why Jürgen Klopp remains on the bench despite the difficult season of the Reds

In many clubs, such a situation would have got the better of the coach in place. Eighth in the Premier League, eliminated from all national competitions, Liverpool is having a difficult season before hosting Real Madrid on Tuesday, February 21, in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League at Anfield. But at the Reds, coach Jürgen Klopp, whose contract runs until 2026, remains untouchable. An anomaly which is essentially due to the dimension taken by the German in the North of England.

When Jürgen Klopp landed on the banks of the Mersey in October 2015, Liverpool was no longer a big part of the English championship. The Reds have won just one League Cup in nine seasons, too few for a club that won six Premier Leagues and two Champions Leagues in the 1980s alone. But the former Mainz and Borussia Dortmund tactician does soon turn his team into a winning machine. Under his orders, Liverpool reached four European finals including that of the 2019 Champions League victorious against Tottenham (2-0), but above all offered the Premier League title in 2020, long awaited by fans, 30 years after the last of the club. Enough to give Jürgen Klopp legendary status.

Because Jurgen Klopp is a myth at Anfield

“It’s simple, he’s Liverpool. If we’re not talking about Klopp leaving right now, it’s because he literally rebuilt the club in seven yearsexplains Paul Joyce, journalist who follows Liverpool for the English daily The Times. All this gave him immense credit”. While he is experiencing his first troubled period in Liverpool, the German is therefore always seen as the providential man. “He has earned the right to make mistakes as he once again made the fans proud to support Liverpool”.

This is evidenced in particular by their support displayed in the stands after the defeat of the Reds at Brighton (0-3), last January, yet qualified as “worst defeat of [la] career” of Jürgen Klopp, in his own words. A total unity that is felt even in the locker room of the Reds. “The players are 100% behind their coach because they owe him everything, like Jordan Henderson, whom he made become one of the most glorious captains in the history of Liverpool”, continues Paul Joyce, the Times journalist. Just nine months ago, the 55-year-old coach was two games away from leading his troops to an unprecedented quadruple (League Cup, FA Cup, Champions League, Premier League), before leaving the English crown in Manchester City on the last day of the championship and to lose in the C1 final against Real Madrid (1-0).

Because the team lives an end of cycle

This end of last season explains that everyone at Liverpool is understanding of his case, given the many extenuating circumstances to explain the club’s difficulties this year. “After the crazy end to last season, a lot of players spoke of a kind of collective hangover”, recalls Paul Joyce. Added to this is an obvious end to the cycle in the workforce of the Reds after several years at the top. Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk, the club’s usual strong men, have passed their thirties and the departure of Sadio Mané, second in the last Ballon d’Or, last summer, has not been compensated.

His replacements on the attacking front were either injured or were unsatisfactory. Portugal’s Diogo Jota has already missed 23 games with two hamstring and calf injuries, Colombian Luis Diaz’s knee has kept him away from the field since October while Uruguayan Darwin Nunez, recruited at a cost of gold, was suspended at the start of the season for headbutting an opponent. “Klopp hasn’t really had the opportunity to rotate his squad when we are in a special season with the World Cup”, recalls the English journalist. All these factors put together play in favor of maintaining Jürgen Klopp.

Because Liverpool are economically “self-sufficient”

But if the native of Stuttgart is still in office, he also owes it to the economic model “self-sufficient” of Liverpool and its owners Fenway Sports Group, represented by the American John W.Henry, according to Paul Joyce. “All the money the club generates is reinvested in the team, not in the pocket of the investor. This also explains why, the owners of Liverpool are calmer despite the poor results, more realistic than elsewhere”. The situation of Chelsea, still tenth despite the early dismissal of Thomas Tuchel by the new American shareholder Todd Boehly, in September, also seems to prove the Reds right.

“And anyway, who better to replace Klopp? He remains the best person to allow the club to move forward.”

Paul Joyce, Liverpool reporter for The Times

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In a championship as competitive as the Premier League, where the Big 6 is even likely to expand with the emergence of Newcastle, the four qualifying places for the Champions League are increasingly difficult to achieve. “The leaders of Liverpool know that they will no longer be able to qualify for the C1 each season. Knowing this, it is better to maintain their confidence in Jürgen Klopp, who is still considered to be the man for the job”, analyzes Paul Joyce. Despite finishing eighth in the league, the Reds are just six points clear of the top four, with one game behind. A good performance against Real Madrid could also change the course of the club’s season and the future of Jürgen Klopp.