Late stumbles make Klopp succession less daunting

 

There is to be no fairytale ending, but the sequel is already shaping up.

Liverpool’s thrashing of Spurs should have restored calm – and a little perspective – to Jurgen Klopp’s long goodbye.

It was a much-needed reminder that there’s a very good, if unfinished, squad for his successor to work with.

And the more we see and hear of Arne Slot, the Chosen One, the more boxes he ticks.

Like Klopp, he’s an engaging personality, likes to attack, believes in youth and has an impressive record of achievement.

He’s also getting rave reviews from just about everyone in Dutch football.

The process has done its job – evidence of the sound structure in place behind the scenes at Anfield.

Why, even the legendary recruitment czar, Michael Edwards, has returned.

Structure and process don’t get fans off their seats, but if you doubt their importance, just look around.

At Manchester United and try not to laugh. At Chelsea – ditto. Bayern Munich even. Barcelona is another basket case off the field. PSG? Well…

All, except perhaps a finally reawakened Chelsea, will be looking for a new manager in the summer and some haven’t even started the search.

At Manchester United, there’s neither a structure nor a process – items the Glazers overlooked but which Jim Ratcliffe is desperately trying to put in place.

Liverpool appear to have a head start on their rivals who will soon be chasing the same two or three names.

The season may not be ending as Reds fans had hoped a few weeks ago, but this is just one silver lining in the recent dark clouds.

Looking back, a Quadruple as a farewell to a beloved manager was a nice idea – but wildly fanciful.

It needed players to stay fit for a start, but even though the kids did well when they stepped in for the seniors, a challenge for four trophies was unsustainable.

Klopp, himself, was already burned out and so were some of the players.

But there was consolation even here: Liverpool unearthed some genuine talents during that spell with one or two gems among them.

Conor Bradley was probably the standout, deputising for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, while Jayden Danns has a bit of Robbie Fowler about him and looks a real find at just 18.

Then there’s the forgotten young star of the previous season, Stefan Bajcetic, a Spanish defensive midfielder who is now fit again and still only 19.

They will bring a welcome lowering of the squad age to offset a few untouchables who are over 30.

Downbeat though Klopp’s exit will be, these are a few of the reasons to believe the German when he says he’s leaving behind “the best job in the world.”

Neutrals may scoff but any manager who gets it right has a fanatical following, a magnificent stadium, a world famous name and a wonderful history behind him.

Klopp had all that but in the weeks after his January announcement, the talk was all about how tough it would be to succeed him.

Comparisons were made with Alex Ferguson at Manchester United who seem even further away from their former dominance than ever.

Now it appears that Erik ten Hag is a dead man walking and even an unlikely FA Cup final win over City would not be enough to save him.

It didn’t save his compatriot Louis van Gaal and United were better then as they were under his successor Jose Mourinho who won two trophies.

There were some Liverpool fans who feared that a similar slump might follow Klopp if he went out in a blaze of glory.

The dire form of last month, that included losing to United and being thrashed 3-0 at home by Atalanta, put paid to that.

As a result, the pressure on Slot will have eased a notch or two on the expectation see-saw.

The greater a manager’s legacy, the harder it is for his successor – anywhere, not just Liverpool or Manchester.

TV documentary makers rushed in after Klopp said he was leaving, hoping to capture the ultimate emotional farewell with players dubbing it ‘The Last Dance’.

Instead, they witnessed some embarrassing stumbles including one of the excruciating lows of his nine-year reign – a miserable defeat to neighbours, Everton.

Klopp could have done without that, but even this awful night threw up some positives for the handover.

As well as another dose of reality, it showed Slot where the weaknesses are in a side still in transition.

Fans are slowly beginning to realise that Liverpool over-achieved this year.

Most Kopites would have taken a trophy and Champions League qualification when the campaign began.

Purple patches and then the resignation raised expectations to unattainable levels so third place now seems about right.

It’s also an ideal platform from which to launch an assault on the title next season.

And the month of April surely convinced the hierarchy – and presumably the watching Slot – that a reliable goalscorer is an absolute must.

The illusion that Darwin Nunez might eventually morph into the £64m striker they thought they were getting was exposed by miss after embarrassing miss.

There will also have to be a big decision about Mo Salah which may depend as much on whether Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad are prepared to offer £100m – as they did last year – for a player who turns 32 next month.

Even the otherwise excellent Luis Diaz doesn’t score often enough while a young partner-cum-successor for Virgil van Dijk should be in the thinking.

There’s plenty in Slot’s in-tray then but his task is no longer insurmountable.

However unintentional, Klopp’s underwhelming finale may be seen as one of his biggest contributions. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.