Football
Glenn Price, Liverpool correspondent 6y

Jurgen Klopp record in cup finals a cause for concern at Liverpool

ROME, Italy -- Liverpool have the chance to earn the first silverware of the Jurgen Klopp era when they play Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Kiev on May 26.

That date also will give Klopp the opportunity to end his five-game losing streak in the finals of major competitions.

ESPN FC looks back at all six of the finals the German has competed in as a manager.

WON: 2012 DfB Pokal, Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich

"It's the most incredible thing that's ever happened to me," Klopp declared after his Dortmund side beat Munich 5-2 to clinch the club's first Bundesliga-and-DfB Pokal double. Robert Lewandowski's hat-trick added to goals from Shinji Kagawa and Mats Hummels as Dortmund made light work of a Bayern side that would play in the Champions League final a week later. "It's like something from another planet," goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller said.

LOST: 2013 Champions League, Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich

The result at Wembley is one that stings the Liverpool manager to this day. "I've never watched it back," he told the Guardian just last month. "It's too painful."

Dortmund responded to Mario Mandzukic's opener on the hour mark through Ilkay Gundogan's penalty eight minutes later. Though his side were awarded the spot kick, Klopp felt that Dante also should have picked up his second yellow card for catching Marco Reus high with his boot. Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli disagreed.

Arjen Robben then delivered the dagger just a minute from time to leave Klopp and Dortmund with a feeling of devastation and injustice.

LOST: 2014 DfB Pokal, Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich

Klopp's first and only meeting with Pep Guardiola in a final. Dortmund, who finished 19 points behind champions Bayern in the Bundesliga that season, kept pace with Guardiola's side for well over 100 minutes, until Robben and Thomas Muller scored in the second half of extra time. It was Lewandowski's last appearance for Dortmund before he joined Bayern on a free transfer that summer.

LOST: 2015 DFB Pokal, Borussia Dortmund vs. Wolfsburg

A miserable final season for Klopp at Dortmund ended in more misery when they were beaten in the German's last game in charge. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave Dortmund a lead, but then Wolfsburg scored three goals in the space of 16 first-half minutes and went on to win. "The departure is starting to be painful now. Now there won't be a cup party, just a farewell party," Klopp said while holding back the tears. "My emotional state is now below average."

LOST: 2016 Capital One Cup, Liverpool vs. Manchester City

Liverpool's decision to replace Brendan Rodgers with Klopp appeared to be extremely shrewd as he guided the team to a final during his first few months in the job. However, it was back to Wembley and a familiar feeling for Klopp afterwards: heartbreak.

Liverpool carried momentum into extra time after Philippe Coutinho's 83rd-minute goal cancelled out the opener from Fernandinho. But the game went to penalties, and second-choice City goalkeeper Willy Caballero saved three Liverpool spot-kicks to win the cup for Manuel Pellegrini's side.

"Only silly idiots stay on the floor and wait for the next defeat," Klopp said afterwards. "We will strike back." As it happened, Liverpool would claim a small piece of revenge as they beat City 3-0 at Anfield in the Premier League just three days after the final.

LOST: 2016 Europa League, Liverpool vs. Sevilla

A second cup final in his first season in charge indicated that Liverpool were heading in the right direction under Klopp. Some fans felt winning the Europa League was their destiny, having beaten Manchester United and performed a miracle against Borussia Dortmund on the road to the final in Basel.

It was all going so well until the start of the second half. Liverpool were 1-0 up courtesy of a lovely Daniel Sturridge strike and sitting relatively comfortably. However, Kevin Gameiro equalised 17 seconds after the restart before Coke scored twice later on to win Sevilla its third Europa League in a row.

Instead of dwelling of the defeat, Klopp issued a rallying cry to his players afterwards and promised he would guide them to success. He later attributed Liverpool's collapse to fatigue as a result of a taxing season.

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