 |
| Jurgen Klopp is unveiled at Anfield as the new manager of Liverpool Football Club. |
Liverpool
have cleared the way to turn around their poor start to the season with the
deployment of Brendan Rodgers to the coast of Spain for a permanent holiday.
His sacking was, of course, last week met with immediate speculation about who
would be the next Reds successor and the speculation was short-lived with what
appeared to be the imminent signing of German, Jurgen Klopp. In Klopp,
Liverpool have secured a promising and steady short-to-mid-term future for the
club. The charismatic, relaxed and almost larrikin manager looks to be the
personality the club was in much need of after the last month under the pressure-consumed
Brendan Rodgers.
 |
| Brendan Rodgers casting a lone figure on the sideline. Some may consider Rodgers very unlucky considering the players he lost during his time at Liverpool. |
Rodgers stress
levels had been on the rise ever since surviving the summer, where his presence
was saved only by the removal of his assistants. Although there were some
moments that suggested Rodgers may be able to turn it around, in recent games
the manager looked stone-cold, isolated and like the proverbial
managerial-death was engulfing him. He was void of all passion that had
dominated his early Liverpool career sideline appearances. The fact that he was
making tactical changes only once the broader fan-base and commentators had
called for them, was a sign of a captain lost at the wheel. If Fenway Sports
Group had of allowed Rodgers to continue and the results didn’t turn, then
Liverpool would have been stuck with another lost season, along with their
chance to grab the manager-of-the-moment, Jurgen Klopp. Indeed, another bad
season under Rodgers could have led to some of their top-flight players looking
elsewhere next summer.
Klopp’s
appointment to the Merseyside club had been called for ever since his departure
from Borussia Dortmund in May. While widely respected across Europe and
creditably lauded for his coaching ability, it seems that just how good the
diamond Liverpool now have as their manager is, was unknown until his final
arrival in the city last Friday. Pundits abound have signalled the appointment
as a serious statement from owners, FSG; even former Manchester United manager,
Alex Ferguson, described it as “worrying” on what Klopp could do for his former
rivals. Klopp’s first challenge begins on Saturday night (AEST) against an improving Tottenham Hotspur, and with one of the best defences in the Premier League, securing a win won’t be easy for Liverpool. What’s exciting is Klopp’s belief that the side he has taken control of is one that he can immediately work with to achieve higher results. His appointment has been the refreshment Liverpool have needed. The next few weeks are going to show where the club is headed and if Klopp’s history is anything to go by, there’s a genuine reason for the fans to be pumped-up. No longer will The Reds run out jaded, they have a 48-year-old energiser bunny bouncing off the Melwood walls.