Having failed to win any of his last four games, the win ratio of Jurgen Klopp in comparison to Brendan Rodgers proves the problem at Anfield is not quite with the man in charge.
Liverpool sacked manager Brendan Rodgers earlier in the season, with the Northern Irishman winning a meager 3 of his 8 games in the Premier League.
Liverpool not only failed to win games, they also were not looking like a side capable of winning games.
While Rodgers played Arsenal FC, Everton FC and Manchester United away in the 8 games run, and also missed the likes of Coutinho and Henderson alongside Daniel Sturridge for quite a few games, his work was deemed to be less than satisfactory by the Anfield board.
Klopp worse than Rodgers
The sacking of manager Brendan Rodgers led to the appointment of German manager Jurgen Klopp, who’s track record of uplifting Borussia Dortmund from the depths of the Bundesliga and putting them right at the top of the table, twice, meant that he was welcomed amidst much fanfare and expectations.
9 games into his tenure, the excitement seems to be making way for a reality check. While Klopp has had to deal with a similar fixture list as Rodgers, playing against Spurs, City and Chelsea away and also missing the likes of Coutinho, Henderson and Sturridge, the performance of the side has been worse with the Anfield outfit winning just three of their 9 Premier League games.
Moreover, the last game that Liverpool FC lost against Watford, a 3-0 demolition, came with the side playing as badly as during the final days of Brendan Rodgers.
Is Klopp the problem?
Far from it being Klopp, the problem has always been the players at Anfield. The fact that Liverpool FC policy of recruitment allows them to buy only those players who are ‘potential’ rather than actual stars, means that the side remains a shadow of the one that competed with the best in Europe.
There was a time Liverpool FC bought Fernando Torres to Anfield, one of the most sought after names in European Football. That was probably the last time the Reds were able to compete for a top player, or even a top talent (Luis Suarez aside, who was a top talent at the time when Liverpool got him from Ajax)
Also, considering the fact that both Rodgers and Klopp like to play similar, if not the same style of football, it is no surprise that both the managers have struggled with this bunch of players.
They are not really the best squad in the league, and are more likely the fifth best in the league, maybe even sixth and to expect the managers to consistently over-achieve would be a bit over the top.
Klopp, for all his great showing, had the second best squad in Germany and was able to get them to the top. To win against Bayern Munich is no mean feat, but in England there are four teams with much greater purchasing power than Liverpool and the Reds hardly have the next Gundogon, Hummels, Goetze and other top youngsters like the ones decorating the ranks in Dortmund during Klopp’s time.
What is the solution?
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The Reds, at first, need to give the manager the right kind of player that fits in his system. The infamous transfer committee at Anfield has been a figure of much hate among the Reds faithful, and for good reasons.
Klopp must be given money to spend and to buy the right players for his system if they are available. And more than that, Liverpool FC must invest in identifying the right players for the manager’s system, something that has been a bigger issue than the money available to be spent.