Fun fact: the name "SportsKop" is used to honor the beginnings of this blog, when it ran Liverpool FC content exclusively. And yet, it has been over a year since an article has been written about The Reds. Another fun fact: I'm a diehard Liverpool fan and my participation in this negligence is shameful and downright insulting. Let's waste no further time and delve into the current state of affairs at Anfield.
Liverpool currently sit in 4th place at the Premier league table, 1 point off Spurs sitting in third place and 10 points behind Chelsea, who are simply running away with the title. It has been an interesting season so far to say the least. The team's form was pretty solid till the end of the 2016 calendar year, but since January 2nd against Sunderland, the wheels came off fast. During this poor stretch, Liverpool dropped 3 crucial points by losing to Swansea City by a score of 3-2 at Anfield. They then went on to lose vs Southampton in the League Cup semifinals, eliminating them. The Reds followed this performance with a loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers, knocking them out of the FA Cup as well. However, the team was able to salvage a draw against Chelsea to finish off a month that has been quite cruel to Liverpool. It especially stings considering they were off to a great start at the beginning of the season and continued at that pace through December.
Bumps and rough patches aside, the main reason for writing this article is to chronicle what has happened with the club after Klopp was appointed as the Liverpool manager, since I haven't written a single article since Brendan Rodgers got sacked. I guess you could say I lacked character to rid myself of laziness and share more often about the state of affairs at Anfield.
Klopp took over the reigns at Liverpool after Brendan Rodgers was sacked following a 1-1 tie against Everton. Rodgers was in charge during one of Liverpool's most remarkable seasons in recent history and did bring in some solid players through the transfer market and the youth academy. However, after the loss of Luis Suarez and an abysmal run of results in the Champions league, Rodgers found himself back in the hot seat and ultimately lost his job the following season. Jurgen Klopp was free following a highly successful stint managing Borussia Dortmund and John W. Henry wasted no time bringing him to Anfield. Liverpool was energized once again.
Jurgen Klopp at this time was already known for his colorful personality and his unprecedented success at Dortmund. Year after year, he made Dortmund punch above their weight and also bought some amazing youngsters to the team. He won 2 Bundesliga titles, 2 German Super Cups, and also made it to the Champions League final, ultimately losing to Bayern Munich. Acquiring the services of a manager of this calibre gave ample reasons for optimism.
Klopp wasted no time laying down his goals for the team. He made sure to address the fact that he was not a magician, and that laying a foundation for success would take both time and patience. But his managerial tenure started off with some fireworks, as Liverpool trounced Manchester City and Chelsea and found a variety of options upfront. As an attacking unit, The Reds were incredibly formidable, and this was achieved without the addition of any new players. Klopp was able to bring the best out of Coutinho, Firmino, Lallana and Origi, amongst the other players he had to work with. The first season ended up with mixed results, as Liverpool finished 5th in the Premier league and made it to the final of the League Cup and the UEFA Europa League, losing to Manchester City and Sevilla respectively. While Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions league, the mere fact that Klopp was able to rescue Liverpool's season and keep them competitive till the end of the year with the players left by Brendan Rodgers was promising. He was able to form a system that brought out the best out of his existing players and fans were ecstatic.
This past offseason, Klopp's summer signings included Sadio Mane, Ragnar Klavan, Joel Matip and Lorius Karius amongst some other minor signings. Anfield also got some major developments as the main stand got an upgrade of 14,000 new seats, increasing the stadium capacity to 54,000. The season started off with an incredibly dramatic contest, as Liverpool beat Arsenal 4 -3. The club then lost to Burnley 2-0, completely ruining all the good vibes gained from the previous contest. However, the team did string a series of amazing results and defeated Chelsea and Manchester City while tying with Tottenham and Manchester United. They also edged Everton by scoring in stoppage time, and the team was firing on all cylinders with 11 different players on the scoresheet through the season. Coutinho, Lallana, Firmino, Mane, Henderson, Origi and Wijnaldum forged into an incredible cohesive unit from the midfield to the front, and the fluidity of the team going forward was sublime. The team rounded off 2016 by defeating Manchester City 1 - 0, finishing the year sitting in 2nd place in the Premier league.
