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An honest review of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool career to date

Cameron Boyd new author
Roar Rookie
10th December, 2017
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Jurgen Klopp (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Cameron Boyd new author
Roar Rookie
10th December, 2017
3

Liverpool have been under Jurgen Klopp for just over two years, dating back to October the eighth 2015.

There have been different opinions on whether or not there have been improvements at the club since Klopp’s arrival on Merseyside, and I am strong believer his reign has not been a success.

He has not fulfilled what he was brought in to do, which is to put together a strong challenge for the English Premier League Title.

Many optimists of the club will say Liverpool have been competitive in the league and may have even been close to winning it, however Klopp’s poor game management and inability to fix the defence and find a goalkeeper have been problematic.

Despite sitting in the top four, Liverpool have one of the worst defensive records of any Premier League club. Everybody knows Alberto Moreno, Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan are not capable, so what are they doing there?

Liverpool were linked with Virgil Van Dijk all summer but negotiations were never going to be friendly. Why was there not a plan B when it came to a new centre back?

On a positive note Klopp has improved Liverpool’s record against top six opposition since his arrival, racking up nine wins, nine draws and two losses from 20 games. Liverpool’s biggest weakness however is their record against bottom teams – where they have continually dropped points.

All small clubs know the game plan against Liverpool is sit deep and compact and wait for a set piece to score.

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Another record that Klopp won’t be proud of is his record in Cup competitions, particularly in finals. Last season Liverpool got knocked out of both English Cup competitions by Wolverhampton and Southampton.

Klopp’s teams have made finals but only on two occasions at Dortmund did he come out a winner, In Klopp’s first season at Liverpool they made the cup final against Man City.

The Europa League Final was another example when then controlled the first half against Sevilla but imploded in the second half, a common theme with Klopp at Liverpool.

Liverpool are one of the world’s biggest clubs, so this is simply not good enough.

I suggest that Klopp has until the end of the season to win something, after which he will leave. I think Carlo Ancelotti would be a good fit. He won the Champions League and has a more defensive structure which would balance the team better and lead to a competitive challenge for trophies.

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