Klopp at Liverpool, Season 2: The red arrows, a boy named Trent and Merry Christmas Everton
This is the second part in our series charting Jurgen Klopp’s nine seasons at Liverpool from his 2015 arrival to his upcoming departure from Anfield. You can read part one by clicking here. It was generally accepted that Jurgen Klopp had something of a free pass when he came in at Liverpool, having inherited a […]
The post Klopp at Liverpool, Season 2: The red arrows, a boy named Trent and Merry Christmas Everton appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
This is the second part in our series charting Jurgen Klopp’s nine seasons at Liverpool from his 2015 arrival to his upcoming departure from Anfield. You can read part one by clicking here.
It was generally accepted that Jurgen Klopp had something of a free pass when he came in at Liverpool, having inherited a less than world-beating squad from Brendan Rodgers, but in 2016 all eyes would be on his first summer transfer window at the Anfield helm.
Christian Benteke was shoved out the door after only one season, with Martin Skrtel, Jordon Ibe and Joe Allen also departing. Joel Matip was snapped up on a free transfer from Schalke 04, Gini Wijnaldum came in after Newcastle’s relegation and Southampton were raided yet again, this time for Sadio Mane.
The Reds began the season with a rip-roaring win away to Arsenal, who scored first but found themselves 4-1 down before two Gunners goals (one from future LFC player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain) ensured a nervy finish in a pulsating clash in the north London sunshine.
Dropped points at Burnley and Tottenham left Liverpool with ground to make up but, once they finally got back to Anfield after the opening of the expanded Main Stand, their campaign took flight as champions Leicester were thrashed 4-1.
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Impressive wins over Chelsea (2-1 away) and Hull (5-1) followed as Klopp’s team took 26 points from a possible 30 between September and November to put themselves in a promising position as the festive period approached.
When the Reds went top after a 6-1 evisceration of Watford at Anfield, the exuberance of their attack led to them being dubbed the ‘Red Arrows‘ in some quarters. Unfortunately, problems still prevailed at the other end of the pitch.
Loris Karius won’t want to watch back his first two games in December 2016. A clanger in a 2-2 home draw against West Ham was bad enough, but what happened a week previously was head-bangingly frustrating.
Liverpool led 2-0 and 3-1 at various intervals away to Bournemouth, but a kamikaze second half culminated with the Cherries scoring a stoppage time winner after scenes of calamity at the back from LFC.
It wasn’t the best portent for a yuletide Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, and a 0-0 stalemate looked nailed-on until, in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Daniel Sturridge struck the post and Mane was quickest to the rebound, steering it home to spark scenes of jubilation from the away end. Cue the chants of ‘Merry Christmas, Everton‘!
When a Wijnaldum winner over Manchester City on the final day of 2016 left the Reds second in the table, a title challenge still felt possible and a return to the Champions League was looking likely.
The first five weeks of 2017 threatened to undo all of that progress. Liverpool failed to win any of their first four league games of the year, dropping points agains two teams who’d ultimately be relegated and losing at home to Swansea.
The latter result was the start of a nightmare week at Anfield in late January which saw two further defeats eliminate Klopp’s team from both domestic cup competitions, ensuring that any further commitments would be concentrated solely on the Premier League.
Mane’s absence at the Africa Cup of Nations didn’t help during that period, but he was back by the time LFC faced Spurs in mid-February, scoring both goals in a cathartic 2-0 home win. Alas, an insipid defeat at Leicester later that month left the Reds in danger of missing out on the top four yet again.
Arsenal’s visit to Anfield felt like a potentially definitive fixture in the Champions League chase, and Klopp’s side rose to the challenge as they emerged 3-1 winners to leapfrog the Gunners and move third.
That result prompted a springtime revival which included hard-fought wins away to Stoke and West Brom, but another home defeat by Crystal Palace in April (with Benteke scoring both goals for the visitors) was a setback.
When the Reds went to Watford for a Monday night fixture at the start of May, their rivals in the top four hunt had all dropped points over the weekend, so it was imperative that LFC took advantage. They duly pounced thanks to the Premier League’s goal of the season, a mesmerising Emre Can overhead kick.
A home draw against Southampton was frustrating, but a 4-0 win over West Ham on Liverpool’s first visit to the London Stadium left them with their Champions League destiny in their own hands on the final day. Beat relegated Middlesbrough at home and fourth would be secured; any dropped points would open the door for Arsenal to usurp them.
The Gunners swatted aside Everton with ease while the Reds were being held by ‘Boro coming up to half-time. Then Wijnaldum struck to set off a mass release of relief around Anfield, and the home side never looked back as further goals from Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana ensured a stress-free second half.
Liverpool would still have to win a qualifying tie to get back into the Champions League group stage, but that was a worry for August. Klopp had taken his team from eighth in 2015/16 to fourth in his first full season in charge.
He’d also blooded a highly promising youngster into the first XI by taking the bold step of giving him a maiden Premier League start away to Manchester United. The young lad’s name? Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The dismal start to 2017 showed that the manager still had work to do if he was to get the Reds challenging for league titles, but he’d already improved the team massively in little more than 18 months in charge.
READ MORE: The evolution of Liverpool’s starting XI under Jurgen Klopp
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