5 Things That Jurgen Klopp Has Changed At Liverpool: The Confidence Is Back

While one manager moving from the Bundesliga to the EPL has really caught the fancy of many Manchester fans, there already was someone who did the jump across from Germany to England early on in the season. Jurgen Klopp ended his sabbatical from management after leaving Borussia Dortmund last season and signed up with Liverpool who parted ways with Brendan Rodgers.

Many would remember that FSG had spoken to the German while he was at Dortmund but he was committed to the Bundesliga side and didn’t want to move to Merseyside. Liverpool though finally have their man and he has been brought in to overhaul a side that overachieved in one season and was brought back down to earth in the last season.

Klopp though isn’t one to wait till his signings come in the summer transfer window and has already started to work hard on the team. Unfortunately for the German, Liverpool have been involved in three cup competitions so far in this season and are alive in each of them. This means that he gets less time to work with the team and has to prepare for match days even more.

Nevertheless in such a short period of time, he still has done a lot at the club and we highlight the five changes he has brought at Anfield.

1. Gegenpressing is here

Everyone wanted to know how Liverpool would suit to Klopp’s famed ‘Gegenpressing’ style of football and it has been an ok transition so far. In some games it has worked wonders such as the matches against Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Southampton but in a few it has fallen flat. Liverpool are still a work in progress but there are some positive signs and when Klopp gets a full summer to work with his team, this philosophy should work better.

2. No more big man up top

Liverpool were gifted a ton of strikers come the start of the season with Danny Ings, Christian Benteke, Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge but most of them have been injured for large parts of the season while Christian Benteke just doesn’t fit Klopp’s playing style. This has led to the German deploying a false nine aka Roberto Firmino to great effect and that is working wonders for a few games at least. This should help Liverpool in the long run as they would finally have two game plans to work with, this one is working but playing with a lone striker is not, work for Mr. Klopp then.

3. The team looks confident

Whenever Liverpool conceded a goal under Rodgers, especially last season, it was pretty much game over for them. They wouldn’t be able to score a goal and would put in quite a number of abject performances, this season it has been a bit different. In the games against Southampton, Chelsea and Norwich, Liverpool actually clawed back after going behind and ended up winning the game. Sure, the defence still needs a lot of work but building the confidence of individuals will help. Even Dejan Lovren looks like a great defender, just need to work with the rest of the team now.

4. Youngsters getting more playing time

Call it plain luck, bad timing or faith in the youth system, the number of games Liverpool have had to play this season has given a chance to many youngsters. Kevin Stewart, Brad Smith, Joao Teixeira, Cameron Brannagan and a few others have impressed for the Reds in the League and FA Cup fixtures and their great performances surely will give them a chance in the Premier League. Brannagan and Smith look set to make the first team and this will surely give a lot of confidence to the other players in the team looking to break through the ranks.

5. No panicking in the transfer window

Sure it is just one window and there aren’t many players to sign in the winter window but Jurgen Klopp has shown that Liverpool will not bow down to pressure. Time after time, Liverpool have been accused of paying over the top for a player that they are linked with and a similar fate was around the corner with the failed signing of Alex Teixeira. Shakhtar Donetsk wanted more than Liverpool’s valuation and the deal was called off, that is certainly better than having to pay over the odds and hopefully Klopp can find some diamonds for Liverpool like he did at Dortmund.

 

Note: The Article was written before the Leicester Loss (which should not change anything here anyway)