6 steps in the evolution of Liverpool FC under Jürgen Klopp

"Please give us time to do the work but when I sit here in four years, I think we may have one title. I'm pretty sure. If not, maybe (I'll win) the next one in Switzerland."

This was one of the headline-grabbing statements made by Jürgen Klopp during his first press conference as the manager of Liverpool Football Club. He also mentioned to the masses, that it was time to turn doubters into believers.

Almost four years on from that day, here he stands, as a European champion. This confident promise was not a shot in the dark or a sudden burst in momentum. Klopp has progressively built a somewhat broken Liverpool team, year by year, into the global force they have once again become.

In October 2015, almost eighteen months from the heartbreaking end to a stunning title challenge, Brendan Rodgers' team had fallen apart. Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling left, as did Steven Gerrard, while Daniel Sturridge was struggling with injuries. The new signings were not clicking well enough and the Reds were languishing in mid-table after a disappointing 6th-place-finish in the previous season.

Rodgers was sacked and Fenway Sports Group quickly moved to snap up the in-demand German, who was on a sabbatical after leaving Borussia Dortmund a few months prior. This would turn out to be the best possible signing made by Liverpool in a very long time.

However, it did take time to turn an average Liverpool side into the world beaters they have become today.

Here is how Jürgen Klopp turned the entire red half of Merseyside from doubters to believers.

#1 Laughable (or was it?)

Two months into Jürgen Klopp's reign as manager, Liverpool salvaged a 2-2 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion after Divock Origi scored a 96th-minute equalizer. After the match, Klopp made his players salute the Kop as a way of showing gratitude for sticking with the team until the very end, something they had failed to do in a home defeat to Crystal Palace a month earlier. It was perceived by fans and critics as a laughable celebration of a draw against West Brom. But for Klopp, and for Liverpool, this was the rekindling of an old relationship.

The fans have been a phenomenal inspiration throughout this season, contributing in a huge way at times. The bond between the players, the manager, and the fans could not be any higher at Anfield. This moment after the West Brom game in December 2015 sparked a special kind of bond that would become the Reds' secret weapon, a twelfth man if you will. Since then, the bond has only gotten stronger and stronger.

What seemed like a disappointing and inconsequential home draw, turned out to be a crucial turning point for the Reds. The team went on a journey, and the fans joined them.

#2 Heartbreak and rebuild

Despite a choppy league campaign, Liverpool reached two cup finals in Jürgen Klopp's first season. Not even a year into his Anfield tenure, Klopp led the Reds to heights that they had failed to reach for years and years before his arrival. The run to the Europa League final was particularly memorable, with the 4-3 win over Dortmund at Anfield standing out in a big way.

Liverpool failed to get over the line against Manchester City and Sevilla, with the consequence being no European football in the next season. However, Klopp quickly moved to rebuild the squad and mold it into more of his kind of team. The likes of Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum joined, making major contributions during the 2016-17 season as Liverpool finished fourth.

There was already progress, with Mane leading the charge alongside Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino. Liverpool returned to the Champions League and Klopp was tasked with preparing them to go toe-to-toe with Europe's big boys.

#3 Top class recruitment on the road to Kiev

One of the main reasons why Jürgen Klopp has enjoyed a lot of success at Anfield has been his stellar record in the transfer market. Having signed Mane and Wijnaldum among a couple of others in 2016, Klopp further molded the Reds into the model he envisioned. They were getting closer and closer.

Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson joined Liverpool in 2017, both of whose signings raised major doubts amongst the external environment around the club. They were followed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on deadline day and finally, Virgil van Dijk in the winter transfer window. However, Coutinho moved to Barcelona in a move which was inevitable for a while. Liverpool reached the Champions League final that season, proving that they are not a one-man team. But it was one man, who had left the biggest impression in his debut season at Anfield.

Salah scored 44 goals in all competitions, a ridiculous burst in consistency and an anomaly from Liverpool's steady and progressive ascent. Another top-four finish ensued, but Liverpool lost the Champions League final 3-1 to Real Madrid. There was still work to be done for the German and his team.

