Jürgen Klopp has announced that he’ll be leaving Liverpool after the end of the 2023/2024 campaign. This is unbelievable because he gave Liverpool their first Premier League title in 2019 and three Champions League final appearances, winning one. Now Liverpool is in the run for a quadruple, playing in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea and the fourth round of the FA Cup against Norwich City. Currently, Liverpool is winning the Premier League; it’s a tight race, with one game up on Manchester City but a five-point lead nonetheless. They are also in the Europa League and probably the runaway favorites to win that. Yes, the Champions League is the top European tournament, but Europa is still a top-tier European competition and only one below the CL.
As a Liverpool fan, this is a shock considering that he won the Bundesliga twice with Dortmund and got them to the Champions League final in the 2012/2013 campaign; to make matters simple, he is a legendary manager. It makes it even tougher when you realize he was the coach who revolutionized gengenpressing, which is German for counterpressing. It’s been the best and biggest tactic of football since Pep Guardiola revolutionized Tiki-Taka, building on the old styles of Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff. I believe Klopp revolutionized soccer in the last decade, and you saw him come to Liverpool, turning the Reds around to get us runner-up in the Premier League multiple times and finally win it. Under Jürgen, Liverpool has also captured the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup and is now fighting for the Europa League title. I feel like it’s too early to talk about Liverpool’s potential dwindling when Klopp leaves, as that is next season. In interviews recently, he has been talking about “jobs not finished” and is still focusing on this year. He assures the press and fans that the lads are still focused on that potential quadruple and, most importantly, winning the Prem.
I would say that Xabi Alonso is the favorite to join Liverpool next year as manager, and the media knows it, too. Xabi is having great success with Bayer Leverkusen, with no losses during the whole Bundesliga season. He is a former Liverpool player himself, and I believe he would be a great mind to coach Liverpool, and he’d be able to follow Klopp’s tactics. Sadly, all eras must end, and maybe Liverpool can still succeed without him. However, their Director and coaching staff are announcing they’re leaving the season, leading me to wonder what Fenway Sports Group (the owners of LFC) can do to get a new manager. The Reds squad is a young team that needs help developing, with some showing their star potential.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is developing beautifully, and I truly hope Liverpool purchases a right-back this January transfer window, putting Trent at CDM. Jeremie Frimpong is a top candidate for that spot, but who knows if LFC will be able to get him due to the attention he is attracting from his star performances at Leverkusen. Mohamed Salah, our star right winger, has attracted much attention from Saudi Arabian clubs, and that would be a big transfer fee, allowing LFC to sign a top forward. However, if you’re talking about selling Salah and signing Kylian Mbappé, I would say easily take Salah. Mbappé is not the team player the Reds need right now, and Salah has shown leadership. He is involved in almost every single one of the goals, and even when he does not have his foot on the ball, you can feel his presence. He’s very consistent and our star player despite his growing age.
Diogo Jota is very underrated and great with his patience and footwork; the same goes for left-winger Luis Díaz. Darwin Núñez is sporadic, but I believe he can mature well, still only 24. Curtis Jones is playing quite well at CM, and Klopp signed Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich; he has been a consistent substitute at CM and sometimes even a solid starter. Virgil is getting up there in age but still performing well, and Andy Robertson should be back at left-back soon. Right now, even as a center-back, Joe Gomez is playing quite well at that LB spot in Robbo’s and Tsimikas’ absence. It is an excellent team, and if LFC can make a right-back signing in the January transfer, they can easily make a statement to finish with the quadruple, taking the domestic cups, Europa, and the Prem. LFC is in a perfect spot right now but is getting tired out with injuries, with Salah and Wataru Endo out on international duty. Salah is also now injured; it may be a while until his return, but Harvey Elliot has been a decent replacement. Alexis Mac Allister has done well in the midfield and so has recently signed Dominik Szoboszlai.
I am unsure if the Reds will be able to turn it around with a new coach next year and win a Premier League title, but it would be a great statement to end Klopp’s career here with a quadruple or at least a PL title. I’d be disappointed if it was just the domestic cups, but I believe the Premier League and Europa are within reach. Xabi Alonso would be a great addition to the team next year, but we will see how this season plays out. Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are coming back injured for Man City. As aforementioned, the Citizens are only five points behind, so we’ll have to see. This has been a great PL season, and hopefully, Klopp can end with a bang!
