Comparing Defence and Attack - Klopp Against Rodgers
A lot has been written over the past week or so about what Jurgen Klopp brings to Liverpool and how he compares to the recently departed, not from this Earth, Brendan Rodgers. Their styles have been looked at and analysed, lots of theories have been discussed about how the German messiah may evolve Liverpool into a gegenpressing machine and it's been taken for granted, almost viewed as a given, that Jurgen Klopp will improve Liverpool. The man himself has acknowledged …
Jurgen Klopp's Tactical Permutations & Pellegrini: Links 4-2-3-1
Back in 2013, Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund made it all the way to the Champions League final at Wembley. For many this was the season which defined him.
The increased visibility offered by their impressive run in the world's most coveted football competition, made people sit up and take note of the man, his team, and his tactics.
Prior to this, the German coach had won consecutive Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, and also picked up the German Cup …
Divock Origi: To Be Saved By The Boss?
The arrival of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool has kick-started a sense of euphoria surrounding the club and it's hard not to understand why. The German boss seems to have all the answers to Liverpool’s on-field problems and there's a sense of hope returning to the forgotten fortress of Anfield.
Under Brendan Rodgers, there was often some lost players in the squad; players who were always over-looked, utilised ineffectively or simply disliked by Rodgers. Divock Origi, the young forward, was signed …
The Power of Youth: Klopp's Transfer Magic
With a clamour and a beaming grin, most Liverpool supporters now have a horizon to look to. Where the dark shroud engulfed the fields of Anfield Road, a descent into limbo embodied by a broken regime, the inverse has now created a sense of real optimism about Liverpool Football Club, for what seems like the first time in a long time.
In reality, it was a mere two years ago that a revolution was seemingly tearing through Anfield; its leader …
The Normal One: Klopp - Must Not Be Put On A Pedestal
Jurgen Klopp’s arrival at Liverpool has certainly caught the imagination of our fans. English football followers will be well versed with the charismatic German manager – the Klopp cult has translated across borders. His popularity comes from his electric interviews, his effortless charisma and the terrifying intensity of football his teams attempt to play. Backing up all these attributes are trophies and success that give his public demeanour a credibility that Brendan Rodgers frankly lacked.
However, it was not all …
Klopp, Zlatan and the Transfer Market
As many of you of a similar age to me will know there was an 1980s TV series (and also more recently a film version) called The Equalizer in which the basic premise was that Robert McCall (played by Edward Woodward who was great in the role), an ex CIA operative, who on seeing the various injustices perpetrated against the weak by the strong in 1980s New York decided to use his skills to help those in need equalize the odds …
The Committee Has Done Some Good at Liverpool
For the sympathisers of Rodgers in the media Liverpool’s problems owed more to the much vilified transfer committee than the Northern Irishman. It is the mitigating factor in Rodgers’ performance at Liverpool and it is spread as a blanket over his own failings. Rather than facilitate the work of a promising young British manager, the transfer committee shackled the Brendan Rodgers, his supporters argue. That does not stand the truth test. The “defence team” have repetitively demonized the structure and …
Can Adam Lallana Buck Up His Ideas?
Adam Lallana is something of a head-scratcher when it comes to Liverpool Football Club and even disregarding his £25 Million fee entirely there is still debate over his transfer. A player who neither fits in with the titillatingly direct and pacey football of 2013/14 or the slower, possession based approach that Brendan Rodgers wished to implement when he was first appointed. The England International would appear to fit somewhere in between. To assess his potential for transition and growth there …
Klopp Vs Rodgers: The Aggressive Unknown
I’ll start-off slow.
Over the last few decades there’s been a sense that we should aim to repeat the past. We tried. And, in 2013/14, we came close: but this was never a realistic ambition.
The club placed itself under the self-inflicted tyranny of “the weight of the shirt” – a philosophy Brendan Rodgers was only too happy to reinforce to our players. “Don’t forget who you’re playing for”, “it’s an iconic club”, “the shirt is heavy”, and other seemingly …
The Week of Klopp: A Fan's Account
Jurgen Klopp is at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp is the Liverpool manager. Jurgen Klopp is ours. If you do not believe it, do keep repeating it until you believe it.
Every club who changes their manager during the season hope for something, which is now more commonly termed as the 'honey moon effect' or 'manager bounce'. New manager brings in fresh ideas, the players want to impress the new manager, there generally are better performances. But this piece is not about …