Having had a few days to reflect upon what was largely a positive managerial debut against a Tottenham Hotspur side on the rise, we look ahead to Jurgen Klopp’s first European match in charge of Liverpool.
Though a smaller pond than the vast body of water that is the Champions League – a competition very familiar to the bespectacled German – triumph in the Europa League will earn one lucky club their golden ticket into next season’s prize European competition. This thanks to a recent restructure in the Champions League’s format, that seemed to miss the attention of Liverpool’s recent ex-manager, Brendan Rodgers.
The former Reds gaffer irked a large percentage of the fan-base with his lackluster approach to European football. For a club whose ethos revolves around midweek clashes between continental titans, Rodgers’ mentality towards these fixtures was always going to divide opinion and it became, in the end, one of the largest sticks with which his critics beat him.
This seeming apathy is not something that Liverpool fans can expect to see from Klopp in any competition, but most certainly not Europe. For whatever reason, the English belief is that the Europa League is a hassle and due to the pressure of this opinion in the media, many managers have fielded weakened sides in the competition in order to prioritize the Premier League. Go anywhere in continental Europe with this philosophy and they’ll laugh you away.
Klopp is a strong character (apologies) and not the type to succumb to external pressure or opinions. He will want to maximize the potential of winning a trophy and with Liverpool arguably one of the top 10 teams on paper, the Europa League will to him be one of the best places to focus his efforts.
Having barely tasted Europe with the premature exit at the hands of Udinese on penalties in the 2008-09 Uefa Cup, Klopp’s next indulgence would come in the 2010-11 vintage of the Europa League. His transitioning Dortmund narrowly avoided progressing to the knockout rounds – losing only once to Sevilla – finishing one point away from qualifying.
In 2011-12 he debuted in the Champion’s League, qualifying for the group stages automatically as a result of winning the Bundesliga the season prior. It was a largely disappointing campaign, with injuries playing their part as well as youth and inexperience at a higher standard, ultimately seeing Dortmund propping up the table.
Everyone knows how Dortmund fared one year on, topping the group of champions (Ajax, Manchester City & Real Madrid), dispatching Real in the semi-finals on their way to a final match-up against domestic rivals, Bayern Munich. They took the competition by thunder with their high pressing, quick countering and clinical finishing, something most teams couldn’t compete with.
History tells us that Klopp’s teams do not customise their tactics for European opposition, and instead attempt to dictate the tempo with their high-intensity ‘gegenpressing’. Putting teams on the back foot is never a bad strategy and if united in the facilitation of the “heavy-metal” press, few teams in the competition have the tactical nous to combat the strategy.
There is a decent-sized squad full of talent and energy – injuries aside – that were well suited to the full-throttle football in the title-charge of the 13-14 season. As we witnessed in the first half hour of the match against Spurs, the players were quick to adapt to Klopp’s philosophy and way of play. As the weeks go by, their fitness levels will acclimatise to the demands of the tactics and even a pragmatic fan will find it hard not to dream about the potential of a good European run.
Anfield has been craving the atmosphere that a compelling European performance can generate, and Jurgen Klopp has the experience and know-how to create that with this squad. It is integral to the DNA of this club, that we compete in Europe and in style and Klopp is a man who seems to understand this, with his almost child-like infatuation with LFC’s rich history beyond containment in last season’s summer friendly against Dortmund.
He will be driven to enhance his reputation as a manager, now in charge of a club with a greater history and global scope than his previous two, and European competition is the place to do so. The man from the Black Forest has his first opportunity on Thursday as the Red’s welcome Rubin Kazan, a team also in transition under a new manager. Brendan Rodger’s left Liverpool with only two points from their first two games, so a home win must surely be a priority. Bring on the European Klopp.
