Liverpool FC are on the verge of officially announcing German Jurgen Klopp as Manager with a press conference scheduled for Friday morning, but what are the odds that their new manager will bring success to Anfield?
Jurgen Klopp Odds
Liverpool finishing position
Klopp to Succeed at Anfield
Klopp’s CV is immaculate, his reputation around the world has grown such that he is one of the most recognisable people in football, he comes to Anfield with glowing recommendations from big names from the game.
Firstly he will bring across his reputation which has been built on commitment, his playing career was with just one club, FC Mainz where he started off as a striker but soon turned in to a defender, that was feared for his no-nonsense approach.
Klopp made 337 appearances, scoring 52 goals in the German 2nd tier, in 2001 Klopp was provided the opportunity in management taking over as caretaker coach of Mainz but after saving his side from relegation he was quickly given the job on a permanent basis.
Klopp then built up the Mainz side but was frustrated in 2002 and 2003 where he narrowly missed out on promotion, in 2004 however he finally guided his side to the Bundesliga and kept them there until 2007 when Mainz were relegated.
Klopp continued his association there and again narrowly missed out on promotion in the 2008 season, following this Klopp was approached by Borussia Dortmund and accepted his new role in the German top tier.
Dortmund had finished 13th in the season preceding Klopp’s reign but finished in 6th place at the end of Klopp’s first season in charge, Dortmund improved one place a season later finishing 5th which also meant a Europa League place with a young squad.
In the 2010/11 season Klopp made his name as Dortmund won the Bundesliga title by 7 points, he matched this feat the following season whilst also adding a German Cup to the trophy cabinet.
In the 2012/13 season Bayern Munich were almost unstoppable in the league losing just one game but Dortmund held on to the runners up spot, whilst Klopp guided his Dortmund team to the final of the Champions League only to find Munich too strong again.
In April 2015 Klopp announced that he would be leaving Dortmund at the end of the season and taking a sabbatical from football, Dortmund struggled for the majority of that season but Klopp managed to finish the season strong with Dortmund finishing the season in 7th place.
Klopp is now in a similar situation at Anfield where he found himself with Dortmund back in 2008, a young team that are struggling to mix it with the top teams but have the potential to progress.
Liverpool had taken a few steps back this season and are a long way from where they were two years ago, however Liverpool fans will be hoping that Klopp can bring the same progress seen at Dortmund to the Premier League, with this surely we will see a different approach to the game.
This will not happen overnight however and I feel a top 6 place this season should be a formality, ideally Liverpool would want to finish in the top 4 and get back in to the Champions League, although I don’t feel this current team is ready for that step, it would certainly be a catalyst to attract bigger name players and provide decent grounding for future years.
4th place is not unrealistic given the fact that the Premier League this year seems a bit fragile and with William Hill offering 11/4 I would be very surprised if they stay that price for long.
The first thing he will want to do is bolster the Liverpool defence, which may see a surprise bid for Dortmund’s’ German International Mat Hummels in January, Hummels is seen as one of the hottest defenders around and would be a major coup for both manager and club if he could persuade him to join the ranks at Anfield.
Another former player of Klopp’s is Marco Reus, Reus is another with proven class at Club and International level and although the sight of him in a red shirt seems a distant likelihood, the Klopp factor could turn the unrealistic in to a possibility.
Ladbrokes are offering 10/1 on Jurgen Klopp winning the Premier League title at Anfield and that’s an offer that I think is well worth the gamble. I expect him to be here for a long time and his philosophy and knowledge will mean that he can build something special at Liverpool.