The Klopp Legacy: What Liverpool Now Look Like After Jürgen | OneFootball

When Jürgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool for his first press conference in October 2015 – with that signature grin, albeit without the new gnashers – he promised to turn the doubters into believers.

Even the most infuriatingly positive fans could have predicted that Klopp’s ‘heavy metal’ football would result in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.

But now, it’s all behind us, in the memory bank, an era only experienced by hitting the rewind button.

Anfield Before Klopp’s Arrival

Fans are a fickle bunch. We get used to success, and we think it’s normal. The white handkerchiefs waved at the first sign of trouble. Just like a parent has to remind a child, we all need a little refresher about the club’s state before Klopp.

Yes, Liverpool was already the biggest club in England (sorry, ManU fans, it’s true). Champions League, First Division, European Cups, big-name players, it’s all there.

But from around 2010, the club was facing a bit of an identity crisis. The drought, the chase for the Premier League, was becoming endemic. No longer a blip, but normal business. Brendan Rodgers had us close, a Gerrard slip away from glory.

Yet fans were disillusioned, and lowered expectations, the reality sinking in that Liverpool had become the occasional cup team, nothing more.

Klopp changed Anfield.

What we have now is not the norm, it should be, but it hasn’t been. We can just as easily revert to pre-Klopp levels, that’s frightening, which should tell you just how important the man was to the club.

Klopp Shifts Liverpool’s Identity

Klopp reinvented Liverpool’s identity. First, in the quality and tactical ethos of the individuals. Key signings + talent development = golden generation.

Rolls-Royce at the back in van Dijk, playing not from the principle of the English long ball, but with technical acumen, defence to attack. Talent development, pushing names like Trent and Robertson. Rehabilitation of a star, Salah from Mourinho-reject to arguably the best player in the world.

Then, the cultural reset. Klopp reconnected the club with the fans, the You’ll Never Walk Alone ethos, never truly dead of course, but now more than alive at Anfield.

And of course, the Gegenpressing system that still haunts some Premier League players. It reshaped English football, an antithesis to the Guardiola template, proof that there is another way to win. A more attractive way, a modern way.

Klopp’s smile and easy-going nature at press conferences hide his near-maniacal approach to delivering gruelling football training sessions – coaches of all levels can learn from a template of performance-focused coaching, which the German used to demand from his team perfect execution on the pitch.

All combined, Klopp leaves behind a cultural identity that goes beyond a single generation’s achievements. His methods, or perhaps better said his way of thinking, are now deeply entrenched in the fabric of the club. His departure doesn’t change that.

Transition Period: Is Slot Continuing Klopp’s Work?

Carlo Bruil Fotografie, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Seems like a silly question. Liverpool currently sits top of the league, with a sizeable lead over Arteta’s Arsenal. Just 16 points from the last 9 matches, and we’ll have a parade in the city center (with fans, this time).

Slot has done a fantastic job, there is no denying that. His tenure started so well that some started to claim that he was an upgrade over Klopp, tactically more mature, and his defensive unit more robust.

Yet despite his clear quality, the recent wobbles in Europe and club competitions show that things can change very quickly indeed. Premier League form also dropped, with Arsenal given a lifeline they did not fully embrace.

Slot is a good manager, yes. But even if he wins the title in his first season, he is no Kopp (yet). Wenger put it best, it’s easy to get to the top, much harder to remain there.

Klopp’s Legacy Continues, No Matter What Comes Next

Klopp didn’t just win, he did so with style. With drama. He brought back the title to a club that was seriously ill. Winning where a title is expected, but never delivered, is not easy. The weight of history has destroyed world-class managers, but he did it.

No one will replace Klopp, but what he’s embedded into the club’s DNA will hopefully provide the springboard to a new era of success at the club. The slot may be Paisley to Klopp’s Shankly.

Yet no matter what comes next, parade or not, Klopp has etched his name into Liverpool’s history. Anfield will always be Anfield, no single man is ever bigger than the club, yet he too will always remain a legend.