Danke Klopp, you are simply the best. Jurgen Klopp has left Liverpool FC and Arnie Slot has been announced as his replacement. This was an emotional time for the Liverpool faithful and that emotion and energy is something Jurgen Klopp galvanised to get the best out of his squad.
The incoming Dutchman has big shoes to fill, not just with the team but being able to work with Fenway and cover the 20%/30% shortfall that Fenway Sports has compared to the other Top 6 clubs in the Premier League.
Klopp leaves Anfield after eight and a half years having won seven major trophies, including one Premier League title and the club’s sixth Champions League.
Klopp’s legacy at Liverpool – So good he shielded Fenway Sports
Jurgen regenerated a fading club and gave them their pride and identity back, alongside that goodwill he has given the LFC Family some phenomenal memories to take forward.
He is on the pantheon of Anfield greats, certainly the greatest in the modern era, but a real rival for the top spot in the hall of fame. Even the Back pages lead with the headline ‘ Danke Klopp ‘ because he was so entertaining.
Only time will tell where he sits in the pantheon of those Liverpool greats such as Bill Shankly and Kenny Dalglish.
But as with the other managers, Liverpool were top dogs in the league, had incredible spending and could attract any world-class talent. Today, despite the success of Jurgen on the pitch, they aren’t able to compete with the financial powerhouses of Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle and City. And that is all down to Fenway Sports; His remit at Liverpool has always been to work with the players and make them world-class.
Take Sadio Mane as an example, a true world-class player who Fenway let go because they weren’t willing to give him the salary he deserved. And since then, the gulf on the left wing has not been filled.
Let’s put it another way, if LFC still had Sadio Mané this year, they would have won the premier league. His 15/20 goals a season would have been the difference, for in footballing terms, a measly £50k extra a week and Liverpool would have been crowned champions again.
Premier League Clubs wages 23/24
1. Manchester United – £205,756,000
2. Manchester City – £200,668,000
3. Arsenal – £166,036,000
4. Chelsea – £155,324,000
5. Liverpool – £136,240,000
7. Tottenham – £117,520,000
6. Aston Villa – £117,000,000
The difference in just financial terms between Liverpool and Man City is the ability to pay for 4 additional world-class players. That’s the difference between the business model between Fenway, Moneyball is a cheap and offers no loyalty to the players.
Klopp’s ‘heavy metal’ football
Klopp’s heavy metal football was the most exciting in the Premier League. Purists, people who live on sentiment and tradition, will argue Man City played the best football simply because they won the most, but in terms of excitement, pace and sheer power Klopp’s football team was outstanding.
Liverpool would blow teams away and his Champions League and Premier League winning team, spearheaded by Salah, Mane and Firmino dominated every other team out there. Man City could not live with them.
In an Interview with LFC he said ‘He couldn’t have done more’ as he reflected on his time at the club in his final Liverpool pre-match press conference. ‘I know we could have won more but I cannot change that. We could have won less, that’s possible as well,’ he said. ‘Nothing is perfect nowadays, but the majority of people in [Liverpool] are as close as possible.’
Jurgen Klopp
The Arnie Slot era – Danke Klopp
Going forward, for the Reds, the biggest problem any new manager will have is to live up to the legacy of Klopp, the man and the manager. In Liverpool he was more than just a manager, he was a scouser, and more importantly a good man.
On the field, it will be another challenge. Klopp ruled and ran the club, he was powerful and with his outrageous ability to make good players great was wizardry from the Dumbledore variety. With this, he also cast an invisible shield of protection for FSG, because let’s face it, scousers are no mugs.
That is what Arnie Slot will have to replicate, take a £30 million player and make him world-class. As well as that, he will need to manage a thin squad and use the academy to win big games. In principle that sounds like a winning strategy, but when you factor in the risk of each purchase it’s not as good as you think.
Imagine this scenario – Sadio Mane, Thiago, Minamino, Ox, Keita, Shaqiri, Origi, how many of these make the world-class list? They all had some wonderful moments but the only world-class player in that list was Sadio Mane and perhaps Thiago if he could have stayed fit.
That sounds easy enough when you hear the faithful sing the names of academy stars, like Curtis Jones, Bradley and Elliot. But the system of play and Klopp’s managerial genius rarely exposed their weaknesses.
In real terms, to compete with City none of them would make the cut. Conor Bradley has the potential but he needs the protection and development.
Another one who doesn’t make the cut is Nunez and despite his work rate, he must hit 20 PL goals per season. In the modern day, the front 3 need to deliver a minimum of 60 goals in the premier league season. For a LFC strikeforce that has to be higher, unless the midfield can chip in with more.
That may sound ruthless, but that is the reality of the Premier League.
The deficiencies of FSG
FSG have many positives, but ultimately they operate in a similar philosophy as the Glazers. One man’s Moneyball is another man’s cost flow analysis. Using this to justify their skimpy spending, because let’s be realistic, the only time people find alternatives to spending money is when they don’t have any or don’t want to spend it.
This is not just about the signing on fees the club must be able to match the top 5 in wages. With plenty of success on the field, and revenue from winning, FSG must dig deep. Their footballing model only works if you have three or four world-class players in the team and Jurgens explosive footballing style. This was demonstrated with the signing of Allison and Van Dyke who added two world class players to take the team over the line.
They failed to sign Caicedo and Lavia, the wages did not match Chelsea. LFC fans may say that is a blessing in disguise but Fenway targeted these players and simply put, embarrassingly, they weren’t able to land them.
Fenway Sports is about to have their most testing 12 months, If Arnie Slot is not able to deliver, the LFC faithful will turn their frustrations towards them. It is a no-brainer, if you don’t have the money to compete, you need to sell up and give the club to someone who has.