[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ollowing a 1-1 draw against local rivals Everton at the weekend, Liverpool’s owners made the decision to relieve Brendan Rodgers of his role as the club’s manager after three years and four months in charge.
The timing of the axing is somewhat strange, as although the Reds have not been playing scintillating football by anyone’s imagination they find themselves only three points adrift of the top four after eight games of the new campaign.
Rodgers’ dismissal may well have been something that has been building over time, with the focus now on his potential successor at the Anfield club.
No easy task in anyone’s book, the new manager will have to deal with a transient squad, lofty fan expectations and a questionable transfer committee, but will be in charge of one of the most historic and emblematic football clubs in the world game.
The common consensus in the mainstream media is that it is only a matter of when rather than if Jürgen Klopp is appointed as the new Merseyside chief, in an appointment that will excite the Kop.
The German trainer may well have left Borussia Dortmund in disappointing circumstances at the culmination of last season, but the 48-year-old’s track record at Signal Iduna Park is undeniable.
Klopp completely reinvented the Ruhr Valley club from a struggling giant and restored them to former glories, winning six trophies including two Bundesliga titles in seven years and steering his side to the final of the Champions League to boot.
However, the former Mainz trainer has shown over time that he does not mix his words and is a fiery character – as such, what are the pros and cons for Liverpool’s supposed impending appointment of Klopp?
PROS
The biggest plus point in Klopp’s repertoire is the similar circumstance he found himself in when he took over at Dortmund in 2008, with a big club struggling to find its ways back to success.
Although the expectation at the Bundesliga club was not as high as it currently is at Liverpool, the passionate trainer showed that he has the ability to undertake a major revamp and create a new identity for a team that leads to progression.
Rodgers’ biggest downfall during his tenure at the Merseyside club was the failure to win silverware, any silverware, while Klopp has proven himself as a fierce competitor and someone who can lead a club to glory.
The German already speaks good English, has a proven affinity with the players he coaches and brings with him a substantial reputation that could be a major boost in the transfer market.
Klopp has also received the almost unanimous backing of the great and the good in the footballing fraternity, with most in agreement that his appointment at Anfield is an ideal match.
CONS
Klopp has proven himself as an able tactician and man-manager, with some of the negative points of his potential appointment being down to the club.
The 48-year-old is a strong character that assumed a sizeable amount of control over the day-to-day running of Dortmund as a club; this may not be afforded to him, especially in a recruitment capacity, at Anfield.
There is certainly scope for clashes of personality between the German and the powerbrokers of the club, with the fact that he will be expected to be a coach of players rather than all-encompassing club figure having the potential to sit uneasily with Klopp.
The German’s success has come exclusively in his homeland and as such there will be a bedding-in period where the manager will have to adjust to a new league with a contrasting dynamic.
However, beyond these challenges that will face any new manager, Klopp’s appointment would be one that made quite the statement for the Anfield club.
