Liverpool FC’s worst start to the season in the Jürgen Klopp era in the Premier League shows astonishing parallels to his last BVB year. FC Bayern is also complicit in the Reds crisis.
Jürgen Klopp also knew that the 2-0 victory in the Champions League against Rangers was at best a small step out of the misery for Liverpool FC.
After the convincing but lackluster success against Scotland’s runners-up, in which both Liverpool goals did not come from open play but from a direct free-kick and penalty, the 55-year-old team manager also spoke about the big (and currently unedifying) whole.
The criticism that is currently pouring down on the weakening Reds is “perfectly fine,” said Klopp. “We’re not overjoyed with our situation ourselves,” added the coach. With a little wink, he claimed that he hadn’t read any newspapers “for weeks” because of the downturn in sport.
Parallels to Jürgen Klopp’s last BVB year
In fact, the facts are alarming: ninth in the table and just ten points after seven games this season is far from what Liverpool and Klopp can claim.
The former English record champions under the direction of the German team manager have never started a season so badly. His seventh year at Anfield, it’s about to be a darn one.
Parallels to Klopp’s last season at Borussia Dortmund 2014/2015 cannot be denied. At that time, after many years and joint successes, the football teacher no longer really reached his players. In the meantime, the black and yellow were even in danger of relegation.
“Of course, at some point a handwriting wears out,” said former BVB goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller with a view to Liverpool’s current crisis on “Sky”.
In this context, Klopp’s long-time companion referred to his intensive style of play: “The question then always arises as to whether you have the right players for this system. And then, when you’ve been so successful in recent years, the question comes up: Do they Players still have the greed to follow Jurgen Klopp and challenge themselves?”
Club legend finds Liverpool crash “embarrassing”
The reasons for the crash of the Reds, so spoiled by success under Klopp, which club legend Jamie Carragher recently described as “embarrassing”, are complex.
Injury concerns are one of them, as is the lack of form of important top performers.
Stars like Salah or defense chief Virgil van Dijk are “not anywhere near their usual level of performance,” said former world-class defender Rio Ferdinand on “BT Sport”. “It runs through the whole team.”
That is why FC Bayern is complicit in the Liverpool crisis
And then of course there is the departure of Sadio Mané. After six years at the Mersey, the Senegalese offensive all-purpose weapon succumbed to the calls of FC Bayern and decided to change scenery – allegedly also because of differences with Klopp.
Liverpool agreed to the change request and sold him to Munich for the comparatively small sum of 32 million euros.
This transfer was “a cup of coffee” in the world of the Premier League, criticized former professional Paul Merson to “Sky UK”, and Mané’s sale was “the worst deal ever” for Liverpool. “We’re talking about a man who scored crucial goals for this club, he was the leader of the attack and I’m not even saying that for the numbers,” said Merson.
Jurgen Klopp misses Sadio Mane at Liverpool
Klopp himself recently admitted in the “Sky” interview that he misses Mané. But he was also happy that he was now “where he wanted to be,” emphasized the coach.
The fact that Mané’s successor Darwin Nunez, who was brought in from Benfica and by far the most expensive newcomer of the summer at EUR 75 million, is still struggling with major adjustment difficulties in Liverpool and was missing three Premier League games due to an unnecessary red card, further exacerbates the problem .
“He’s not working at Liverpool yet. The team is missing something that it had before,” said iconic coach Arsène Wenger at “beIN Sports”.
Does Jürgen Klopp throw at Liverpool like he did at BVB?
Despite all these adversities: Klopp does not see the future in Liverpool as black as in 2014/2015 at BVB, when he asked for the termination of his contract at the end of the season after a true horror hind series that ended in 17th place.
“I’m still in the right place here at the moment, one hundred percent. If not, then you have to end it. It would be stupid if you didn’t do it. But everyone involved doesn’t see it at the moment,” said the 55-year-old.
Klopp and Co. could take a much bigger step out of the crisis than against Rangers next Sunday.
Then the duel with Premier League leaders FC Arsenal is on the program (from 5:30 p.m. in the live ticker).
Tobias Knoop