One of the only ways fans find themselves able to survive the summer off-season (when there are no international tournaments) is to endlessly speculate over their clubs signings. Perhaps no club has had as many "transfer sagas" as Liverpool. Summer and winter often bring rampant speculation and hope (and occasional criticism) of signings and scrutinization of the methods used to get these signings. Jurgen Klopp has had soon-to-be two full seasons at the helm of Liverpool F.C., and five transfer windows. Every first-team player he has purchased has seemingly worked out in the favor of his squad. What exactly are the forces at play? This is the Klopp Effect.
"Like a New Signing":
Some of Klopp's best work hasn't even been with his own signings. When taking over from Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool was gasping for air in the middle of the table. While many of the current center-pieces of today's squad were there, the pieces were not in the right places. One key example was Roberto Firmino, when he wasn't benched, would be stuck out on the wing to allow Christian Benteke to play in the central role. It wasn't until Klopp came in and realized what there was in the Brazilian that he came into form. Likewise, Adam Lallana was then used by Klopp as his main presser, pushing forward relentless allowing the opposing defense no room to breath. Klopp had been able to right the ship in key places.
One of the greatest examples of this, however, came from Dejan Lovren. Lovren had been a fan punching bag dating back into the Rodgers era. He'd cost too much. He was another Southampton reject. He was far too prone to mistakes. Liverpool fans had seemingly had it after the 4-1 defeat at Wembley where Lovren was a key figure involved in two first-half goals for Tottenham and subbed off after a half-hour. Lovren was benched, and seemingly that was it. Instead, the passionate center-back channeled this into focus and he played his way back into the line-up and, alongside Virgil van Dijk, has become one of the most important parts of the Liverpool team as they continue a Champions League run. This is the first of Klopp's "rules": have faith in your players. Klopp will not give up on a player unless they have seemingly given up on the club (i.e., Mamadou Sakho). Lovren has proved time-and-time again his passion and love for the club, and thus was rewarded with chances in the side despite his mistakes. This time, he's making them all count.
Of course, managers have to deal with their own adversities. The short-comings of Alberto Moreno left Liverpool with a dilemma in the summer of 2016. Names were floated around, players like Jonas Hector of Koln and Ben Chilwell of Liverpool were referenced as potential left-back targets for Liverpool. This leads to one of the central tenants of Klopp's transfer foundation: do not panic. What did Klopp do? He placed James Milner, a center-mid Rodgers signed on a free from Manchester City, as the left-back. Milner responded with the form of his life and was arguably the top left-back in England for the first half of the season, and kept up strong play over the course of the second half. This season, of course, has brought about the bargain signing of Andy Robertson from Hull City and rebirth of Moreno under Klopp, and the return of Milner to a mid-field role in which he has performed exceptionally well. What started as a crisis left Liverpool with an excess of left-backs.
The Right Men:
It is not easy to make the right signings. It is even harder when they seem to have flopped. Loris Karius is perhaps the key example of this under Klopp. Karius' first season included training injuries, harsh press criticism, and Simon Mignolet ultimately winning out the role. No one was truly thrilled at either of these options and it was clear a revolving door was not the best option. Sometimes it makes mistakes to learn, however. Mignolet's came at the Emirates against Arsenal when he let a Granit Xhaka strike in rather softly. Mignolet continued starting until their match against Burnley, and Loris Karius took over in the Premier and Champions Leagues. He has responded with nine clean sheets since taking over and Mignolet has been the ideal pro as a back-up in a tough spot with encouraging social media posts following each game. Sometimes patience is needed. The right choice may not appear overnight. It must be given time.
