Is Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool reign entering its final stage? History suggests that it is

Undoubtedly, the biggest surprise of the current Premier League season is Liverpool’s catastrophic form. In short, very few could have predicted that the Reds would be out of the title race by the time the clocks went back at the end of October following a season where only an inspired comeback from Manchester City in the final minutes of the campaign denied Liverpool the Premier League trophy being handed to them.

Tellingly, if you bet online on the outright markets on who the potential champions of England could be, then you will see the Reds at a staggering 80/1 to win the league before the winter World Cup has even started.

With these odds in mind, it won’t come as a surprise then to learn that this page which consists of sports betting offers as well as the latest predictions on the Premier League title race, has already written Liverpool off. As touched on, it has been an unexpected and shocking slide since going toe-to-toe with City last term.

Admittedly, those heady days of early spring feel like a long way away now as the club lurches from one inconsistent performance to the next. Naturally, when a side’s form drops off to the alarming extent that Liverpool's has, attention beings to focus on how much time the manager will be given to arrest the tailspin the club finds itself in. In Jurgen Klopp’s case, there is certainly no danger of having the Anfield crowd turn on him given how much the German has done for the club since he arrived in Merseyside in October 2015. In other words, Klopp’s cult hero status among the Liverpool fanbase remains undiminished with supporters in little doubt that the good times will come again under the German. 

However, a different narrative can be found in Dortmund, the city where Klopp managed for seven years. Indeed, the Borussia Dortmund fans will tell you that for all of their unending affection for Klopp, there are now striking similarities between his final season at the Westfalenstadion and the current goings-on at Anfield. Below, we’ll look at why the writing appears to be on the wall.

One of Klopp’s most appealing features is the way he passionately conducts himself on the touchline. He is, after all, seen as a fellow fan by the supporters of the clubs that he manages. That admirable enthusiasm of kicking every ball for his team though has recently bubbled over after the German was sent off against City following an altercation with the linesman closest to his technical area. Once the exchange in question was relayed back to on-field referee Anthony Taylor, it was enough for the official to immediately send him off. Whilst that may feel like a one-off to Liverpool fans, the Dortmund supporters would have been watching on with an eyebrow raised as Klopp was also sent off in almost the exact same circumstances after launching a barrage of abuse at the linesman during a narrow defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach during his final season in the Bundesliga. Essentially, Klopp seems to be at breaking point, like he was at Dortmund in the end times when results were going against his team.

Klopp has always enjoyed a somewhat topsy-turvy relationship with the media. These days, however, the German seems to be taking exception to most questions he is asked which leads to an overly snarky response every time he is in front of the world’s press. The most recent example was when the Liverpool boss ridiculed ex-Reds player Dietmar Hamann after the midfielder said that his former club were currently lacking a spark under Klopp. It was a fairly harmless comment but once relayed back to Klopp in the media room, the German replied by saying: “Oh great, he's a fantastic source. Well respected everywhere."

It was needlessly sarcastic from the Liverpool manager and again, we can draw parallels from his end days in Dortmund when Klopp was accused of having a thin skin after walking out of multiple post-match interviews when confronted with questions he felt were "stupid".

The final link we can observe from Klopp’s disastrous last season with Dortmund was his team’s lack of desire on the field which ultimately led to his contract being terminated at the end of the 2015 season. Perhaps if we focus on Graeme Souness’ recent comments following a shock 2-1 loss against Leeds United at home, we can get a better understanding of how a similar rut seems to be setting in at Liverpool. Speaking in the Sky Sports studios following the loss, the Scot said that the golden rule of football was getting to the ball first. It was typical Souness, simplistic, firm, and uncompromising, but also true and Klopp’s team are unable to win 50/50 contests anymore. Another damning stat from that evening at Anfield was that Leeds outran Liverpool by 11 kilometers. 

In conclusion, if you combine a sudden surge of ill-discipline, weekly fights with the media, and a team that no longer has the same output, you will get all the reasons why Klopp’s time at Dortmund came to a sudden end. Could history be repeating itself? It certainly feels like it. 

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