EXCLUSIVEJohn Barnes on Jurgen Klopp 'stealing his thunder' before Arne Slot's arrival, what Darwin Nunez must do to be the 'best in the world,' and which Liverpool stars he would form a rap trio with!
- John Barnes tells Mail Sport how Jurgen Klopp outshone him on a night out
- The Reds legend talks all things Arne Slot, Darwin Nunez, and the season ahead
- Barnes surprised MSB Woolton to celebrate the crucial work of FA volunteers
John Barnes has a bone to pick with Jurgen Klopp. Whisk yourselves back to the final day of last season, that 2-0 win over Wolves and its emotional orchestra. Then wind forward to the wild night out in Liverpool that followed.
Barnes is nailing a rap on stage and next to him is a figure ‘dad-dancing’. All gangly limbs, broad grin, cap worn backwards. The crowd in his hand like putty. Who else but Klopp?
‘He came and stole my thunder!’ Barnes tells Mail Sport. ‘There I am, entertaining the people, and he wanted to steal my thunder so he came on and started dancing.
‘I was rapping and he was dancing. I doubt he can rap, but he’s a good dancer… for a German. It wasn’t planned for me to get up and rap and then he obviously wanted to show us what Jurgen Klopp is all about.
'What Jurgen has done for Liverpool is incredible. He's a man of the people and he is a normal guy, so that didn't surprise me. If there's a party, he'll get involved and he goes to the pub and walks his dog on the beach and speaks to people. So of course, he's been fantastic for Liverpool.'
John Barnes caught up with Mail Sport to talk all things Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, and grassroots volunteering
The Liverpool legend surprised everyone at MSB Woolton to celebrate the importance of FA grassroots volunteers ahead of the Reds' tour of the USA
Barnes claims Klopp 'stole his thunder' by dancing on stage as he rapped after the final day of the season
The Kop favourite won two league titles at Anfield and also saw a period of transition
Barnes is accompanying Liverpool on their pre-season tour of the United States, where Arne Slot hopes to legitimise his Reds regime to the masses. He’s a busy man – as we speak, Barnes has just surprised volunteers at south Liverpool’s MSB Woolton, the UK’s largest grassroots football club with around 160 teams. Supporting volunteers, a broad group which includes coaches, referees, and administrators, is vital for Barnes.
‘Grassroots football is the lifeblood of English football and has been since I was a kid,’ he says. ‘This scheme is for the majority of kids who just play in the area. Football is a family. That’s what this grassroots scheme is all about – to help everybody, girls, boys, people who can’t play but want to get involved.’
It’s clear as we talk that Barnes’ love for the game at all levels is undimmed. Whether supporting the vital work of the UK’s 867,000 football volunteers, or assisting Slot’s debut tour as Liverpool boss, his enthusiasm is boundless.
He knows how to survive a seismic transition, too. Shockwaves ran through Liverpool when the legendary Sir Kenny Daglish stepped down in February 1991 just months after leading them to the title. Now is a similar moment.
‘We've seen when Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish, and Arsene Wenger left, there was a bit of a dip because having someone iconic for so many years, you'd think there would be, but I would urge the fans and the players to get behind Arne Slot.
‘They need to show him the respect that they showed Jurgen Klopp, meaning that they have to do what he says, they have to turn to his tune, and I'm sure they will because they're all good characters.
‘He's got this job because he did well at Feyenoord and was his own man. This can't be a continuation because he's a new manager. As much as they may play similar styles, they're not the same style, and he has to be his own person. We have to respect and honour that. The fans have to get behind him. The fans can't say: "Well, Jurgen would have done this.”
‘Being competitive in the league would be a successful season. In the cup matches you can never tell. You could play Man City away in the third round and lose - that's not failing, as much as you can win.
Barnes has urged Liverpool fans to get behind new manager Arne Slot (pictured)
Barnes is an ambassador for Liverpool and is with them on their pre-season tour of the USA
Dominik Szoboszlai scored the first goal of the Arne Slot era in a 1-0 victory over Real Betis
Barnes believes Liverpool do not need to be active in the transfer market amid a slow summer
‘If we play consistently well and that means that coming towards the end of the season we're in with a chance of winning the league, if we finish second or third, two points off the top... it's just being competitive in every game.'