There was only one "right" center-back in the 2017-18 season for Liverpool: Southampton's Virgil van Dijk. Tampering allegations killed this deal in the summer and fans were stuck in abeyance waiting to see if the club would sign someone else. They were linked to Burnley's Michael Keane, Lazio's Stefan de Vrij, and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, but none of these men were the right one for the job. Instead of panicking, Klopp waited till the winter and got his man with a world-record offer. This signing highlights everything Klopp is about in a nutshell. He will not panic-buy someone just because fan or media pressure. He will not give up on those he already has in the squad. He will not simply take someone because there is a "need" for them. He was patient, waited, and finally got the right guy for the defense. Van Dijk is a leader, just what Liverpool needed. He is imposing in the air, something Liverpool had lacked. Almost more importantly than anything, however, he WANTED to be at Liverpool wearing the red. The Dutchman has ushered in a calmness about the defense and is an unshakable force at the center of it. He's proven to be the right man for the club.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a man who once stated after winning an FA Cup "I always wanted to be Steven Gerrard" was brought in as an Arsenal reject. Mohamed Salah, arguably England's player of the year, was a one-footed, Chelsea reject, pace merchant to some. Sadio Mane was the back-up signing to Mario Gotze and nowhere near his level. All three of these men scored in the 3-0 victory over Manchester City at Anfield to give the Reds a commanding led after the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. It was said that Liverpool would not cope without a replacement for Phil Coutinho in the winter following his departure to Barcelona. In actuality, the front three has remained clicking on all cylinders and the midfield is as balanced as it has ever been with Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson, and another Klopp signing, Gini Wijnaldum, along with the revamped Milner.
Three men, all written off at one point or another, now lead England's most feared attacking trio. Bobby Firmino is no longer a false nine, he is a complete striker who does everything and does it all well. Sadio Mane is no longer inconsistency personified as he was claimed to be at Southampton. He is the most decorated Senegalese goal-scorer in Premier League history and even in what some felt was a "down season" remains primed to hit 20 goals this season. Mo Salah, the Egyptian king, Liverpool's revelation, joins players like Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne as ex-"Chelsea rejects" who have proven that title to be ridiculous as he has been scoring for fun in the league, fans becoming more incredulous at the sight of each one going in as he has hit the 40-goal mark. Klopp has these men putting in hard work and smiling while they are doing it. Nearly every man in that Liverpool squad is in the form of their lives.
The Klopp Effect is not just on players. It has been on the fans too. With the Anfield faithful behind them, Klopp's request of fans making the change from doubters to believers has rung out to not be just false promises. As Liverpool gears up for a Champions League semi-final night in just one week's time, surely all fans are grateful for what has been done, and what there is still to do.
Tweet me @RMABTweets or e-mail me at redsmaizeandblue@gmail.com for thoughts, comments, or questions.
"Like a New Signing":
Some of Klopp's best work hasn't even been with his own signings. When taking over from Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool was gasping for air in the middle of the table. While many of the current center-pieces of today's squad were there, the pieces were not in the right places. One key example was Roberto Firmino, when he wasn't benched, would be stuck out on the wing to allow Christian Benteke to play in the central role. It wasn't until Klopp came in and realized what there was in the Brazilian that he came into form. Likewise, Adam Lallana was then used by Klopp as his main presser, pushing forward relentless allowing the opposing defense no room to breath. Klopp had been able to right the ship in key places.
One of the greatest examples of this, however, came from Dejan Lovren. Lovren had been a fan punching bag dating back into the Rodgers era. He'd cost too much. He was another Southampton reject. He was far too prone to mistakes. Liverpool fans had seemingly had it after the 4-1 defeat at Wembley where Lovren was a key figure involved in two first-half goals for Tottenham and subbed off after a half-hour. Lovren was benched, and seemingly that was it. Instead, the passionate center-back channeled this into focus and he played his way back into the line-up and, alongside Virgil van Dijk, has become one of the most important parts of the Liverpool team as they continue a Champions League run. This is the first of Klopp's "rules": have faith in your players. Klopp will not give up on a player unless they have seemingly given up on the club (i.e., Mamadou Sakho). Lovren has proved time-and-time again his passion and love for the club, and thus was rewarded with chances in the side despite his mistakes. This time, he's making them all count.
