The dust is starting to settle. The rain, so relentless that night in Basel, has finally ceased. After a long puff of the cheeks, it is now time for assessment.
Jurgen Klopp’s first seven months in charge at Liverpool sped by. Full throttle, he called it, at his unveiling in October. How right he was. Thirty nine players, 52 games, 104 press conferences, two finals.
One big assessment needed.
Football is desperate for snap decisions; hot takes, as the kids call them. Little is left to breathe any more, with a huge rush to pass judgement.
So it has proven. The German has been with the club less than a year, but statements are already being made – the vast majority of them in favour, in truth.
Rightly so. The improvement at Anfield since his arrival is evident. The Reds needed a change after Brendan Rodgers lost both the fans’ belief and his own; Klopp was a blockbuster acquisition, a no-brainer of an appointment to excite, unite, and begin what FSG hopes is the club’s ascension back to the top.
It hasn’t been easy, and it never will be. A few bumps on the way, and a few still ahead. There has been plenty to appreciate, but a fair bit to criticise, too.
Some are reticent to throw criticism towards Klopp, choosing to lay most of the blame at the boots of the players he sends out on to the field.
The Liverpool boss wouldn’t entertain that. Speaking after the Europa League final defeat, he left no illusion where blame laid. “My situation as manager of the team is that all I have to do is self-criticise, nothing else,” he said. “It is all about us, all about me. It is my job to help the players to react in different situations better. I can improve a lot.”
A noble thought, but unwarranted, too. What happened in Switzerland, and during other low points in the season, deserved a fairer attribution of blame. Klopp could have done a few things better and he didn’t get everything right – but neither did his players.
If only others followed his example. Any criticism of Klopp is usually deflected on to the players; rarely is it attributed to the man in the dugout. The German himself would not want that and perhaps that character – his loyalty, humility and honesty – absolves him of such scrutiny.
There are caveats and mitigating circumstances, of course. Any critique is followed by a huge but; Klopp has had just seven months in charge, with a squad he did not choose, with an unprecedented injury crisis and hectic fixture list.
Still, 2015-16 brought both good and bad. Klopp did things well, and others not so well.
What Klopp did well
Unity and identity on the pitch: Klopp arrived at a club whose direction was unclear. On the field, there was no defined style of play; a collective of individuals, rather than a team. Off the field, it was just as unclear. Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke arrived in the same summer, with no real indication of whether short-term or long-term mattered more.
Enter the German. He came with a reputation of playing a certain style of football, and a clear identity off the field, too. Liverpool would now be a club that looks to nurture top talent with a high-intensity, complex pressing game.
While Rodgers had lost the crowd by the end of his tenure, Klopp had found them. While Rodgers had lost sight of what he wanted to do at Anfield, Klopp came with a clear vision. In less than a season, the implementation of that has begun. There is no question how the Reds, and Klopp, plan to achieve success – it is now about whether they can carry it out.
Instilling a never-say-die attitude: The comeback against Borussia Dortmund was incredible. “If you read it in a book you think [it is] nice but it is really rare,” said Klopp after the 4-3 win.
But in truth, it was only following a script Klopp had started to write on Merseyside. The Reds had come from behind to beat Chelsea, Norwich and Crystal Palace, as well as saving points against West Brom and Arsenal. It was the thrilling 5-4 win at Carrow Road in January that truly set the standard, a manic end which included two goals in stoppage time. Liverpool, so often accused of lacking character, have developed a real drive to turn things around.
Implemented signs of pressing style: Gegenpressing was the buzz word around Anfield. Articles – tens, hundreds, thousands – contained the word in an attempt to explain and examine Klopp’s preferred style of football at Borussia Dortmund.
There have been signs of that working at Liverpool. Some of the pressing has been electric, with the likes of Firmino, Adam Lallana, Emre Can, James Milner and Divock Origi demonstrating how effective it can be if utilised correctly. Klopp’s side now runs harder, and smarter, than it did do previously.
Given the obstacles Klopp has faced this season in terms of training time, it is impressive how some have embraced his hard-running, intense style. No wonder there is optimism surrounding next season, with more time at Melwood a given after failure to qualify for Europe.
Brought the best out of high-profile players: Towards the end of Rodgers’ time at the club, some of the so-called big names were not performing to expected levels, while others were simply not performing. As such, the transfer windows of both 2014 and 2015 were being regarded as unmitigated failures, the club’s recruitment policy coming under scrutiny.
Klopp, however, has managed to get a tune out of a group of players he didn’t sign. Can now has a defined role and position, and looks much better for it; so, too, the barnstorming Origi. Firmino, after finding adaptation to English football hard, ended the season in double figures; Lallana and Dejan Lovren, bought from Southampton, have started to repay some of the £45m spent on them with much better showings.
Add that to how some of the Academy stars have progressed – Sheyi Ojo and Brad Smith two that spring to mind – and Klopp’s arrival has raised the level of performance substantially.
