So, the inevitable has happened: Jürgen Klopp is a Premier League manager. He could have easily gone to Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City or could have been the heir to Arsène Wenger’s throne, but instead has settled on Liverpool.
For a fanbase wincing about failing to beat their Merseyside rivals, unable challenge the Top Four or for silverware, this should be a welcome appointment. He is a man that likes a project; with Borussia Dortmund, Klopp practically turned a stray dog into a Crufts winner. The opportunity to turn a struggling crop of players into a formidable unit to become a force in Europe again and challenge for trophies is probably what attached the German to Anfield, and why Liverpool fans will be looking forward to the Klopp era.
Jürgen Klopp: The Man to Revitalise Liverpool
For certain, Klopp’s Liverpool team will be an exciting, quick, attacking unit. A common criticism of Brendan Rodgers’ era was how he couldn’t settle on a formation, found breaking down teams difficult and failed to decide what his strongest side was, but we’ll likely see the opposite with Klopp in charge. He will attempt to inject a brand of intense pressing football, giving opposing players no chance to breathe and pounce on errors, providing his new players buy into the new style.
Liverpool have a few unique players under 24 years, handing Klopp the possibility of building a side on the foundations of youthful, tactically smart players; Emre Can, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Ibe and Philippe Coutinho are obvious examples. Young players can flourish under Klopp and he will use their flair, vision and tactical understanding to help turn Liverpool into an attractive unit, one that will appease the Liverpool faithful. Considering how his title-winning Dortmund squad was a perfect blend of youth and experience, Liverpool’s vast squad will benefit from his coaching, youth conditioning, man management and tactical knowledge to create something special.
His ability to turn a mid-table team into champions wasn’t just down to his tactics and man management, but his transfer policy. Rodgers was often economical with his transfer budget, spending the income of a large money transfer on three players, rather than splashing his cash to replace departing stars with like-for-like quality. Klopp’s transfer history is also, quite frankly, astounding. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was bought to be Robert Lewandowksi’s successor; Mario Götze was replaced with Henrikh Mkhitaryan; even Shinji Kagawa and Nuri Şahin were convinced to return shortly after departing. Even the likes of Mats Hummels, Lewandowski, Łukasz Piszczek and İlkay Gündoğan were all bought under £12 million and were then moulded into world-class professionals under Klopp’s supervision.
You look at the squad turnover under Klopp’s management and it’s commendable. How he was repeatedly able to replace the players who won him trophies with either established stars or promising young players is a sign of his footballing intelligence, his scouting technique, ability to turn a teenager into a game-changing professional, and his eye for talent. Liverpool’s transfer policy over the years has been questionable, but, under Klopp, you will see some fantastic purchases - providing the transfer committee is scrapped.
Critics will be quick to point out his final season at Borussia Dortmund. Granted, it is fine to question what was a disappointing campaign for the German powerhouse, but it was a season marred by injury, with further struggles to fill the void Lewandowski left, and key players were tired after a lengthy and prosperous World Cup. To his credit, he helped a side bottom of the league at Christmas to scrape a seventh place and Europa League spot. To me, that speaks highly of Klopp’s coaching and his man management, and is a credit to how he is. Sure, it wasn’t the preferred place to finish, but to salvage a season and go on a storming run to qualify for Europe is phenomenal. If Klopp makes an instant impact and starts to achieve great results, then perhaps a Top Four finish shouldn’t be written off.
Given his popularity, charm, tactical knowledge and ability to build teams, Klopp will be Liverpool’s best managerial replacement for years, and early signs show this will be a widely acclaimed appointment. As long as Jürgen Klopp is given the freedom and time to create an imposing football side, he will be the antidote to the boredom of Brendan Rodgers’ ‘character era’ and bring an electric brand of football to Anfield.
Will it yield trophies? No doubt. Even as an Arsenal fan who eyed him as a successor to Arsène Wenger, I can’t wait until he gets started. Well, until the media start fawning over his press conferences and touchline mannerisms.
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