There is no doubt that the season thus far has been a huge disappoint for Liverpool. And it is understandable that supporters are frustrated with the club and critical of the manager, Jürgen Klopp. After suffering a 4-1 loss against Tottenham, Liverpool find themselves in 9th place in the Premier League and already 12 points behind the leaders after just 9 games. However, the overreaction about the manager, complete with the "Klopp-Out" talk, is way too premature.
It is fair to be critical and to question Klopp and his decisions. But again, to jump to "he needs to be sacked" is utter nonsense. Some will point to Tottenham, and ask "why can't we be like Spurs." To be fair, early struggles aside, Klopp has managed Liverpool to similar results at Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham. In Pochettino's first season with Spurs, they failed to qualify for the Champion's League and instead played in the Europa League, same as Klopp with Liverpool. In his second season, Pochettino managed Spurs into the Champion's League just as Jürgen Klopp did with Liverpool.
This is not a piece to strictly back Klopp and state he is without fault. Again, it is fair to be critical and the Liverpool defense has given many opportunities to criticize the club and the manager. One thing supporters lack though is patience, and though it is difficult, patience is needed with Klopp.
This is the same manager who took Dortmund to the Champion's League final and won the Bundesliga twice. But the success was not immediate in Germany either. To build the squad of that caliber time and patience are needed. While fans are right to criticize the defense and point out that there is a lack of talent, for example, at the center back position, Klopp is looking at brining in players that are world class and not simply "better than Klavan or Lovren." This is why he wanted Virgil Van Dijk but after failing to secure the transfer did not make a panic buy looking for any upgrade. Yes, it is frustrating. But while supporters are looking at this current season and pointing to a need for an upgrade at center back, Klopp is looking at the big picture. He doesn't want a center back that will help secure a 3rd or 4th place finish. He wants a center back that will help him win the league and compete in the Champion's League. He identified Van Dijk as such a player but perhaps the next tier of players he did not feel would provide the same level of play. So, would it be better to slightly improve the squad now, or be a bit patient, work with what he has now, and make a much bigger improvement in the next window? Klopp chose the patient route.
Patience was needed at Dortmund too. Klopp took the job in 2008, but didn't win the league until his 3rd and 4th season. In his first 2 years at Dortmund, Klopp managed the club to 6th and 5th place in the Bundesliga. He then won the league the next two seasons.
Fans will then say, "well this is Klopp's 3rd season at Liverpool and we are not winning the league." Which is all probably true. But, to be fair you have to also look at when he was hired. Most transfer market activity of any significance occurs in the summer windows. Fewer and less significant moves are made in the winter market.
Klopp joined Liverpool in October 2015, when the season was already underway. He did not have the summer to begin to build the squad. Most managers begin their tenure at the start of the summer transfer window. This was true of Pochettino for Tottenham and Klopp when he managed Dortmund. But that was not the case for his Liverpool tenure. So, calling this his "3rd season" while true, is not really the same as his 3rd season at Dortmund or Pochettino's third year for Spurs.
More accurately, this season represents Klopp's second season after a summer transfer window. After his first summer market he managed the club into the Champion's League. He didn't do this at Dortmund and Pochettino did not do this for Spurs.
After Klopp's third summer transfer window with Dortmund he won the league. He deserves this same window to shape the squad to his liking. That is next season after the summer window. Looking at Liverpool, to compete with the best clubs in Europe more changes are needed. Center back is the obvious position. However, other positions also need an upgrade if Liverpool's ambitions have any hope of being met. Klopp knows this and more changes are coming.
Take the midfield for example. It is very likely that there is only one regular starter on next seasons club that is currently playing on the team this season, and that is if Philippe Coutinho remains at Anfield. Two-thirds of the midfield could be newcomers with Naby Keita likely being one and a yet to be acquired midfielder as the third.
While supporters would like to see all of the holes plugged in one transfer window, Klopp takes incremental steps in building a championship squad. He looks to address needs as players are available and not just panic and purchase just to purchase. This is why it took several transfer windows to build a champion at Dortmund and why more patience is needed now. To point to an example of why it may not be wise to attempt to improve and address every hole in one window just look at the current Everton club. Yes, the patient route while not as glamorous is often the way to go.
In his first summer window, Klopp brought in players including Sadio Mane and Joel Matip. Both look to be regular starters on a contending caliber squad. He also brought in Georgino Wijnaldum who looks to be a contributor although perhaps not a starter on such a team. In his next summer, he brought in Mohamed Salah who certainly looks to be a critical component of the squad. Other summer signings, to be fair, may only be squad depth on a title contending team. This includes Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dominic Solanke, and Andrew Robertson. Add in Naby Keita who joins the club next season but looks to be a key piece.
Another summer window should see Klopp solidifying his defense, perhaps adding a defensive midfielder, and maybe even a striker. This, combined with the continued growth of some of their current young talent could see Liverpool competing for the title next season and beyond.
While patience is never something supporters like to practice or state, it is very much necessary. Just as it took Klopp several years to build Dortmund into a domestic league championship squad, the same timeframe should be allotted now. And while it is fair to be critical, to call for his dismissal will not shorten the time to contend, it will only reset the clock and begin a new window of a new manager attempting to build the squad. Jürgen Klopp deserves the opportunity to see his vision through and to finish building the squad he has begun and only then will we know if he is a success or failure in the Premier League.