Jurgen Klopp is famous for his all-action, counter pressing, counter attacking, energetic style of football – and we can’t wait to see him deploy it for Liverpool.
Borussia Dortmund became one of Europe’s most watchable sides under our new boss, and if Klopp can get the Reds as hungry, passionate and cohesive we’ll be in for a treat.
And we’ve singled out five players who’ve the attributes the German loves to utilise.
(For a longer explanation of how Klopp’s tactics could work at Liverpool, click here.)
1) Alberto Moreno
The most obvious candidate for this list is our Spanish left-back, who epitomises the traits Klopp typically demands of his players. He’s rapid, and is happy to show it in both attack and defence. He’ll always provide an overlapping option and has the tenacity and intensity to press quickly, playing the ’emotional’ football the German’s promised Anfield. With no real other left-back options the position is Moreno’s to lose. Providing he can sort out some of his defensive positional issues, he could develop into a genuine key player from here on in.
2) Jordan Henderson
We could similarly have included James Milner in this list, with nobody covering more ground in the Premier League so far this season. But we’ve gone with Henderson because at 25-years-old he’ll surely be a key figure throughout Klopp’s reign, and he’s the club captain. While Milner covers ground, Henderson is the more aggressive, sharper presser when the opposition’s in possession. He’s also faster and can contribute in counter attacks better, and is vastly underrated as a creative force.
3) Jordon Ibe
Ibe’s the fastest player in our squad, and the only natural wide attacker, and for this reason, he’s going to play a role. Klopp has deployed inside forwards (Reus, Aubemayang) and natural wingers (Blaszczykowski) wide in the 4-2-3-1 previously – but ultimately demands his attackers have speed. Ibe has it in abundance, combined with the trickery to create something out of nothing, but Klopp will need to hone his decision making and defensive contribution. The new manager demands even forwards contribute when the other team’s on the ball. Because of Ibe’s speed he’s perfect for the counter-attack, and his power and physicality can be harnessed far more than it currently is by Klopp. Providing the youngster is prepared to give everything for our new boss and maximise himself for the team, Klopp could help him reach his unbelievable potential.
4) Lucas
Sven Bender became a key, automatically selected player for Jurgen Klopp during Dortmund’s heyday, and in many ways, he’s very similar to Lucas. He wins balls through tackles and interceptions, and passes it simply – creating a platform for his more technically gifted colleagues. The gegenpress required a player of exceptional discipline to solidify the middle of the park and there’s no reason why Lucas couldn’t perform the job for us. None of the other midfielders at his disposal have Lucas’s defensive nous and he could become key to Klopp.
5) Mamadou Sakho
Klopp uses a centre-half with ball-playing ability to both create attacks from deep and drive forward with it at his feet. Although it’s not always pretty, Sakho is statistically superb on the ball. He very rarely misplaces passes, and has the highest percentage completion of anybody in the squad (92.8% via WhoScored). This is all the more impressive considering he often telegraphs forward passes, instead of just racking up good completion ratios by passing back to the keeper or five yards sideways. The Frenchman is not ideal for the Mats Hummels role, but he’s more suited to it than Skrtel and Lovren, until Gomez returns from injury anyway. Sakho could thrive under a manager who puts huge trust in him, which Rodgers never did.
