KLOPP'S TRANSFORMING LIVERPOOL BUT WILL THEY HAVE ENOUGH TO GATECRASH THE TOP FOUR?
Less than 24 hours after being sacked byLiverpool, Brendan Rodgers boarded a private plane to Malaga for a short break to reflect and readjust. Three days later, his successor Jurgen Klopp caught a chartered flight from Dortmund to Merseyside for what he termed the club's "restart".
With the Reds managing just one victory in their final nine matches under Rodgers - not including the League Cup shootout triumph over Carlisle United - a resuscitation was certainly necessary.
It was not just results that needed remedying, though. There was a toxicity and pessimism around the club which needed to be corrected. And to that end, owners Fenway Sports Group could not have made a more galvanising appointment than Klopp: the manager they tried to lure on two previous occasions and the one supporters had been campaigning for since the summer.
Upon his unveiling, Klopp stated he was not given any concrete targets beyond implementing a "recognisable brand of football" at Liverpool. That insight was damning on Rodgers: it was not simply the lack of victories which dictated his fate, but the fact the team's style was no longer discernible.
Born out of the nine goals the Reds shipped in the last two games of 2014-15, the 41-year-old opted for a risk-averse start to this season. While Liverpool were less than convincing in their first three games, that strategy produced seven points and three clean sheets having played and took into notoriously difficult away matches against Stoke and Arsenal.
However, the players were uneasy with an approach that was neither brave nor aggressive and the heavy defeats to West Ham and Manchester United proved as much. Those results exposed the frailties of the squad, and increased the discontent over the decision to stick with Rodgers in the summer rather than replacing him. The showings that followed only served to heighten the feeling of unease, with three 1-1 draws against Bordeaux, Norwich and Carlisle being met with boos.
There was becoming an air of inevitably around Rodgers's tenure and the 3-2 victory over Aston Villa could not shift it; his post-match comments revealed he knew his time on L4 was running out, especially with the international break approaching. He was right. Rodgers was axed on October 4 following the Merseyside derby draw with Everton.
The misery at the end of Rodgers's spell at Anfield was replaced with fresh optimism with Klopp's arrival. The German was intent on transforming the doubt that had been paralysing the club, and his appointment has certainly seemed to spark a revival. He was unbeaten in his opening six fixtures in charge, before Crystal Palace served up a defeat in the seventh.
That frustrating result aside, there have been notable improvements under Klopp's tutelage. Greater industry and aggressiveness has been apparent as the manager implements his 'fighting football' style, where counter-pressing "is the law not a requirement." The club's defensive organisation and attacking balance has been revamped, while resilience has returned.
And all this was on display in what has been the highlight of Liverpool's season so far: the 3-1 defeat of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The dismantling of Jose Mourinho's strugglers represented the first time in 10 months that Liverpool have recovered from behind to win a game.
Against Palace, the Reds also responded after going behind but were ultimately undone by a late goal. That is one area the 48-year-old has been working on amending: Liverpool have only managed one winning goal beyond 85 minutes this season, which was Philippe Coutinho's stunner at Stoke City on the opening weekend of 2015-16. Klopp wants to see his side exerting themselves for "the whole 95 minutes", not just dominating periods of play.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss has ensured Liverpool are harder to beat, but he needs to guarantee they'll start scoring more goals. The club have the worst chance conversion rate of any team in the Premier League. And the players themselves are all too aware, with James Milner admitting: "At times this season we have maybe played well and had a number of shots - a silly amount of shots - and we haven't got the goal that we needed to get the three points and get the win."
Klopp will also tackle Liverpool's deficiencies with set-pieces. They are poor at both delivering and defending them, conceding more than they've scored in the top-tier this season. The Merseysiders have lost points in their last two league home games from such situations.
Their form at Anfield will need to be addressed too. Liverpool have managed just three triumphs in 10 home games in all competitions, not counting the shootout victory over Carlisle. Two of those wins have been over Bournemouth, both with a 1-0 scoreline. The other, Rodgers's final victory at the helm against Villa, is the only time the club have scored more than once at home this season.
While there are still plenty of concerns to address, Liverpool have looked much better collectively under the new manager, with individuals profiting from Klopp's approach. Jordon Ibe is confidently troubling full-backs again, while Lucas - unsure of his future in the summer - has been exemplary. Coutinho seems to be unshackled along with Roberto Firmino, while Adam Lallana believes this is his most promising period since moving from St Mary's.
Injuries have also be an issue. In Klopp's opening week at Melwood, the treatment room was crowded with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Chrstian Benteke and Firmino being joined by Danny Ings and Joe Gomez. Throw in the knee injury sustained by Daniel Sturridge and the situation was becoming pretty desperate.
