Liverpool FC: Jürgen Klopp Set For Kop, But Can He Fix Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool
With an announcement expected by the end of the week, according to ESPNFC, Jürgen Klopp is set to become the latest manager take up the hot seat at Liverpool Football Club. Jürgen Klopp have been heavily linked with the Liverpool managerial role as early as the start of the year. The charismatic German manager is seen by many as the perfect fit for the illustrious giant of English football however, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool is riddled with problems stretching as far back as Klopp’s career as a player.
It seems that it’s now a matter of when rather than if Jürgen Klopp is appointed the manager of Liverpool Football Club. Klopp is set to encounter a myriad of issues at Anfield, both on and off the field. Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool has been performing below expectations this season and save for one season in 2013/2014, his Liverpool squad rarely lived up to the hefty expectations of fans.
At the moment, Jürgen Klopp would be confronted with a mediocre Liverpool squad with high expectations. Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool squad is woefully unbalanced. In 2014, Rodgers’ came the closest to breaking Liverpool’s drought for the league title. However, a leaky and anemic defense left Liverpool trophyless after a season that promised so much due to its stellar attack. Luis Suarez was then the lynchpin to Liverpool’s success. Since his departure, Liverpool have failed to show its true potential.
Liverpool’s recruitment policy has been heavily criticized, especially failing to adequately replace Suarez and addressing the massive issues at the back. The problem lies with the current stature of Liverpool Football Club, Jürgen Klopp should provide a solution to the club’s recent problems with player recruitment.
Jürgen Klopp is one of the most respected and well known managers in the sport today with FourFourTwo naming the 48-year-old the 6th best manager of 2015. From Klopp’s passion for the game to his charisma and loyalty to his players, Jürgen Klopp should not find himself facing the same problems as Brendan Rodgers. Liverpool tried to replace Luis Suarez with Alexis Sanchez in the summer of 2014, but he was poached by Arsenal at the last minute with many pointing to Rodgers’ clout within the game as the primary reason for Sanchez choosing Arsenal over Liverpool.
It remains to be seen as whether Liverpool will keep the transfer committee with whomever is appointed the managerial role. Jürgen Klopp does boast experience working with a Director of Football at Borussia Dortmund, and while the transfer committee is a much debated issue at Liverpool, Klopp should be able to get the best on whomever is recruited.
Players such as Emre Can, Roberto Firmino, Mamadou Sakho, and Albert Moreno are all signings that have either been played out of position or left out all together out of the Liverpool first team much to the annoyance of the Anfield faithful. Much of praise Jürgen Klopp receives is due to his development of youngsters and emerging talents. Players such as Robert Lewandowski, Mario Götze, Mats Hummels, and Marco Reus. Klopp is also used to having his best talents poached from his squad such as Lewandowski and Götze.
Liverpool’s problems are similar to that of Borussia Dortmund in fact, one could argue that Liverpool Football Club is indistinguishable to a pre-Jürgen Klopp Borussia Dortmund. From the passion to the expectations to the fans, Jürgen Klopp is all too familiar with the struggles and the joy of managing clubs such as Liverpool Football Club.
[Photo by Stuart Franklin, Jan Kruger, Alex Livesey, Clive Mason and Julian Finney /Getty Images]