Slot’s first assignment in Pittsburgh saw Liverpool sneak a 1-0 win over Real Betis, Dominik Szoboszlai firing home the first goal of the Slot era past former Kop custodian Adrian. The Reds did, however, lose 1-0 behind closed doors to Preston North End.
Liverpool jetted off to the States with 28 stars but missing 11 first-teamers, so this summer is a big chance for youth. Curtis Jones came off injured, but the likes of Trey Nyoni shone while Stefan Bajcetic got minutes under his belt after an injury-plagued season.
A promising start, but the Reds are the only Premier League side not to sign anybody this transfer window and there could be concerns of them standing still. Slot has insisted he wants to assess the current group before springing into action. Do they need more players?
Barnes is adamant they do not. ‘I wouldn't choose any (players to sign). Why do we think the solution to a problem is to buy players? We have lots of players. We signed five players last year.
‘I'm not a big fan of football in the last 15 years where you think: "Let's just keep signing players." Look at Chelsea, how many players they signed and where they finished. So that's not the solution. We have enough players to be competitive.’
Is Darwin Nunez good enough? He has scored 33 goals in the last two seasons, Erling Haaland 90.
'He can fire us to the title without scoring 40 goals. You don't have to compete with anybody else. What he can do, Erling Haaland can't do. You look at the hard work he gives and he chases around. Erling Haaland doesn't do that but he scores lots of goals.
Darwin Nunez does not need to score 40 goals per season, says Barnes - but if he scored as many as Robbie Fowler he'd be the 'best in the world'
He calls the grassroots game 'the lifeblood of English football,' with 867,000 FA volunteers
Barnes is looking forward to seeing Stefan Bajcetic back in action after an injury-hit season
’If he did that as well as scoring 40 goals, he'd be the best player in the world. With what he has, as well as chipping in with the goals, as well as his attitude, work rate, commitment, he's fine for Liverpool. We want perfection - we want him to do what Erling Haaland does. But we'd want Haaland to hold up the ball better than he does.
‘In terms of what Nunez gives us, yes, we'd like him to score more goals. If he could score more goals like Robbie Fowler and do what else he does, he'd be the best player in the world.’
For Barnes, taking a look at the youth stars provides plenty of antidotes to spending. Klopp handed out debuts to more than 40 academy graduates. Prodigies such as Conor Bradley, Ben Doak, Jayden Danns, and James McConnell have earned rave reviews. Two stand out for Barnes.
‘Quansah. He had a really good season and was in the England squad until the last knockings but didn't make it.
‘And Bajcetic because that holding role for Liverpool is a very crucial role and I think we missed Fabinho when he left. That was earmarked for him last season but we didn't see much of him because he was injured.
‘Endo came in and did a decent job but I think that role is earmarked for him. I'm interested to see how he fares in that role now he's fit because that's the most important role on the pitch, as Rodri proved, and we don't seem to take too much notice of that.’
There’s time for a quirky question. Barnes is no stranger to rapping – ahead of the 1990 World Cup he featured in New Order’s ‘World in Motion,’ singing a segment as the song shot to the top of the charts. For the Euros this summer, he had a barbecue banger titled ‘THIS is the One'.
So, which two current Liverpool stars would he form a rap trio with?
'I would probably go for Luis Diaz. Being South American, he's got a bit of a samba dance thing about him.’
Jarell Quansah has a big season ahead and is the main youngster Barnes is excited about
Barnes would form a rap trio with Luis Diaz and Joe Gomez if he had to pick Liverpool players
Barnes got behind the mic and the grill in the summer in a new rap music video for a song called 'THIS is the One'
Then a pause.
‘And probably Joe Gomez, because he's got a bit of rhythm as well. He's not scored a goal yet but I saw him that night (at the end of the season) and he had a little side shuffle.'
Barnes is not sure what the future holds for himself. A return to the dugout is floated to the man who once won the Caribbean Cup with Jamaica but hasn’t managed since 2009.
'I love football, so if an opportunity came up, why not? If the FA want to give me a job volunteering maybe I'll come and volunteer! I do stuff at the academy at Liverpool because youth football is very important.
‘Long-term, I don't know. Maybe you've got a job for me!’