Despite the success, the signs of weakness for Liverpool were visible from the start. Their defense was the Achilles heel just like it had been for the last 3 years. Klopp did very little to address the situation other than adding Joel Matip on a free transfer, who truly has been an asset to the team. The goalkeeping situation was also frustrating to watch at times as Karius had a string of rough performances once he took over as starting goalkeeper, forcing Klopp to go back to Mignolet. The team has also struggled at crucial times to put away teams much farther down in the standings. As things stand, a run for the top 4 is very much on the cards, and if Liverpool do end up clinching a Champions league berth, in my eyes that shows that the team is progressing and heading in the right direction.
So how can we evaluate Klopp's era so far? I believe it is a work in progress but this season has shown a lot of promise and this team should continue to grow moving forward. A proven manager like Klopp should be allocated time and patience to build a club that can consistently compete in all fronts, and given his experience and credibility, calling for his sacking is simply ludicrous. We have seen how well the team can play when they are in top form, and every team goes through a rough patch of results during a taxing season. Klopp has been working on fixing a leaking defense and the fact that he did not just buy in a flurry of new players is actually a good sign. The man is willing to bring the best out of the pieces handed to him, and clearly seems to have an eye on challenging in the present but also to build for the future. I am confident that the Jurgen Klopp era will be one to celebrate and not lament in a few years time. A little patience can get Liverpool a long way. To my fellow Reds fans, keep the faith, and remember, you'll never walk alone!
Bumps and rough patches aside, the main reason for writing this article is to chronicle what has happened with the club after Klopp was appointed as the Liverpool manager, since I haven't written a single article since Brendan Rodgers got sacked. I guess you could say I lacked character to rid myself of laziness and share more often about the state of affairs at Anfield.
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| Klopp unveiled at Anfield |
Klopp took over the reigns at Liverpool after Brendan Rodgers was sacked following a 1-1 tie against Everton. Rodgers was in charge during one of Liverpool's most remarkable seasons in recent history and did bring in some solid players through the transfer market and the youth academy. However, after the loss of Luis Suarez and an abysmal run of results in the Champions league, Rodgers found himself back in the hot seat and ultimately lost his job the following season. Jurgen Klopp was free following a highly successful stint managing Borussia Dortmund and John W. Henry wasted no time bringing him to Anfield. Liverpool was energized once again.
Jurgen Klopp at this time was already known for his colorful personality and his unprecedented success at Dortmund. Year after year, he made Dortmund punch above their weight and also bought some amazing youngsters to the team. He won 2 Bundesliga titles, 2 German Super Cups, and also made it to the Champions League final, ultimately losing to Bayern Munich. Acquiring the services of a manager of this calibre gave ample reasons for optimism.
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| Klopp celebrating against Dortmund in the Europa League |
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| Liverpool celebrate beating Arsenal 4-3 |
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| Liverpool lost to Swansea 2-3 at Anfield |
Despite the success, the signs of weakness for Liverpool were visible from the start. Their defense was the Achilles heel just like it had been for the last 3 years. Klopp did very little to address the situation other than adding Joel Matip on a free transfer, who truly has been an asset to the team. The goalkeeping situation was also frustrating to watch at times as Karius had a string of rough performances once he took over as starting goalkeeper, forcing Klopp to go back to Mignolet. The team has also struggled at crucial times to put away teams much farther down in the standings. As things stand, a run for the top 4 is very much on the cards, and if Liverpool do end up clinching a Champions league berth, in my eyes that shows that the team is progressing and heading in the right direction.
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| What kind of legacy will Klopp leave? |
So how can we evaluate Klopp's era so far? I believe it is a work in progress but this season has shown a lot of promise and this team should continue to grow moving forward. A proven manager like Klopp should be allocated time and patience to build a club that can consistently compete in all fronts, and given his experience and credibility, calling for his sacking is simply ludicrous. We have seen how well the team can play when they are in top form, and every team goes through a rough patch of results during a taxing season. Klopp has been working on fixing a leaking defense and the fact that he did not just buy in a flurry of new players is actually a good sign. The man is willing to bring the best out of the pieces handed to him, and clearly seems to have an eye on challenging in the present but also to build for the future. I am confident that the Jurgen Klopp era will be one to celebrate and not lament in a few years time. A little patience can get Liverpool a long way. To my fellow Reds fans, keep the faith, and remember, you'll never walk alone!
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