Is Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool back?

Is it too early to say that the Liverpool that enchanted the world in the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons under the command of German manager Jurgen Klopp has returned to the same level of competitiveness?

After the resounding 4-1 victory against Chelsea, the team from the English West maintained a six-point lead over Manchester City and Arsenal, even though the former has a game in hand.

Follow with us Klopp’s journey with the team, as well as the outlook for the rest of the season when he will step down.

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Jurgen Klopp with Liverpool

Klopp is one of the great football managers in history, despite his relatively young age and a career that still has much to offer to the sport.

As a former player, the German adapted much better off the pitch. He developed a very distinctive playing style and achieved consistently good results despite his team’s peculiarities.

Considered in the football world as a unique person, with an incredible sense of humor, personality, and character, he is a natural leader.

He began his professional career in 2001 with Mainz, the same team where he retired as a player. He stayed there for seven years until transferring to Borussia Dortmund in 2008.

Image: Getty Images

From the Yellow Wall club, he effectively showcased his talent around the world.

With Dortmund, he broke Bayern Munich’s dominance, which continued to stack up Bundesliga titles after Klopp’s departure from his homeland.

He won not only two Bundesligas but also a DFB-Pokal and two DFL-Supercups.

After Bayern’s national title in 2011/12, they won every edition, and Borussia was the runner-up six times. This illustrates the weight of the titles won by the coach.

A honorable mention goes to the Champions League final he reached, but this time, Bayern had the upper hand.

Image: Getty Images

So, Klopp arrived at Liverpool with a status of a great coach, but could he demonstrate his abilities at a massive club going through a challenging phase?

Jurgen arrived in 2015 with much anticipation, as Liverpool’s last major title had been the Champions League in the 2004/2005 season. Before that, the last Premier League title had reached its 25th anniversary, an excessive amount of time for a club of this magnitude.

Instantly, he put the Reds in the spotlight. He faced Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League final but was defeated. It’s worth noting that the squad he had was limited, with few quality options for each position. Still, he managed to extract the best from each player and came close to the title.

Seeing the potential of their coach, Liverpool’s board envisioned what he could achieve with the right pieces. Another interesting aspect of this coach is that when he requests a signing, the player rarely “flops.”

Since his arrival, the German brought in five players absolutely crucial to his successes, forming the backbone of the glorious years to come.

Alisson Becker, Van Dijk, Mané, Firmino, and Salah.

Initially, the amounts paid for these players startled fans and the media, as they were not globally renowned, but considered excellent athletes with good prospects for growth.

Under Klopp’s guidance, this became a reality, and the investments were quickly justified.

In 2017/18, the manager led the team from the English West to another Champions League final. In the game marked by goalkeeper Karius’s errors, Jurgen saw the title slip away once again.

But he and his resilient squad wouldn’t give up. They reached the final again in the following season.

After 15 years, Liverpool conquered Europe. Klopp won the Champions League for the first and only time, so far.

Another significant achievement was winning the FIFA Club World Cup, triumphing over Flamengo. Despite being five-time Champions League winners, the Reds had lost all previous Club World Cup finals.

A year later, 2019/2020, total redemption. Liverpool became Premier League champions after an incredible 30 years. The campaign was flawless, and they lifted the trophy with an astonishing 99 points.

Two seasons later, Klopp and his players narrowly missed the mark twice. They were runners-up in the Champions League, losing to Real Madrid, and lost the Premier League to Manchester City after a thrilling contest (93 and 92 points). Despite this, they lifted the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.

Having said that, in the previous season, Liverpool stumbled. They had a much lower start to the national championship compared to previous years and failed to qualify for the Champions League, as was customary.

Many, including the author, believed that Klopp’s cycle with the club had come to an end. After all, it’s been nine seasons at the helm of the institution. During this time, conflicts and motivational factors are inevitable.

The signings requested by the coach were contradicting the statistics and were not yielding the expected results, like Darwin Nuñez and Luis Diaz. On the other hand, Sadio Mané, who had been part of all these victorious years, left the team to join Bayern Munich.

Nevertheless, the board and the coach himself believed it was a matter of fitting in, and with proper preparation, the Reds could return to success soon.

Image: Reproduction Liverpool FC

Liverpool in 2023/24

At the beginning of the season, Liverpool was far from being treated as a favorite, especially considering the previous performance. Besides Manchester City and Arsenal, who contested the championship until the last rounds, Chelsea spent a lot of money to build a strong team.

Other teams like Newcastle and Brighton also seemed more prepared to start off strong.

Things turned out differently. Indeed, Manchester City and Arsenal had a good competition, even sharing the lead with the same number of points if Liverpool were not in the mix.

After a lackluster first round and a 1-1 draw against Chelsea, the Reds started stacking up victories, one after another, without making much noise.

They suffered a defeat to Tottenham when Spurs seemed to be pulling away in the lead, but that was the only one so far.

Manchester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham also started well, but at some point began losing games and the momentum they had.

Meanwhile, Liverpool could afford to draw more but wouldn’t leave games without at least one point.

This resulted in a six-point lead over Manchester City and Arsenal, even though City had a game in hand.

The main point is that Klopp’s distinctive playing style, based on intensity and pressuring the opponent, trapping them in their defensive half, was merely dormant.

There have been many good performances so far, but on January 31st, against Chelsea, it was simply devastating.

The game ended 4-1 for the Reds, but it could easily have reached double digits. Darwin Nuñez hit the crossbar an incredible four times, including a missed penalty.

There were 28 shots and impressive intensity. Despite possession being balanced (51% L and 49% C), whenever Klopp’s team had the ball, they were extremely sharp and could finish plays. Chelsea, on the other hand, passed the ball aimlessly and without purpose, marked by their opponent’s defensive solidity.

So far, Liverpool has the best attack, the best defense, and, of course, the best goal difference.

Players like Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Nuñez have shown a remarkable improvement, fitting seamlessly into what the German coach demands. Not to mention the eternal idol, Salah, who is injured and still sidelined.

It’s not a guarantee that Liverpool will win the title, but at the moment, they are the favorites. It’s a team that, despite losing important players in recent seasons, has a coach and other players accustomed to winning, unlike Arsenal in the previous edition.

Of course, having Manchester City in their rearview mirror is worrisome, but Liverpool’s football is not inferior to their rival.

The next game will be crucial when they face the Gunners, who want to erase the “bottling” from last year and finally reclaim the Premier League title. If both Manchester and London teams win, the difference could be reduced to three points. With Manchester City’s game in hand, if they win, they could surpass the Reds in just two rounds.

However, there are many “ifs” mentioned. The championship unfolds round after round, and the truth is that Liverpool has momentum on its side.

This would be a historic way for Klopp to bid farewell as he deserves. Even though he has a contract until 2025, he has already said that he will leave at the end of this season, as he claims to have no more energy for the role.

Do you believe Liverpool will be champions, or will Pep Guardiola and his team continue to pile up national titles? And Arsenal, will they redeem themselves from the stumble in 2022/23? Comment.

Image: Reuters

Written by Vitor F L Miller.