Of course, managers have to deal with their own adversities. The short-comings of Alberto Moreno left Liverpool with a dilemma in the summer of 2016. Names were floated around, players like Jonas Hector of Koln and Ben Chilwell of Liverpool were referenced as potential left-back targets for Liverpool. This leads to one of the central tenants of Klopp's transfer foundation: do not panic. What did Klopp do? He placed James Milner, a center-mid Rodgers signed on a free from Manchester City, as the left-back. Milner responded with the form of his life and was arguably the top left-back in England for the first half of the season, and kept up strong play over the course of the second half. This season, of course, has brought about the bargain signing of Andy Robertson from Hull City and rebirth of Moreno under Klopp, and the return of Milner to a mid-field role in which he has performed exceptionally well. What started as a crisis left Liverpool with an excess of left-backs.
The Right Men:
It is not easy to make the right signings. It is even harder when they seem to have flopped. Loris Karius is perhaps the key example of this under Klopp. Karius' first season included training injuries, harsh press criticism, and Simon Mignolet ultimately winning out the role. No one was truly thrilled at either of these options and it was clear a revolving door was not the best option. Sometimes it makes mistakes to learn, however. Mignolet's came at the Emirates against Arsenal when he let a Granit Xhaka strike in rather softly. Mignolet continued starting until their match against Burnley, and Loris Karius took over in the Premier and Champions Leagues. He has responded with nine clean sheets since taking over and Mignolet has been the ideal pro as a back-up in a tough spot with encouraging social media posts following each game. Sometimes patience is needed. The right choice may not appear overnight. It must be given time.
There was only one "right" center-back in the 2017-18 season for Liverpool: Southampton's Virgil van Dijk. Tampering allegations killed this deal in the summer and fans were stuck in abeyance waiting to see if the club would sign someone else. They were linked to Burnley's Michael Keane, Lazio's Stefan de Vrij, and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, but none of these men were the right one for the job. Instead of panicking, Klopp waited till the winter and got his man with a world-record offer. This signing highlights everything Klopp is about in a nutshell. He will not panic-buy someone just because fan or media pressure. He will not give up on those he already has in the squad. He will not simply take someone because there is a "need" for them. He was patient, waited, and finally got the right guy for the defense. Van Dijk is a leader, just what Liverpool needed. He is imposing in the air, something Liverpool had lacked. Almost more importantly than anything, however, he WANTED to be at Liverpool wearing the red. The Dutchman has ushered in a calmness about the defense and is an unshakable force at the center of it. He's proven to be the right man for the club.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a man who once stated after winning an FA Cup "I always wanted to be Steven Gerrard" was brought in as an Arsenal reject. Mohamed Salah, arguably England's player of the year, was a one-footed, Chelsea reject, pace merchant to some. Sadio Mane was the back-up signing to Mario Gotze and nowhere near his level. All three of these men scored in the 3-0 victory over Manchester City at Anfield to give the Reds a commanding led after the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. It was said that Liverpool would not cope without a replacement for Phil Coutinho in the winter following his departure to Barcelona. In actuality, the front three has remained clicking on all cylinders and the midfield is as balanced as it has ever been with Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson, and another Klopp signing, Gini Wijnaldum, along with the revamped Milner.
Three men, all written off at one point or another, now lead England's most feared attacking trio. Bobby Firmino is no longer a false nine, he is a complete striker who does everything and does it all well. Sadio Mane is no longer inconsistency personified as he was claimed to be at Southampton. He is the most decorated Senegalese goal-scorer in Premier League history and even in what some felt was a "down season" remains primed to hit 20 goals this season. Mo Salah, the Egyptian king, Liverpool's revelation, joins players like Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne as ex-"Chelsea rejects" who have proven that title to be ridiculous as he has been scoring for fun in the league, fans becoming more incredulous at the sight of each one going in as he has hit the 40-goal mark. Klopp has these men putting in hard work and smiling while they are doing it. Nearly every man in that Liverpool squad is in the form of their lives.
The Klopp Effect is not just on players. It has been on the fans too. With the Anfield faithful behind them, Klopp's request of fans making the change from doubters to believers has rung out to not be just false promises. As Liverpool gears up for a Champions League semi-final night in just one week's time, surely all fans are grateful for what has been done, and what there is still to do.
Tweet me @RMABTweets or e-mail me at redsmaizeandblue@gmail.com for thoughts, comments, or questions.
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