Jurgen Klopp took charge of his first Premier League game today but failed to become the first Liverpool boss to win their opening match since 1998.
The goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane wasn’t thrilling but, given the injury problems to plague the Reds this week, Klopp will likely take the result as it gives him a solid platform to build upon.
With a difficult month ahead, which finishes with a Halloween clash against Chelsea, Klopp has a lot of work to do in order to get Liverpool back to the level they aspire to be at.
90 minutes into his inaugural Premier League job, Klopp will have learnt a fair few things from his side’s showings. Here, we’re going to outline the five major things he will have learned from the class.
Click Klopp below to see FIVE things Klopp learnt from Liverpool’s goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
[ffc-gallery]
[/ffc-gallery]
A striker is needed
Klopp didn’t have an easy first week at Anfield, seeing Danny Ings ruled out for the season and Christian Benteke also sidelined. The final straw came through another set-back to Daniel Sturridge, leaving Divock Origi as the option up front.
From the performances Origi has shown since arriving at Liverpool in 2014, the Belgian is not the right-man to lead Liverpool. Ings looks more like a support striker, and is now unavailable, whilst Aston Villa’s struggles this season may be because they’re still laughing that Liverpool agreed to pay £32.5m for Benteke.
With Sturridge continuing to struggle with injury, it doesn’t look like he can lead the line either- so Klopp has to dip into the transfer market in January. He bought Robert Lewandowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to prominence in Dortmund, so he should be able to find the right-man for Liverpool.
The defence needs work
Liverpool’s back-line secured their first clean sheet in eight games today, a tremendous improvement from the side we saw against Everton two weeks ago, but there is still work to be done.
Mistakes were made during the game and on another day Tottenham would have one, as Liverpool have Simon Mignolet to thank for the point. Sloppily giving the ball away in possession won’t sit well with Klopp and a shake-up is likely to follow.
Coutinho needs support
Philippe Coutinho has struggled this season, on the back of his spot in the PFA Team Of The Year last term, incapable of leading Liverpool on his own. He is an excellent player but isn’t yet at the highest level- so the expectations upon his shoulders are too much.
There’s no doubt that Coutinho is a talented player, that is crucial for Liverpool, but he needs help in the middle of the park. He showed strong defensive attributes today but couldn’t get involved in the match attacking wise, whilst Origi in-front of him limited the balls he could put forward.
Coutinho is likely to be the focal point of Klopp’s side but he isn’t a world beater, so can’t manage it all on his own.
Emre Can is a crucial player
Emre Can was arguably Liverpool’s best player today and showed immediately that he can thrive under Klopp’s guidance. Played out of position regularly by Brendan Rodgers, under Klopp he can become a crucial catalyst for success.
Going forward, a partnership with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson could be the platform to take Liverpool to the next level- and Can should plot to build upon his fine performance today.
The tactics are taking shape
Expecting Jurgen Klopp to make an immediate impression on Liverpool was huge to ask but the early signs are good, as the German’s footballing mentality was clear from start to finish as his new players put Tottenham under immense pressure when they were on the ball.
It wasn’t perfect and there’s still a lot to do but it showed that the players have the potential of matching Klopp’s management perfectly, which will be crucial in the coming games, months and seasons.
