Liverpool fans may be rather amused by a claim made by newspaper columnist Simon Jordan regarding Jurgen Klopp this week.
The outspoken pundit used his piece in the Daily Mail to question whether Erik ten Hag is capable of being the manager to bring the Premier League trophy back to Manchester United, who’ve endured a difficult start to the season, losing two of their first four games.
He wrote that the Red Devils ‘really need’ a coach like the German if they’re to rediscover the peaks they hit during Alex Ferguson’s reign at Old Trafford, rather than one who’s eviscerating players like Jadon Sancho in public (Sky Sports).
Jordan stated: “What United really need is someone like Jurgen Klopp, someone capable of embracing it all, shouldering the huge responsibility of managing such a massive club and delivering success.
“Someone who can harness the spirit and energy of the club from previous glories and set standards and outcomes reminiscent of yesteryears. Does that sound like Ten Hag? I don’t think so.
“Then again, it took four years for Ferguson and Klopp to win their first trophies in England so perhaps Ten Hag will prove me wrong if he is afforded such time to win the biggest prizes.
“But we’re four games into the new season and he’s already in deflection mode. The best managers, the ones that ultimately achieve things, don’t call players out in public. If they do, it is usually because they are floundering and haven’t got the answers.”
The mere thought of United hiring Klopp in the future may be enough to make Liverpool fans choke with disbelief.
Of course, Jordan is paying the Reds manager a compliment by saying that our arch-rivals need a coach of his ilk if they’re to reclaim Premier League superiority, something which has eluded them since 2013.
Nonetheless, such is the rivalry between the two most successful clubs in English football that the idea of someone who’s so ingrained in the history of one side subsequently moving to the other, directly or otherwise, seems impossible to comprehend.
The columnist didn’t explicitly advocate Klopp for the United job, instead writing that they need ‘someone like’ him, so we needn’t exactly worry about the Manchester outfit potentially trying to pinch the charismatic 56-year-old.
If anything, Jordan’s claim illustrates how Liverpool got the appointment of the German so spot-on in 2015, and how their arch-rivals have blundered between a wide-ranging plethora coaches by comparison during that period.
Looking across the M62 to the litany of controversies involving several of their players (or ex-players) over the past few months, we’re just grateful no such headlines are enveloping Anfield.
#Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️