It’s not a knee jerk reaction. Brendan Rodgers is a good man but, for our money, he’s been tactically outclassed by too many opposing managers this season.
He was the toast of the town when Liverpool were battering everyone in the last campaign. But, more and more, his successes last year seem to have been down to the presence of Luis Suarez, who is now working wonders at Barcelona.
In fact, we can’t help but think that things have gone backwards at Liverpool. Sometimes injuries force changes in formation but, too often, Brendan Rodgers has over complicated things at Liverpool.
Playing Raheem Sterling up top and Emre Can in defence seem like square pegs in round holes to us. And the 3-5-2 that he’s adopted seems to us to be another example of over elaboration.
Liverpool have a superb nucleus of players in Coutinho, Henderson, Sterling, Can and Sturridge (admittedly unavailable for much of the season). Players like Moreno, Lallana and Markovic also have real potential and Divock Origi should already be doing damage at Liverpool.
With a group like this Liverpool should be playing with more consistency. We think that Jurgen Klopp, whose future has been the subject of intense speculation, would be a bold managerial choice but one that could pay dividends for the club.
Klopp is perfect for Liverpool – Picture Courtesy of BT Sport
Firstly, he’s an aesthete. He would want to set his team up to play the sort of expansive and spectacular football that Liverpool fans demand. Borussia Dortmund have had a terrible season but, in their pomp under Klopp, they were the most exciting team that we have seen in The Champions League.
A couple of years back they came to Manchester City, at a time when City were playing some of their best stuff, and Dortmund completely outclassed them with utterly beautiful, and utterly precise football.
The current malaise at Dortmund may well leave many a director apprehensive about Klopp – you may argue that it doesn’t bode well for the idea of building an empire. But let’s not forget that top clubs have been poaching Klopp’s key players every time they get up a head of steam. Lewandowski and Goetze were huge losses to the team. Another star performer, Shinji Kagawa, was taken in his pomp while superstar Ilkay Gundogan was struck down by long-term injury. So there are mitigating factors and, overall Klopp has done amazing work at home and in Europe. He has the tactical nous to master both.
At Liverpool, he may not have an elite level budget – there would of course be money to spend – but he would be under less pressure to sell his star players. Jordan Henderson, for one, looks close to a new deal and Raheem Sterling could well sign a new contract and get his head down under the visionary leadership of Klopp.
It’s the right time to make a change and we feel that, while Klopp may take a year to bed in, he could be a sensation at a club like Liverpool.
Liverpool fans: stick or twist with Rodgers?