After the international break, Liverpool will need to ensure they hit the ground running. Entering the top-four discussion is a priority, while Klopp has also expressed a desire to advance in the League Cup, as well as in Europe. He has made small changes that have had sizeable impact in just over a month on Merseyside and if the two-time Bundesliga winner is able to continue ridding the squad of their shortfalls, the Reds will most certainly be on the right track.
With the Reds managing just one victory in their final nine matches under Rodgers - not including the League Cup shootout triumph over Carlisle United - a resuscitation was certainly necessary.
It was not just results that needed remedying, though. There was a toxicity and pessimism around the club which needed to be corrected. And to that end, owners Fenway Sports Group could not have made a more galvanising appointment than Klopp: the manager they tried to lure on two previous occasions and the one supporters had been campaigning for since the summer.
Upon his unveiling, Klopp stated he was not given any concrete targets beyond implementing a "recognisable brand of football" at Liverpool. That insight was damning on Rodgers: it was not simply the lack of victories which dictated his fate, but the fact the team's style was no longer discernible.
Born out of the nine goals the Reds shipped in the last two games of 2014-15, the 41-year-old opted for a risk-averse start to this season. While Liverpool were less than convincing in their first three games, that strategy produced seven points and three clean sheets having played and took into notoriously difficult away matches against Stoke and Arsenal.
However, the players were uneasy with an approach that was neither brave nor aggressive and the heavy defeats to West Ham and Manchester United proved as much. Those results exposed the frailties of the squad, and increased the discontent over the decision to stick with Rodgers in the summer rather than replacing him. The showings that followed only served to heighten the feeling of unease, with three 1-1 draws against Bordeaux, Norwich and Carlisle being met with boos.
There was becoming an air of inevitably around Rodgers's tenure and the 3-2 victory over Aston Villa could not shift it; his post-match comments revealed he knew his time on L4 was running out, especially with the international break approaching. He was right. Rodgers was axed on October 4 following the Merseyside derby draw with Everton.
The misery at the end of Rodgers's spell at Anfield was replaced with fresh optimism with Klopp's arrival. The German was intent on transforming the doubt that had been paralysing the club, and his appointment has certainly seemed to spark a revival. He was unbeaten in his opening six fixtures in charge, before Crystal Palace served up a defeat in the seventh.
That frustrating result aside, there have been notable improvements under Klopp's tutelage. Greater industry and aggressiveness has been apparent as the manager implements his 'fighting football' style, where counter-pressing "is the law not a requirement." The club's defensive organisation and attacking balance has been revamped, while resilience has returned.
And all this was on display in what has been the highlight of Liverpool's season so far: the 3-1 defeat of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The dismantling of Jose Mourinho's strugglers represented the first time in 10 months that Liverpool have recovered from behind to win a game.
Against Palace, the Reds also responded after going behind but were ultimately undone by a late goal. That is one area the 48-year-old has been working on amending: Liverpool have only managed one winning goal beyond 85 minutes this season, which was Philippe Coutinho's stunner at Stoke City on the opening weekend of 2015-16. Klopp wants to see his side exerting themselves for "the whole 95 minutes", not just dominating periods of play.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss has ensured Liverpool are harder to beat, but he needs to guarantee they'll start scoring more goals. The club have the worst chance conversion rate of any team in the Premier League. And the players themselves are all too aware, with James Milner admitting: "At times this season we have maybe played well and had a number of shots - a silly amount of shots - and we haven't got the goal that we needed to get the three points and get the win."
Klopp will also tackle Liverpool's deficiencies with set-pieces. They are poor at both delivering and defending them, conceding more than they've scored in the top-tier this season. The Merseysiders have lost points in their last two league home games from such situations.
Their form at Anfield will need to be addressed too. Liverpool have managed just three triumphs in 10 home games in all competitions, not counting the shootout victory over Carlisle. Two of those wins have been over Bournemouth, both with a 1-0 scoreline. The other, Rodgers's final victory at the helm against Villa, is the only time the club have scored more than once at home this season.
While there are still plenty of concerns to address, Liverpool have looked much better collectively under the new manager, with individuals profiting from Klopp's approach. Jordon Ibe is confidently troubling full-backs again, while Lucas - unsure of his future in the summer - has been exemplary. Coutinho seems to be unshackled along with Roberto Firmino, while Adam Lallana believes this is his most promising period since moving from St Mary's.
Injuries have also be an issue. In Klopp's opening week at Melwood, the treatment room was crowded with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Chrstian Benteke and Firmino being joined by Danny Ings and Joe Gomez. Throw in the knee injury sustained by Daniel Sturridge and the situation was becoming pretty desperate.
After the international break, Liverpool will need to ensure they hit the ground running. Entering the top-four discussion is a priority, while Klopp has also expressed a desire to advance in the League Cup, as well as in Europe. He has made small changes that have had sizeable impact in just over a month on Merseyside and if the two-time Bundesliga winner is able to continue ridding the squad of their shortfalls, the Reds will most certainly be on the right track.
Comments