Jurgen Klopp wore his medal and a jubilant T-shirt instead of the Parisian beret that several of his teammates wore. As he sat down for his FA Cup post-match news conference at Wembley, he was also beaming. Klopp seems to be in the mood to have a good time.
That's why his only "concern" was that his successful squad couldn't celebrate since they had a game against Southampton tomorrow.
"With such a fantastic competition," Klopp thought, "why do this?"
Even in the midst of victory, it was the sense that persisted throughout the day at Wembley. Liverpool had to be continuously aware of what was coming next. It was also why, as spectacular as any FA Cup victory should be – particularly one for the first time in 16 years – this was always about so much more.
Consider what may have been the day's deciding moments. In the first half, Mohamed Salah was sent off, followed by Virgil van Dijk at the end of the second.
Those absences would have been terrible for much of FA Cup history, if just in the context of this match. Klopp, understandably, has more pressing problems. Salah assured the Liverpool staff he could continue while lying on the ground wounded. Klopp, on the other hand, wasn't taking any chances. The Champions League final is still to come.
The Liverpool boss said, "A football game is not a perfect physiotherapist." Victory, on the other hand, is an excellent physiotherapist. It may also be the best psychotherapist available.
Salah and Van Dijk danced gleefully afterward, showing no signs of physical issues. Klopp stated that they should be OK for the upcoming games.
Consider what might have happened if they had lost this game. All the buzz would have been about a battered Liverpool limping to the finish line, hardly able to field a full team, let alone win the full complement of titles.
That has vanished in the euphoria of triumph. Salah and Van Dijk demonstrated that even players with knocks were moving with fresh flexibility.
And it was all down to the difference between single kicks in a penalty shoot-out.
Of course, this isn't a coincidence. Despite the fact that Klopp stated that penalties are a "lottery," he made a point of referencing Neuro11 in his post-game press conference.
"They claimed that penalty shooting could be practiced. 'Really?' I exclaimed. They collaborated with us. This award is also for them."
They'd made an impression. The natural answer is that Sadio Mane's shot was saved, but Klopp took part of the blame. Given Mane's international teammate Edouard Mendy, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp encouraged his Senegalese attacker to take his penalty on the opposite side.
Klopp chuckled, "I learnt not to talk for the first time in my life."
There's a significant point to be made here.
Although the German is a charismatic and effective boss, one of his many skills is the ability to delegate and listen.
From those who specialize on throw-ins to this, Liverpool has engaged several experts that other football people have sneered at. The main value of this is what it all adds up to, not the small wins. It enhances the squad's potential. It enables them to do more. A multiplier effect exists. They may be the sharpest team in the league.
As a result, they have a chance to win all four trophies thus late in the season.
"The difference for me is that they can go again on Wednesday and then Saturday," Thomas Tuchel stated after his Chelsea team drew for the fourth game this season with Liverpool.
"This is where the chasm exists. They may put on these shows more frequently. This squad has been constructed to last."
In that time, Klopp has won every major title. He can now win all of them in a single season. However, the German was not getting ahead of himself.
He didn't say he was "resigned" to Manchester City winning the Premier League, but he did concede how difficult it may be, pointing to the goal differential.
In any other season, considering Liverpool's desire to win the league, that would be demoralizing. All of this was expressed with a smile by Klopp.
That's how triumph works. No, it is not the ideal physiotherapist. It is, however, a psychotherapist. It guarantees that the Liverpool squad regains its vigor. The quadruple has not died. The squad has been fully restored. They're all set to go once more.