LONDON: Liverpool did not know precisely how much they were getting when they brought in Jurgen Klopp.

Above all, American owner John W Henry and his Fewnway Sports Group saw a manager who had provided the sort of realistic challenge to Bayern Munich which they wished to imitate against the established powers of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

What they did not expect was a man whose personality would reach out so powerfully far beyond the white-line confines of the pitch to the fans and the entire English game. Klopp has proved far more successful in revising the sheer presence of Liverpool than Henry & Co ever envisaged.

Personality is important for the Kop. The low-key style of predecessors such as Brendan Rodgers and Roy Hodgson cost them fans’ sympathy in difficult moments. No such problem with Klopp. The signature baseball cap, the glasses (and their tendency to fly off in moments of excitement), the sharp white smile and the passion which occasionally upsets the FA – all of this has proclaimed public positivity.

In one sense Klopp has been lucky. His arrival in October 2015 came less than a year before the opening of the new £110m Main Stand which increased Anfield’s capacity to 54,074. Anfield became bigger and better and so, similarly, have Liverpool the club and the team. The combined effect has seen the club publish a world record pre-tax profit in 2017-18 of £125m.

Liverpool, when Klopp arrived, were a club who envisaged only cautious spending on new players. But his success, allied with the club’s new financial muscle, has enabled major squad-strengthening purchases such as Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Naby Keita and Fabinho.

For all of this Klopp has yet to win anything. The clock is ticking. The shadow of so many cup final defeats in Germany and England is lengthening.

Exactly how Klopp has owed his own success to the support work of Peter Krawietz (“The Eyes”) and Zeljko Buvac (“The Brain”) is not certain. But the departure of Buvac last summer not had any negative effect. Klopp has proved himself to be very much his own man with his own ideas of how to take the team forward. Now he is closing in on Rodgers’s record as the longest-serving Liverpool manager since Rafa Benitez.

Tactical changes

Klopp, beyond the larger-than-life persona, is proving a more subtle match-manager than his admirers had expected. Gegenpressing brought instant success even in the physical high-pace Premier League environment. But Klopp is proving himself a thoughtful tactician.

How he approaches FC Bayern in terms of tactics and personnel will be intriguing. Roberto Firmino is a key man. He may play as a false No9, or as a No10 with Mohamed Salah using his pace either to attack the heart of Bayern’s defence or test their vulnerability on the wings.

In midfield Liverpool are no longer satisfied with a ‘mere’ engine room. Gini Wijnaldum has emerged as one of the most influential midfielders in the league this season. The Dutchman has become Liverpool’s equivalent of Kevin de Bruyne.

Defence is the one area in which Klopp is not the master of Liverpool’s destiny. Joel Matip may be Liverpool’s only ‘real’ central defender. Dejan Lovren (hamstring) is an injury doubt, Van Dijk is suspended and Joe Gomez a long-term absentee with a broken leg. Hence Fabinho may be forced to play centre-back – hardly ideal as Klopp renews an old rivalry.

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