Jurgen Klopp’s half season with Liverpool could be called average to say the least. He did get a few good performances for the club, but they couldn’t win any silverware despite reaching two finals in the season.
The German manager would be more worried about the lack of steel and quality in his team and he has wasted no time in bringing in talent that could fix the side up. Loris Karius was the latest signing for the 48-year-old manager and there could be many more players coming in at the Merseyside club.
Liverpool are yet again in a transitional phase – how many times have we heard that? – And the Reds would hope that Klopp can get them back on the perch. The former Borussia Dortmund manager knows that he has a lot of work to do and he will be in sixth gear to help Liverpool out.
Klopp had done wonders for Mainz and Dortmund and he would be looking to do some magic for the Premier League side as well. Here are three main priorities for the manager that he should address as soon as possible.
Bringing in quality
Without a shadow of a doubt, this Liverpool team does not have the quality to challenge for a top six place, let alone a top four place. The Reds have struggled all season for consistency and most of the team aren’t really all that good.
One major problem with the side is that they have not been able to bring top players to the club. Jurgen Klopp will find it hard to bring in talent without any European football next season. The German does have a history of making shrewd signings and doing well with them on a budget and Liverpool fans will be expecting a few good signings who turn into stars in the coming months.
Getting rid of the deadwood
The number of players who need to be sold at Liverpool keeps growing each day. Simon Mignolet seems to have been replaced with Loris Karius and there are question marks on the heads of Martin Skrtel, Kolo Toure, Alberto Moreno, Lucas Leiva and even Joe Allen.
Jordan Henderson could also be a player that could be shown the door as he isn’t the most dynamic and his performances for the club haven’t been all that great this season either. With Klopp plotting moves for Mahmoud Dahoud, it could be a new look Liverpool team next season, not to forget, Christian Benteke does seem to be another player shown the exit door at Anfield.
Reigniting the belief in the team
The Europa League final was just a testament to the fact that Liverpool are extremely soft and do not have the belief that they can actually achieve much. Even after conceding once against Sevilla they still had more than half the game to calm things down and take the lead or at least contain the La Liga side but nothing of that sort happened.
Jurgen Klopp will have to bring back the never say die attitude that Liverpool were known for under Rafa Benitez at least. The going will be tough for the charismatic manager but he has done similar things at other clubs and with a complete summer to work out the chinks in the armour, Klopp could still end up with some silverware next season.