In January, Liverpool Manager Jürgen Klopp announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season to the dismay of Liverpool fans. After nine years of managing the club, the 56-year-old decided this would be his last season as he was “running out of energy.”
We decided to review Jürgen Klopp’s time in charge of Liverpool and how that has panned out. Here we go;
In October 2015, Klopp signed a three-year contract to become Liverpool manager, replacing Brendan Rogers and that was how the Klopp era at Anfield began.
In his first season in charge of the Reds, Jurgen Klopp led Liverpool to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League and two finals; the League Cup final and the Europa League final. Liverpool lost the League Cup final to Manchester City and the Europa League to Sevilla but it was just the beginning; there was more to come.
In the 2016/2017 season; his first full season, he orchestrated a string of brilliant transfers bringing in Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum, Joel Matip, Loris Karius, and Ragnar Klavan. With this team, he led Liverpool to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League securing them a return to the Champions League.
The 2017/2018 season saw the departure of Philipe Coutinho who moved to Barcelona. A huge loss to the team as Coutinho was a very important player for the team. This season also saw the arrival of Mohammed Salah, Andy Robertson, Alexander Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Virgil Van Dijk. Mo Salah was exceptional that season and his brilliance helped Liverpool to the Champions League final which they ultimately lost 3-1 to Real Madrid. Liverpool also secured a fourth-place finish in the Premier League that season.
The 2018/2019 season finally saw Liverpool clinch the Champions League trophy after a dramatic qualification to a final against Tottenham which they defeated 2-0. They had to come back from a three-goal first-leg deficit against Barcelona to qualify. Liverpool scored four goals in the semi-final second leg at Anfield including the now infamous “corner taken quickly” by Trent-Alexander Arnold to qualify for the Champions League finals that season.
This Champions League was Jürgen Klopp’s first and it established Liverpool as a team that could win big titles again. They narrowly lost the Premier League title to Manchester City who had amassed 98 points to win the league that season. Liverpool had 97 points; so close.
In 2019/2020 he won the Super Cup and the Club World Cup. He also won the Premier League with Liverpool that season; their first in 30 years. They won the league with 99 points winning 32, drawing three, and losing three of the 38 games; a truly magical season that finally saw all of Klopp’s effort rewarded with a Premier League trophy. Unfortunately, they were knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 and lost the Community Shield to Man City on penalties that same season. He clinched the FIFA best award for best men’s coach in 2020.
The 2020/2021 season was rather quiet for Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Virgil Van Dijk suffers an injury which derails Liverpool that season. They however still managed a third-place finish with 69 points.
In the 2021/2022 season, Liverpool finished second in the Premier League again with 92 points, losing the trophy to Man City on the last day of the season. They however secured a double domestic trophy of the FA Cup and the League Cup. They made it to the Champions League final again but lost out to Real Madrid.
The 2022/2023 season was rather poor for Jürgen Klopp as Liverpool lost on qualification to the Champions League as they finished fifth with 67 points qualifying for Europa League football.
So far in this 2023/2024 season, they’re on a good trajectory. They’re leading the race for the Premier League, strong title contenders for the Europa League, and have already won the League Cup. While they may have already missed out on the FA Cup, Liverpool still has the chance to give Klopp a fairytale end by winning the trophies they’re currently challenging for.
So far, Liverpool have scored 972 goals (2.08 per game average) and conceded 468 (1.00 per game average) under Klopp. Liverpool’s goal difference under Klopp is +504. They have averaged 85 points per season since Klopp’s first season as boss
Klopp’s time at Liverpool came with positive change and lots of important trophies. He helped establish Liverpool as a powerhouse in modern football, a team to be feared across the length and breadth of Europe. In his time, Liverpool made it to three Champions League finals and won one. They won the Premier League for the first time in 30 years breaking Manchester City’s streak. He won two Carabao Cups, one FA Cup, one Super Cup, and one FA Cup making a total of seven trophies. Only Pep’s Manchester City dominance stopped him from winning more.
Awards and accolades
●Premier League Manager of the Month – 9 times; September 2016, December 2018, March 2019, August 2019, September 2019, November 2019, December 2019, January 2020, May 2021
●Premier League Manager of the Season – 2019/20, 2021/22
●The Best FIFA Men’s Coach – 2019, 2020
●IFFHS World’s Best Club Coach – 2019
●LMA Manager of the Year – 2019–20, 2021–22
●BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award – 2020.
Klopp will go down as one of the best managers in Liverpool and Premier League history and one of the most successful managers in modern football. His premier league tally stands at 199 wins, 74 draws, and 44 losses in 317 matches.
Klopp boasts a Champions League record of 40 wins, nine draws, and 16 losses; not a lot of managers ever attain that record.He managed a total of 466 matches and won 283, lost 105, and drew 78 to have a win percentage of 60.7%.