From: A Jacob
Hey Myles,
Intrigued to see your remarks about Klopp’s team selection becoming an instant indicator of his intentions/abilities.
He’s barely seen a few of their matches, been in a couple of training sessions with jet-lagged players.. Isn’t the more accurate outcome that one should deduce absolutely nothing until a few weeks into his managership?
What key actions/player choices are you watching that would give you the confirmation/negative confirmation of what you think he will do going forward..?
Myles says:
Let’s wait and see, Andy.
He said he won’t change too much too quickly. But he wants to play energy football and create an unstoppable whirlwind, I think.
Win the ball and slice through you, score, excite the crowd, generate momentum.
I can’t run through all the options Klopp has tomorrow, especially after getting up at 9 following a night out in Chelsea.
Can only post the thoughts I wrote down on Thursday after watching the new manager’s news conference:
On Thursday Jurgen Klopp said, “Yesterday we had three very, very good exercises, good trainings. The boys are really willing to listen, to understand what we want. It’s not the time to change so many things. We only have to turn the screws a little bit. And in the right way.”
Maybe the word Klopp was searching for was tweak.
Being a smart and experienced coach, Klopp is pragmatic. The Spurs game will tell him more than six training sessions. He knows he’s in the results business. His first job has to make Liverpool harder to beat. They already draw a lot of matches. My guess is that, as often as possible, they will be fiery and seek to seize the initiative by scoring first.
He said, “It’s not so interesting what they did last week, two weeks ago. For me it’s more interesting what they are able to do on their best day. That’s what I’m looking for and that’s how I try to make the starting line-up for Tottenham. The most important thing we have to do is to train as often as long as possible. And not think about expectations from outside. I don’t read what you write.”
Klopp said this amiably and frankly, not as a put-down of the press.
So there we have it. This manager is new and German. He’s focused and confident. He’ll take Liverpool forward one session at a time, one game at a time.
Liverpool in their heyday were able to place a huge emphasis on good habits and winning the next match and they became world famous.
The determination in their DNA came from Bill Shankly’s fiercely competitive nature and The Boot Room, and the character of the warriors they always signed.
I’ll never never forget keeper Ray Clemence, interviewed live on TV right after Liverpool, who had just won their 10th league title, lost 2-1 to Manchester in the FA Cup Final in 1977, when he said, “God help Borussia Monchengladbach!”
Liverpool were in the European Cup Final in Rome four days later. They had wanted a treble. They pulverised Monchengladbach, winning 3-1.
My guess? Jurgen Klopp is ready and a proven winner. But he is realistic.
He knows that to take Liverpool from where they are now to where they want to be is a huge challenge for him or anyone else. It looks impossible.
Even if things go really well it will take ten years.
Right now, it’s day by day, game by game. Nobody knows what will happen in when Spurs play Liverpool. That game, worth three points, is just one stop on a very long journey.
And the only thing a manager knows for sure is his fixtures. He never knows which players will be available. What he does know is his fixture list: it’s always the day before the game, or two days before the game, or the day of the game, or the day after the game.
Personally, I can’t wait to see what Klopp does and how he does it. He’s a dynamic character will create a Liverpool team that plays with fierce desire and and pace.
As I tweeted last week, Jurgen Klopp is a talisman, a Pied Piper. He’s Keegan with qualifications.
Saturday lunchtime: Spurs v Klopperpool.