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Jurgen Klöpp - Time to Go?

On the surface, Liverpool is in dire straights at the mid-way point of the 2020/2021 Premier League season. After 6 straight defeats at home, something that has never happened in the club's 129-year history, and having fallen to 8th in the table, this is where fans and owners start to try and find someone to blame. Jurgen Klöpp is the man in charge and has single-handedly brought Liverpool back to the top of European football with the sensational signings of Virgil Van Dijk, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane. However, with a string of injuries plaguing his once-great side, is it time to bring in someone new to guide Liverpool through the rest of this rocky season? 

As angry as Liverpool fans may be right now, I think the firing of Jurgen Klopp would be premature. Premier League football is a cut-throat business, with several managers ending the year jobless due to their inability to produce top-flight worthy results. Since his arrival in October of 2015, Klöpp has rejuvenated a once-great English franchise with increasingly better result year by year. This is a rarity, especially in the Premier League, as every team inside the top 10 is becoming more and more competitive, making it increasingly hard for clubs to make it into those sought after Champions League spots. Furthermore, not many clubs can continue this success in Europe, which is something that Klöpp's Liverpool has done time and again in his time at the club, most notably bringing home the Champions League trophy for the first time since 2005. 

So in terms of upside, Klöpp has certainly earned his reputation as one of the worlds best managers. However, like I said before, professional football is a cruel mistress who has no time for mistakes or dips in form. Liverpool's current display has left much to be desired and have become frankly laughable as defending champions. So what's the solution? 

Unfortunately, firing Klöpp isn't going to do Liverpool any favours. The defending Premier League champions are digging this hole right now due to one major factor: injuries. Do you think for one second that Manchester City and Pep Guardiola wouldn't be in a similar position if Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Raheem Sterling all had major injuries? Of course, they would. It's completely natural for clubs to see dips in performance after suffering injuries to some of their key players. In order for Liverpool to return to their once-great form, they, unfortunately, must ride out the storm. The signing of a new manager would be sure to upset morale and the introduction of a new strategy and tactical approach will take time to be introduced. Before you know it, the season is over and Liverpool have missed out on both Europa and Champions League. 

Klöpp's contract is due to expire in 2024 and in my opinion he has earned the right to see out his time at Anfield. If injuries and ageing stars continue to corrupt Liverpool's play, it could be a rocky few years for fans that have grown accustomed to Premier League triumph and Champions League glory. However, with Steven Gerrard's experience as a manager growing, Anfield die-hards should be not so concentrated on the now but look forward to Liverpools very bright managerial future. 


 


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