Should Liverpool sack Jurgen Klopp?

Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool legacy is unquestionably great.

The German took charge of a club that was mostly a Premier League mid-table dweller, long behind their glory days.

Klopp oversaw a marvellous rebuild over the years that made the Reds Champions League and  Premier League champions.

In recent years, the Merseysiders were the only team in England that posed a significant threat to the dominance of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

In the 21/22 season, Liverpool were in consideration for an unprecedented quadruple.

They won the League Cup and the FA Cup. Made it to the Champions League final to lose to Real Madrid, and in the Premier League, their incredible haul of 92 points was only bettered by Manchester City by a single point.

But Liverpool have been a shadow of their tenacious selves this season under Klopp.

After ten matchdays, they lie ninth in the Premier League table, trailing league leaders Arsenal by a staggering 14 points.

In the Champions League, they are second in their group, which seems far from a disaster. But they were humiliated 4-1 by Napoli in their Champions League opener.

The seven year curse

Liverpool’s slump in form has sparked speculations of Klopp’s ‘’seven-year curse’’ coming into effect.

The 55-year-old is seen as a legend in the clubs he previously managed, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz 05. While he led both clubs to success, he could not leave either of them on a high note.

At Mainz, Klopp resigned after failing to win Bundesliga promotion. In Klopp’s final Borussia Dortmund season, BVB were in relegation spots during the festive periods.

They did pick up their form to secure a seventh-place finish in the end. But it was far from an acceptable campaign for a club that had won back-to-back German league titles only a few years back and had also played in the Champions League final two years earlier.

Are we watching a similar narrative unfold at Liverpool?

The Reds have had their days of sunshine under their current tactician and now it’s time to move on?

But the truth is, Jürgen Klopp has done so much for Liverpool that he has enough credit in the bank for a transitional season.

Liverpool have lost one of their best players in Sadio Mané this season, but that’s not the reason for their suffering.

Luis Díaz has proved to be a worthy successor to Mané as he bagged five goals and an assist in the eleven appearances he made for the club this season.

Where is the problem?

Many Liverpool fans will point out that their rearguard has been the Achilles heel of the team.

Virgil van Dijk seems he has aged five years over the past few months. The ACL injury did take a toll on his agility, but Liverpool still managed to stay competitive on all fronts with the Dutchman at the centre of their defence.

Trent Alexnder-Arnold’s defensive deficiencies were also a part of his game always. Why are these shortcomings getting exposed all of a sudden?

The Liverpool midfield have not been proficient in distributing the ball and winning back possession this season.

Thiago Alcântara’s injury early in the season did not help, of course, but the team has struggled even with the Spanish midfield maestro in the team.

Jordan Henderson and James Milner have not been keeping up with Liverpool’s high tempo playing system well this season.

There has been a compromise in work ethic in midfield overall that has led to most of Liverpool’s problems this season.

Klopp is not going anywhere this season, but he needs to infuse some young blood in Liverpool’s ageing midfield.

This season could be a write–off, but with proper recruitments, Liverpool can bounce back to their best next season.