Jurgen Klopp just knows exactly what to say. The Liverpool boss had been briefed immediately before his press conference ahead of Atalanta about the plan for a protest against ticket prices and he navigated it perfectly.
"That the flags are not there [is not a concern]," Klopp said. "As long as the people are there it is all good. But I understand the concerns and the discussions definitely. It is a tricky one from my point of view. The opinion is clear - we want to have the people in the stadium and make it available for everybody.
"We are a self-sustaining club, as long as I've been here, and I can tell everyone that every pound we earn went directly back into football. It is not wasted for something. There are a lot of good things that the club is doing, like work for the community, but I understand 100 per cent where the supporters are coming from. I am pretty sure they will find a solution in these situations."
Klopp's communication skills have been a huge part of his Liverpool success. Time after time, in his second language, the German has been able to articulate with expert precision exactly what was required.
Whether it has been about ticket protests - and those have happened before - or something else, Klopp has always been able to diffuse a situation where required, or succinctly add his own take. Here, he expertly responded to what could have been a tricky question to answer. While Liverpool's performance against Atalanta was certainly less than inspiring, the German got his words spot on, as he usually does.
That is the kind of intangible element of managing Liverpool that one cannot be completely prepared for. At Manchester United, David Moyes - a coach with a huge amount of experience - underestimated the workload that he would need to take on at Old Trafford. It ended up counting against him, whereas Klopp naturally has the personality to be able to embrace it.
Whoever it is that takes over from Klopp is unlikely to be able to shoulder the burden in exactly the same way. After all, few in world soccer can even come close to him in that regard. Ruben Amorim, though he played down talk of anything being close in terms of a Liverpool agreement yesterday, would appear to tick that box too.
"To know Ruben Amorim, it is important to understand his communication," Portuguese journalist Tomas da Cunha told The Anfield Wrap this week. "He is a very positive communicator and a very calm coach. I don't mean [that he] controls the press, but he has the ability to give a different view to the fans. The Portuguese press frequently tries to get some toxicity that is not positive for the club - and Amorim always tries to give another perspective.
"He never suffered with expectations. In Liverpool, he will find high expectations to succeed Klopp, but in that part, Amorim is really capable of being a good choice.
"He is a charismatic coach. Like Jurgen Klopp, he always gives to the fans a different view - and a little bit of humor also with the press. He is not very angry on the bench but he has emotion to show. The connection between the coach and the fans will be immediate. In terms of charisma and understanding Liverpool, Amorim understood Sporting as probably no other coach [could]."
That certainly sounds promising for Liverpool, even if other candidates are under consideration by the Anfield hierarchy. It is a box that no one can be certain of ticking, but an important one nonetheless.
"If this transfer happens, Amorim will try to understand every step of Klopp in these years to approach the culture that Klopp created at Liverpool and the squad that Liverpool has," Da Cunha continued. "It is Klopp's squad, not Amorim's squad, but if it is possible to create a project but maintain the culture, then Amorim is a good choice, as Xabi Alonso would be, with a different idea of the game. In terms of leadership, Amorim is the right profile to be happy at a great club."