#4 Quality over quantity

This has been the motto of Jürgen Klopp's entire transfer policy at Liverpool. After the club made big money in sales for Philippe Coutinho, among other players, Klopp spent the money wisely. Like in the previous few summers, the Reds did not sign more than a handful of stars. Only four came in, with one of them being agreed a year ago. But that was all that was needed to complete Klopp's main jigsaw.

Liverpool's core is as good as any team in the world right now. As one silky little Brazilian left the club, they got two more of them. Two who would be big presences, quite literally, on the pitch. Alisson Becker, like Virgil van Dijk, was a really expensive get. But he was absolutely worth it, especially after the calamitous errors made by Loris Karius in the Champions League final.

Fabinho also made a big impact, becoming a mainstay in the Reds midfield alongside Jordan Henderson. Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri also joined, bolstering Liverpool's overall squad strength.

Klopp also had a change in approach for the 2018-19 season, a more conservative approach. Liverpool became more defensively astute, sacrificing part of the Rock and Roll football from the first few years of his tenure here. Klopp and Liverpool had evolved over time to finally produce a title challenge.

#5 Mentality monsters

The greatest night in Anfield's history.

Liverpool's switch in approach showed just how far this team has evolved in the past four years. They were now just a bottle of character and determination. The last season has proved that.

In a normal season, 97 points would be enough to walk the league and celebrate weeks in advance. But what Liverpool came up against was not a normal team. Manchester City, in their own evolution, continued to break records. The most intense title race in Premier League history saw Liverpool keep up with the billion-pound squad, winning their final nine league games.

Despite the unavoidable disappointment in the Premier League, the Champions League was a different story though. Jürgen Klopp has still remarkably never lost a two-legged European tie as Liverpool manager. That record was in serious jeopardy when the Reds lost 3-0 at Barcelona in the first leg of the semi-final. What happened one week later at Anfield, will go down in history.

Everything that Klopp had worked towards as Liverpool manager came together in the most perfect way imaginable. Liverpool, flanked by the lovely support from the Anfield crowd, defeated Barcelona 4-0 to reach their second successive Champions League final.

These players just do not know when to give up. As Klopp very aptly put it, they are "mentality monsters".

#6 The first of many?

For a while, Liverpool had been doing themselves proud, both domestically and in Europe. However, they had nothing to show for it. Jürgen Klopp had been overly criticized for failing to win a trophy and losing the number of finals that he did, for a very long time. The extent to which he has transformed Liverpool Football Club has been priceless. But a trophy would have put that validation on the current success that the Reds are enjoying.

That argument came crashing down on June 1st in Madrid, as Liverpool defeated Tottenham 2-0 to win the Champions League, Klopp finally got something tangible to show for the incredible progress he and Liverpool have made. This was the culmination of the entirety of the German's time at the club so far, less than the previously self-stipulated four years into the job. Every single player has proven, over the course of this magnificent season and before, that they are heroes and are certainly worthy of being called Liverpool legends.

Every single one of them has a story to tell, coming up from their humble roots to form an absolute footballing machine under the German manager. The best may have been from the captain, Jordan Henderson. He had been struggling at Anfield at multiple times since he joined the Liverpool in 2011, but he persevered and fought through. He is now in an exclusive list of Liverpool captains to lift the European Cup. This victory was sweet vindication for the former Sunderland midfielder, as well as the entire Reds squad.

In winning the Reds' sixth European Cup, this current crop of players have booked their place in Anfield immortality. And right at the center of it is the manager, Jürgen Klopp. They always say that the first trophy is the hardest one to get. That being said, this could honestly be the start of something really special at Anfield.

Part 1 is done, the trophy has been delivered. Klopp is here for another three years at the very least, and Liverpool's evolution is not yet complete. As they return in the new season as European champions, it is time to win the one trophy that has eluded them for close to three decades, the league title. That is the only way up for Jürgen's mighty Reds, as they go again. But for now, let's talk about six baby!

Edited by Kaushik Das