Depending on who you ask, Jurgen Klopp is either a bona fide revolutionary or a flawed genius.
Manager of English Premier League giants Liverpool, his previous exploits with Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund gave the spectacle-wearing German genuine rockstar status.
Imagine the Melbourne Storm winning the comp nearly every year for as long as one’s memory can stretch. In comes a relatively young, quirky manager who likes hugs, beer and heavy metal, and the whole comp is given an almighty shake.
A more youthful side who hadn’t won much in a long time, let’s say Wests Tigers, are suddenly a genuine force. Before long, they’re premiers themselves, rocking the league to its core.
To use a rugby league analogy doesn’t quite do the Klopp-Borussia Dortmund tale justice. Nothing in our game can reflect the financial power rendering certain European leagues one, two or three-horse races.
In Germany, Bayern Munich are the undisputed big dog. When Klopp waltzed into Dortmund earlier this decade though, that all changed – albeit temporarily.
With his systems and tactics relying on up-tempo, high-intensity ‘gegenpressing’, Dortmund at their best were simply unplayable. A team can be full of the world’s best and most expensive players, but with ten hornets swarming you all at once, price tags mean little.
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Klopp relied on rigorous training methods to ensure all of his players were in peak physical shape. After sweeping to consecutive titles in 2011 and 2012 and reaching the Champions League final the following year, many thought football in Germany had changed forever.
What came next however, was a period of player turnover and lethargy.
The big names moved on (mostly to Bayern Munich, of course) and weren’t adequately replaced. Some of those brought in didn’t buy into Klopp’s training regime. Before long, Dortmund became a tired outfit.
Next came the slide down the ladder. At the end of the 2014-15 season, Klopp and Dortmund parted ways.
While he achieved success few thought possible, the way things panned out in that final season left a sour taste in the mouths of many. His inability to change things up led some to class him as a one-trick pony, taking away from everything he’d achieved previously.
Michael Maguire is the Jurgen Klopp of rugby league.
His ability to re-invigorate South Sydney using brutal, up-tempo tactics was the closest thing the NRL will ever see to the Dortmund revolution. After taking over in 2012, Madge took next to no time to shape the Bunnies into a title force, and their 2014 premiership triumph was one of the proudest moments in the club’s history.
In truth, it was reward for three years of brutality, toil and rigour – on and off the pitch.
AAP Image/Paul Miller
After this however, came player turnover and lethargy. Sound familiar?
South Sydney have never quite been the same since that October night three years ago, and late last month Maguire was quietly let go.
The talk now is that he’s well in the mix to take over at the Bulldogs. If anyone at Belmore has an iota of sense about them, they’ll throw this idea in the garbage. The Bulldogs are also a tired side and don’t need Maguire’s brutal regime. They need a Trent Barrett-style man manager.
Instead, the head honchos at the Warriors or Titans should be opening the checquebook. A bit of tough love is exactly what those clubs need to be taken seriously on the field again. The NRL desperately needs this.
When Maguire does take the reins at another club, expect a rapid turnaround and a period of success.
Don’t expect it to last long, though.
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