Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool)
In October 2015, Jürgen Klopp was appointed the manager of Liverpool with hopes that he will help the Reds to recover from a dismal run of trophy-less seasons for four years. In Klopp’s first season at Liverpool, he took them to the finals of the Capital One cup and the UEFA Europa cup, losing in the finals on both the occasions.
Klopp’s style of play and player requirements were said to be different from the set of players Liverpool had when Brendan Rodger’s was sacked, but the German manager was quoted saying that he would be happy to work with the players he inherits.
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Klopp has managed around 640 games in his career having a win ratio of 49.1%. He has a 1.71 point average per game and 5 trophies to his name.
Klopp is known for his rigorous training programmes and belief of not depending on technical ability alone. His gameplay involves increasing the work rate of players both in defence and in attack with fitness being the key component. Liverpool seemed to adopt a more direct approach with Klopp last season.
He likes to play a high energy game and press very early, to turn the ball over in the opponent’s half if possible within only 20 or 30 yards of the opposition’s goal. This approach makes their gameplay faster and more attack-minded than in previous seasons.
After debuting in a 4-3-2-1 and even trying a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield, Klopp has settled on the standard 4-2-3-1. His withdrawal from a one-forward formation usually coincides with him having more than one striker available, in which case two will play ahead of a withdrawn playmaker and a narrow midfield.
Klopp focuses on winning the ball back quickly and going straight to the opponent's goal. The strategy is to capitalise on opposition errors, but rather than patiently waiting for them to develop, Klopp’s Liverpool seeks to cause them by creating chaos as the other team tries to build its attack. This is achieved with the help of players who are quick on their feet and have very high defensive work rates along with pressing abilities.
Jurgen Klopp has successfully signed Senegalese forward Sadio Mane( Southampton) for a transfer fee of £30 million. Another addition to Liverpool this season is defender Joel Matip from Schalke.
