How is Klopp turning doubters into believers?
There was a day in October of last year that was so significant for the future of Liverpool Football Club, so significant that it could be a day that lives long in the memory of every supporter.
A tall figure in signature spectacles with a poorly-shaved beard, sporting a suit jacket and dark jeans approached the crashing of cameras, the questions of the many and the overbearing weight of expectation that had made Anfield its home.
But with all eyes on the new manager, with an entire city waiting for something to cling onto, it wasn’t “the normal one” that had caught my attention. No, it was Jurgen Klopp’s belief that he could “turn doubters into believers” that really captured my imagination.
For many years, we’ve heard people talk about how Liverpool could not win the title, how Liverpool could not challenge with the big players in the English game anymore and with the turmoil that followed Liverpool’s impressive second place finish during the 2013/14 campaign, the doubters were left wondering whether or not the club can push on and challenge for silverware once more.
Even Jamie Carragher himself doubted whether or not Liverpool were moving in the right direction, which said a lot about the club’s situation just after Brendan Rodgers’ tenure came to an end.
He said:
Liverpool are becoming Tottenham. They think they’re a big club, but the real big clubs are not too worried about them, who they buy, what they are going to do. That’s the situation that it has become for Liverpool, even when I was there towards the end. I’m not just blaming Brendan Rodgers and this set of players.
Carragher was not alone in his frustration with the football and the direction of the club, he was a mouthpiece for concerned Liverpool fans – those that wanted answers from those accountable.
What are these owners of the club going to do to get Liverpool back to where they need to be? Which is consistently in Champions League and challenging for trophies because at this moment we’re becoming a team that think we’re a big club, but we’re not.
With such a polarising atmosphere that had culminated over a period of time, the task for Jurgen Klopp to work with the players that had been brought in without his say-so was seemed to be made that bit more difficult.
But now, with a positive presence in the air, with an extra 8,500 voices in the stadium every week, with a new-look Liverpool taking shape… just how has Jurgen Klopp started to turn doubters into believers in such a short amount of time?
Klopp oozes emotion. Whether you look at his press conferences, interviews before or after the game, or simply by watching his antics on the touchline, you get the sense that this is a manager that can, will and already has brought people together.
The performances this season, if you scratch away a miserable day at Turf Moor, have shown this Liverpool team in a new light – the key word being ‘team.’
No longer is this Liverpool team one that relies on a star man to deliver the goods, such as a Gerrard, a Torres, a Suarez or a Coutinho. More and more players are starting to contribute goals, key passes and developing their game as part of a unit.
Too often last season was the defence exposed by a lack of midfield assurance, which was incidentally a hallmark of the defensive shambles that ultimately cost Liverpool the title just two years ago.
But now, we’re seeing the likes of Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson and new signing Georginio Wijnaldum really use their energy to shield the defence.
New signings have been instrumental to this year’s positive start to the season. The size, presence and pace that Liverpool have so desperately required in previous years has been addressed in a rather pragmatic fashion. Klopp wasted little time in sealing deals for the likes of Alex Manninger, Ragnar Klavan, Joel Matip, Sadio Mane and Loris Karius – a nice blend of experience and potential. Also, getting the players in the door early allowed them to work throughout the pre-season, which is an old-school move that supporters do appreciate.
But there’s one thing that is more impressive than any signing that the German manager has made, and that’s the team spirit.
Just look at Klopp and his players before and after the games, celebrating with the players at Arsenal, or more recently after their triumph at Stamford Bridge last Friday. This group of players are starting to believe that they can go to big grounds, score goals, beat the big teams, and that unity has quite emphatically resonated with the fans.
Much has been said about the weaknesses of Liverpool in the last few years, whether it’s their size and presence on the pitch, not building an environment in which big players would like to come to or losing their best and brightest talents. However, this new feeling of togetherness and optimism that first started during last year’s Europa League run, could be the catalyst for success.
The Premier League still might not be the best league on the planet, while some people might make that case, but with the arrival of managers such as Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte, fans across these islands know that the Premier League is now the most competitive.
That is the challenge that this Liverpool team faces, finding a formula that can overcome all odds and make no mistake about it, those managers that we’ve just listed might come to England with big name value, but there is still a whole plethora of great managers here now. Ronald Koeman at Everton, Mauricio Pocchetino of Spurs and who could even forget the ‘Tinkerman’ at the King Power after last year’s heroics, Claudio Ranieri.
There are no easy games anymore, but with the football that Liverpool are playing, being able to switch between possession, pressing and counter-pressing, the team is a lot more versatile.
From Leicester last season to Chelsea’s title-winning formula the year before, teams need to buy into the manager to succeed, players need to stop doubting their abilities on the pitch and enjoy their football, and that – quite simply – is what Jurgen Klopp looks to be doing with this Liverpool side.
Unlike seasons gone by, the players brought to the club seem to have been identified as solutions to current problems. You got the sense that under Rodgers and Dalglish, Liverpool were spending for spending’s sake at times, not really luring the top targets and then settling for players that didn’t fit the play-style. For example, bringing in Mario Balotelli and Christian Benteke – Liverpool needed size in the team but big target men have notoriously failed at Anfield since the days of Peter Crouch.
The defensive frailties of last season are nowhere near as prominent this time around. The additions of Klavan and Matip are instant upgrades on both the departed Martin Skrtel and the seemingly out-of-favour Mamadou Sakho, making for a defence that seems much more comfortable on the ball.
At the moment, it seems as if the goals that Liverpool concede are very often the fault of their own, which does have its positives and negatives. With the season being so young, the manager has time to work on those issues, and it’s very much a positive that the team isn’t being broken down easily by opposing teams.
The team seems to be defending well as a unit, most notably with the wide players cutting out crosses much quicker and more consistently, relieving pressure on the centre-halves. Liverpool defenders sometimes tend to slide the ball back towards the goalkeeper a little too much. This continues to put pressure on Simon Mignolet at times but the addition of Loris Karius might well be the long-term solution for that – another signing that looks to have bolstered the manager’s options.
Klopp said on day one that he will have the first and the last word on any transfer dealings at the club, and that seems to have paid in dividends.
And for a manager that was once described as the “Harry Potter” of German football, it seems after just a few months in charge Jurgen Klopp has flicked his wand and in many ways… turned doubters into believers.
Now, the Premier League might not be like J.K. Rowling’s Triwizard tournament, but after seeing the development, the determination and the prepossessing belief that has been instilled into the football club during Jurgen’s reign thus far, supporters can now dare to dream of a Potter-esque finale.