Jurgen Klopp reaches 600 as Liverpool fans take "German Scouser" to their hearts

Alex Broun 11:25 22/09/2018
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  • A wave to the adoring fans

    Liverpool host Southampton on Saturday in the Premier League and, as well as giving the Reds the chance to win the opening seven games of the season for the first time in their history, it also marks Jurgen Klopp’s 600th competitive game as manager, not counting his early days at the Frankfurt Under 10s of course.

    It’s been a remarkable rise for the Stuttgart-born former Mainz striker, and latterly a defender.

    It was at Mainz where he began his coaching career in 2001, leading the team to its first appearance in the Bundesliga, and qualification for the 2005/06 UEFA Cup.

    But in the 2006/07 season, Mainz were relegated and Klopp resigned at the end of the following season when he could not lead them back to the top-flight. He finished with a 40.37 per cent win ratio.

    Clearly the poor final season did not deter Borussia Dortmund as they signed Klopp in May 2008. And it was over the next seven years he achieved the high points of his career to date, winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2010/11 and 2011/12, and doing the domestic double in 2011/12 when the Black and Yellows also won the DFB-Pokal.

    For good measure he won the DFL-Supercup in both 2013 and 2014 and also reached the final of the Champions League in 2012/13.

    With results fading in 2014/15 Klopp announced he would step down at season’s end, saying enigmatically: “It’s not that I’m tired, I’ve not had contact with another club but don’t plan to take a sabbatical.”

    His win ratio at Dortmund was an impressive 56.29 per cent. It’s unclear when Liverpool first approached Klopp but its always been a match made in heaven – the explosive German with the famous red jersey.

    Despite his insistence he had not been approached by another club and did not plan to take a break, it seems odd Klopp did not come to Liverpool immediately at the end of the 2014/15 season.

    Perhaps Reds’ bosses were giving Brendan Rodgers one last chance, but it seemed it was a question of when not if for Klopp at Anfield, the German finally arriving in October 2015.

    Klopp’s career to date at Liverpool has been characterised by near misses. Under Klopp they have reached (and lost) no less than three finals: the League Cup and Europa League (2015/16) and the Champions League (2017/18).

    But this season – aided by a summer spending spree – the Reds seem best placed to make a serious run for the Premier League title that has eluded them since 1989/90.

    Klopp’s record to date in his 161 matches in charge is 87 wins, 44 draws and just 30 losses for a win ratio of 54.04 per cent.

    It puts Klopp an impressive sixth on the all-time Liverpool manager’s list for winning percentage behind Joe Fagan (54.20), Rafael Benitez (55.43), Bob Paisley (57.57), Kenny Dalglish (58.26) and the club’s very first managers – William Edward Barclay and John McKenna (60.63).

    But Klopp is just doing what he started doing all those years ago at Mainz.

    There are three main characteristics to Klopp’s “heavy metal” football – the trademark  “gegenpressing” (or “pressing against”), all-out attack and the German’s charismatic management style.

    Gegenpressing, which Klopp began at Mainz but perfected at Dortmund, is a tactic where after losing possession, a team immediately attempts to win it back, rather than falling back to defend.

    The ploy has been taken to greater heights at Liverpool where proponents James Milner and Roberto Firmino have lifted the art to a new level.

    For “the press” to work the team must have unrivalled fitness levels and it is only this season that Klopp’s Reds have reached the intensity required to maintain Gegen for the full 90-minutes.

    The danger with the press is that if it is not applied equally then it can leave gaping holes further back – but this season, so far so good.

    Klopp’s all-out attack is also a dangerous philosophy and in previous seasons the Reds have been guilty of drawing matches they should have won from winning positions, often giving up one or even two-goal leads.

    Many Liverpool fans have sat nervously over the last few seasons towards the end of games, begging for the clock to tick down.

    It also encourages teams to sit back and “park the bus”, hoping to nick a goal on the counter, which many lesser Premier League teams have done successfully against Liverpool in the past.

    But so far this season, Liverpool’s game management has improved markedly, as they have stayed on the front foot in winning positions without leaving themselves vulnerable at the back.

    Klopp’s management style has always been bold, confident, brash – a man who loves the big stage – and at Anfield he has found one of the biggest stages of all.

    The 51-year-old loves the theatre of a big game, especially the famous European nights, and the Liverpool faithful have taken him to their hearts.

    Klopp’s style is very fan friendly – contact heavy – and this has worked a treat at Liverpool. Indeed the “Klopp bear hug” has become a familiar post-game sight, even for opposing teams.

    It helps of course that he is winning but Klopp’s warm, big-hearted, often fiery persona is well-matched to the Scouse character – Merseysiders love nothing more than to see their manager riding the same ups and downs as they do.

    At this early stage this looks like the year when ambition finally meets reality at Anfield and Klopp’s post 600 game career could be even better than his previous 599. Yet, to add another “but” – as the saying goes you don’t win the title in September.

    There have been many false dawns at Liverpool before and Klopp has a long way to go yet to prove himself a truly great manager.

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