Jurgen Klopp finally says what he really thinks after years of Liverpool warnings being ignored

It was, you suspect, always going to happen at some point. And with Liverpool having now secured Champions League qualification and effectively out of the running for the Premier League title, the Reds boss decided, with barely a fortnight of his reign remaining, the time had arrived.

Jurgen Klopp went full Jurgen Klopp.

There had been hints earlier in his regular pre-match press conference on Friday at the club's AXA Training Centre in Kirkby as Klopp ostensibly previewed Sunday's visit of Tottenham Hotspur.

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"The pressure is off now," he said. "That's done."

Nobody, though, would have quite anticipated what was to come, as Klopp chose to start finally airing his grievances about issues that have niggled away at him throughout his almost nine years in charge at Anfield.

And having banged on about fixture congestion for pretty much most of his tenure - and been met largely with a sea of indifference and a wall of ignorance - it was the first subject in his sights, not least the litany of 12.30pm kick-offs that have been assigned Klopp's Liverpool by broadcasters, most recently TNT Sports.

Critics, as Klopp accepted, will point to the fact the mega-money television deals are what pay the wages of the likes of the Reds manager and have turned them into hugely-marketable superstars, with Liverpool among the most famous clubs on the planet. But the counter-argument is there are other such Premier League clubs - so why have the Reds featured more often in the early game than any other club during Klopp's tenure, and more regularly in the post-international break slot?

Whether you agreed with the overall message or not - and, personally, no way should FA Cup replays be ditched but that's another conversation entirely - was irrelevant. It made for incredible viewing, Klopp freely taking potshots at gripes as he recalled them.

For those who have attended such press conferences throughout his reign, be it at Melwood, the AXA or around Europe and beyond, it was an instant classic, arguably the most memorable since Rafa Benitez repeatedly declared he was intent on coaching and training his team more than 16 years earlier.

Benitez's approach, though, was considered and calculated. By contrast, Klopp was off the cuff and, in a key difference, very funny.

Several times the room burst into laughter, and not the sycophantic chuckles that so often follow a manager saying something funny that actually isn't. These were giggles laced with a sense of disbelief at Klopp finally going full in on matters he has previously skirted around but not fully committed. As an old-football related song goes, the man don't give one.

To some extent, it was the equivalent of an employee finally saying what they thought of their job before sailing off into the sunset, Klopp taking advantage of his previously-announced declaration he will never come back to work in the Premier League.

The German knows that, bar the formalities of ticking off a few boxes, the job at Liverpool is done, the farewells having already started. Yes, the season hasn't ended in the glorious fashion that was still being teased a month ago, but it has nevertheless been a campaign of significant progress. It may not feel like it for supporters right now, but securing a top-four finish with three games remaining is something to celebrate along with the against-the-odds League Cup final triumph earlier in the campaign.

Oh, and the best thing about Klopp's hilarious pre-match press conference? There are still two more remaining, with games at Aston Villa and a home clash against Wolves to come. Ringside seats for those at Kirkby will surely be at a premium.

And it's probably for the best if referees Paul Tierney, David Coote and Darren England, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville and November 2007 Premier League player of the month Gabby Agbonlahor turn their phones off on those days. Just in case, of course.