exhausting, whether he's shouting instructions at players or obscenities at fourth officials, charming pitchside pundits or answering tedious journalist questions in press conferences. His hammy injury a few months ago is also a testament to the high-octane energy levels he puts in.

Even watching him leg it across the pitch before clobbering himself in front of Liverpool fans after a victory looks knackering at the best of times.

The weight of the club is massive and Klopp has shouldered it impressively for the best part of a decade.

It takes a strong character to know when the gig is up and further still, to actually go through with it at the right time without creating a stink, like a heavyweight boxer who can't give up the adrenaline rush even though they're forgetting important birthdays or where they left their car.

Klopp will undoubtedly be leaving on a high, but is the timing of his announcement a final masterstroke in a pretty long list of wise decisions?

Key moment for Klopp and Liverpool

This is a pivotal point in the season for Klopp and Liverpool. They lead Manchester City by five points at the top of the Premier League, meaning their fate is very much in their own hands.

It's not unfair to say not many had them down to be City's main challengers this season after a disappointing campaign fizzled out early last time out, while Arsenal stepped in and subsequently also bought well in the summer. It seemed as if Mikel Arteta and the Gunners would be the ones to push City the hardest yet again.

But Liverpool themselves bought well in the summer, rejuvenating their midfield with great signings like Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister, while youngsters such as Harvey Elliott and previous signing Darwin Nunez have finally begun to really prove their worth.

Liverpool are an incredibly tough nut to crack, so why leave now?

There could be all manner of personal reasons behind the scenes that the public isn't privy to (and upon which it's not worth speculating), but teeing up the second half of the season as an effective tribute to sending the Liverpool-legend-in-the-making off in style is an exceptionally valuable motivation that money cannot buy.

As if wanting to win titles wasn't enough, Klopp is famous for having strong, father-like bonds with his players; he has an excellent track record of man management and his top stars always bleed for their manager - especially in the big games and key moments.

The current squad now has the added knowledge that this is their last hoorah with their leader and they're primed in the best position they can be, their hunger to succeed and win every available trophy will now be insatiable at the very least.

Klopp can feed off of this in his team talks, he'll be able to rely on his key stars like Mohammed Salah and Virgil van Dijk even more so than ever, and he'll be able to squeeze every last drop out of his talented squad.

It will put the willies up Pep Guardiola for sure, who'll have to find another gear of his own to combat that extra layer, especially by the time they face one another for the last time in the league at Anfield in March. You'd be hard-pressed to write Liverpool off from being in the hunt come May.

What don't we know?

But with everything in life in 2024, we should also exercise a bit of caution.

While it's possible to frame the news of Klopp's exit as 'genius' or 'smart', there could also be negativity swirling amongst the fanfare.

Klopp's assistant managers Pepjin Lijnders and Peter Krawietz as well as elite development coach Vitor Matos will also move on at the end of the season, while sporting director Jorg Schmadtke will depart at the end of the January transfer window.

It's a time of mass upheaval at the club which begs the question: who else is going?

Are the owners planning to sell? Is someone coming in for a higher stake? 

Or perhaps the biggest question of all: has Salah already made up his mind to go at the end of the season, too?

The latter would be a real trigger point for Klopp and probably enough to make up his mind. Salah, aside from Van Dijk and Alisson perhaps, is the last true remnant of the gung-ho, unstoppable Klopp dynasty at Liverpool. Sadio Mane, Firmino and Jordan Henderson are now long gone, and once Salah joins them the Reds will be forced to settle for a new era of rebuilding.

Indeed, had the Egyptian King departed to Saudi Arabia in a long-rumoured move during the summer, Liverpool might not be where they are today in terms of competitiveness.

Salah's goals and overall prowess have been key to their good form, and his AFCON injury worries have surely set off massive alarm bells for fans and staff as we head towards the business end of the domestic campaign.

Perhaps Klopp knows change is afoot and wisely he wants to control the narrative, while at the same time utilising the whole shebang as a weapon in his arsenal to help write his final chapter in a history-making era at the club.

He's said he will "100 per cent never manage another Premier League club other than Liverpool", meaning he's leaving the door open to a return in the future, although second-comings don't always have the desired effect.

Either way, hopefully, it won't be the last we see of the big angry spectacled German, whether it's on these shores or elsewhere, and he will go down as one of the Premier League's all-time greats.