Reconnected the disconnected: Klopp spoke with sadness in November after his first league defeat as Liverpool boss. The 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace was a kick to the sternum for him, mainly because of how the home crowd reaction. “I felt pretty alone at this moment,” he said afterwards, reflecting on how fans departed Anfield after Palace’s second on 82 minutes.
A month later, he and the players raised their arms in front of the Kop. He was mocked for such a celebratory gesture after the 2-2 draw with West Brom, but the symbolism was clear – supporters had stayed until the end to cheer, and were rewarded with Origi’s late equaliser.
It is still not a perfect relationship, but a fire has been reignited within the crowd, lit by the excellent Europa League run. The atmospheres against Manchester United, Dortmund and Villarreal were to savour.
It might not quite be Westfalenstadion yet, and the relationship is still in the rebuilding stage, but Klopp has helped mend the bond between fans and players.
What Klopp did not do well
Holding on to a lead: As good as Liverpool were at fighting back from behind, they also tossed away plenty of points from winning positions. Sunderland (albeit Klopp was in hospital recovering from appendicitis), Southampton and Newcastle saw the Reds relinquish two-goal leads. If they would have held on to them in all three games, they would have finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League.
The character of the side – lauded when they manage to come back from behind – has been criticised, but there is also a sense Klopp must look at halting negative momentum sooner. Granted, he does not have a squad he built, but there have been opportunities to bring an extra body on in midfield, or even a different sort of striker, to gain more control over a game.
Defending as a team: When the pressing and counter-pressing works, it is a daunting prospect for the opposition. When it doesn’t, however, the door is open to take advantage.
By Klopp’s own admission, such a complex pressing system needs full concentration from every player on the pitch. Everybody needs to play their part. At times this season, gaps have opened up, and Liverpool have been far too susceptible on the counter attack.
There have been individual errors – Simon Mignolet the main culprit, with six in the Premier League – but it is a collective effort, too.
It would be lazy to suggest Klopp could be troubled if his tactics are ‘found out’ – a manager of his quality is always adapting, always innovating – but there are times when Liverpool’s counter-press is less effective. What happens when, for example, the opposition allow the Reds to have 70% of the ball? It is something Klopp will be pondering this summer.
Bring tangible league improvement: There are the caveats. There are the mitigating circumstances. Yet, the reality cannot be shirked: Liverpool ended the season in eighth place, with two unsuccessful cup finals to boot.
Of course, Liverpool’s league form was impacted by their run to the Europa League final. It is doubtful results such as Newcastle (2-2), Swansea (1-3) or West Brom (1-1) would have occurred if the Reds were not prioritising European glory.
That still does not account for other limp performances, particularly Newcastle (0-2), Watford (0-3) and West Ham (0-2). The end result, ultimately, is that Klopp’s points-per-game ratio of 1.6 is only 0.1 better off than Rodgers.
That means nothing alone, and seasons should not be judged on such arbitrary measures. But ultimately, Liverpool ended in their joint-lowest position since they were promoted back to the top-flight in 1963. In fact, it was only the fourth time in that 53-year period the Reds finished eighth.
A trophy was so agonisingly close, and would have brought Champions League football as well. As it is, Klopp begins his first full season looking to improve massively on this season’s final showing.
Set pieces: Liverpool’s defence has been a curious beast this season. Lovren has been transformed into a good option at the back, while Mamadou Sakho – before his UEFA suspension – was becoming a real hero of the Kop. In some games, they, along with their team-mates, have looked solid and dependable. In others, not so much.
Yet one issue continues to rear its head for Klopp – set-pieces. Time after time, the Reds find themselves in difficult situations due to their inability to deal with balls into the box. After the 5-4 win at Norwich, he said: “Of course we know about this problem, I’m sorry to say it’s not a problem we can ignore.”
It hasn’t really improved, though. It isn’t much better at the other end, either, scoring just six from set-piece situations. The biggest demonstration, perhaps, of how Klopp needs a proper pre-season and time on the training pitch with his side.
Sevilla: The Europa League final cannot be ignored as a whole. Indeed, it was a collective show of what hasn’t worked this season. The relinquishing of a lead, the defensive lapses, the inability to grasp any semblance of control in the football game.
Part of it was the players. Moreno had a half to forget, but he was not alone as the Reds toiled against the Spanish side. But Klopp also did little to arrest the slump, waiting too long to make a substitution and leaving Joe Allen, Lucas Leiva and Jordan Henderson on the bench as Sevilla went 3-1 ahead. One of those midfielders could have, potentially, halted the Sevilla momentum.
Instead, everything remained the same and Unai Emery’s men scored three in 25 minutes, wrestling the trophy from Liverpool’s grasp.
Klopp was keen to accept responsibility after the game; too much of it, undoubtedly. He will be even keener to put that right next season.
