Klopp, “Mr. Fixer” is leaving soon but who takes it up from there?

Jurgen Klopp was one of the hottest managers in town when he was poached in 2015 by struggling Liverpool who had just sacked Brendan Rodgers after an interesting but barren three seasons with the Reds. He signed a three-year deal worth seven million pounds per year with an option to extend. But nobody thought the German would stay longer looking at the antecedence of previous managers at the Club especially Brendan who was sacked after three seasons and Kenny Dalglish after two seasons. 

Liverpool was failing to win trophies and the team’s pedigree was dropping down memory lane, especially with the advent of moneybags like Manchester City, Chelsea, and Manchester United making the decisions. 

Four days after Brendan got sacked, Liverpool’s management brought on Klopp to salvage the situation with immediate effect. It isn’t new for Klopp to do such things, he just won back-to-back Bundesliga with Dortmund and two Champions League final finishes; so his credentials were robust enough to feed on. 

Context

The 56-year-old gaffer announced on Friday via a video released by Liverpool that he would be leaving at the end of the season. His reasons were that he wasn’t feeling it anymore and needed to re-energize. Since the breaking of the news, Liverpool fans are feeling the sharp cut as they don’t see any better replacement to succeed the German. 

Klopp has played 466 games won 283, drawn 105, and lost 78 to amount to a 60.71% win rate to be closely behind legendary Kenny Dalglish who recorded a 60.91% victory rate. 

The grass wasn’t as greener as Klopp thought 

Klopp’s first interview in 2015,  nine years ago with Liverpool TV first said the situation in Liverpool wasn’t a difficult one as fans and football enthusiasts feel but he was excited to be called to help. His emphasis then in his first press interview was to work with the players available in the club, although the majority of the ones present today didn’t start with Klopp when he first joined Liverpool. 

But the adrenaline-pumped Klopp hit a rock in his first season, missed two finals, one in the Europa League with Sevilla and one League Cup defeat to Man City who turned out to be an arch-rival for Liverpool in all his nine-year-long spell at Anfield. 

Despite the failure to take Liverpool to the Champions League and finishing eighth in the EPL, Liverpool’s board backed Klopp, and just like his first words as the manager, the Reds got their first trophy four years after and it was their sixth Champions League. 

Liverpool who weren’t patient for Brendan in three years despite his mouth-watering records gave all the support to Klopp and the German didn’t disappoint the trust winning three trophies in the 2019-2020 season and with the ground-breaking EPL title in the Covid-19 year breaking the 30-year jinx of the club. 

What happened in the first five years?

All the ground-breaking achievements of Jurgen Klopp came in his first five years of leadership at the club. You can attest to the fact that what Pep Guardiola achieved recently with big money was done by Klopp with limited resources. 

One thing that changed in the Liverpool squad was how they see every game they play in all competitions. Meanwhile, Klopp made sure he went into a competition where he had the muscularity and temerity to win at all courses. So you may say that Liverpool didn’t win the treble but every season, there is a shift in their mental and technical efficiency ahead of the next season. 

According to the Athletics analysed the first time Klopp was at Liverpool and how was determined to restore confidence to his squad. 

“Though Klopp lauded the playing talent sitting in front of him, since getting told the job was his he had watched most Liverpool games from the previous 12 months and it was clear to him most players were not performing to their best because of a lack of confidence. He decided to reduce holiday time and, overnight, training sessions became much more intensive.”

 Another key factor was the £75 million deal for Southampton centre-back Van Dijk which proved to be one of the most transformative signings of the Premier League era for Jurgen Klopp’s side. VVD didn’t just solidify the defensive gaffe of Liverpool but boosted the counter-pressing and high-line of Klopp’s tactical style over the years. A key replacement for Jamie Carragher in the backline since the English defender retired in 2013. 

“We can play a higher line with Virgil,” explains assistant boss Pep Lijnders. “We can play more aggressive with him because of how he deals with space and longer balls into our back line. The centre-backs lead. They organise protection and the base for good pressing is the positioning of the last line.”

Salah, Mane, Widnajdum, Allison Becker, Joel Matip, and a later arrival of Fabinho were focal points of Liverpool’s transformation within the first five years which was evident in the results they got.  

Aside from trophies, what Klopp achieved in the first five years was to set a model of the calibre of players that can fit into the Liverpool squad going forward even as he departs the club at the end of the season. 

More problems for Liverpool

While the announcement of Klopp’s departure rocks Liverpool, another problem they will be facing is the departure of their sporting director by the end of January. 

And this might linger the contract renewals of players like Van Dijk, Alexander Arnold, and Robertson who have 18 months left in their contract. 

Liverpool might be up to a catastrophe in the coming months if things aren’t done to salvage the issues.

Unfortunately, Klopp has set a very high standard that many fans won’t accept lower from any manager who wears the crown at Anfield. 

Post Fergie era 

Liverpool might switch to the post-Fergie era which Manchester United is still trying to come off after a decade. 

A lot about Liverpool has been built around Klopp including players’ recruitment and major key decisions both in and out field of the club. 

Klopp is like the 5-in-1 of the club and as he leaves, the club might find it hard to make necessary adaptations peradventure, they have a manager who isn’t as quintessential as Klopp. 

The next few months left 

Liverpool Captain Steve Gerrard had already said that the club should get a statue for Klopp earlier when he won the league in 2020. And maybe the time to fulfill the wish is close by concerning the German revolutionary manager. 

You should expect Anfield be jampacked with noises to celebrate the last nine years of bountifulness they have experienced. However, they shouldn’t experience drought at all like what Manchester United went through after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. 

Who is fit to wear the crown?

It’s no longer news that Klopp leaves Anfield he built with astuteness and Character but the biggest problem is who continues from wherever he stops. Who has exactly the philosophy of Klopp that’s willing to join Liverpool? 

Zinedine Zidane is currently without a club and his profile speaks volumes of taking Liverpool’s job since Xabi Alonso is having a smooth ride with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. 

Alonso in an interview this season had said he’s happy at Leverkusen with the challenge but doesn’t know what’s next for him yet. 

Brighton and Hove coach, Robert De Zerbi seems qualified based on his profile as a counter-pressing coach. 

Regardless, here is where the problem lies for Liverpool and the FSG management company who continues from the tradition and culture set by Klopp.