For all ardent Liverpool supporter reading this, please do yourself a favor — pop open that bottle of champagne and celebrate. You deserve one bottle for every decade of ceaseless suffering you have endured. Said suffering exists in many forms — actual heartbreak during the 2013/2014 season, vision impairment from the style of football under the Roy Hodgson era, and the pain accumulated from incessant real life teasing and internet trolling.

The Klopp Era

If you are in your early 20s and is currently reading this as a Liverpool fan, then you can probably relate to the heartache of being a Reds fan in this life. Supporting Liverpool through this period of the club’s history has been tough, as you were probably too young to fully savor or even remember the miracle of Istanbul, but were all too familiar with the stirring European performances against the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in early stages of European competition, only to falter later and fall short of glory.

On the home front, being second best seems to be a recurring theme of Liverpool’s domestic aspirations, a curse they struggled to shake off. In the last decade alone, Liverpool were found wanting on no less than three occasions, succumbing to a myriad of reasons such as Benitez’s untimely mind games, Gerrard’s infamous slip or simply facing an indomitable adversary in the form of oil funded, Pep guided, Manchester City.

Even after the sweltering night in Madrid on 2nd June, 2019, where Liverpool capped off a fairy-tale Champions League journey by lifting “big ears”, the shadow of a missing Premier League title loomed large. The elusive Premier League title was the final ingredient to cement the club’s extraordinary achievements, and the only antidote to cure the disease known as ‘online trolls’ (especially purveyors of GerrardSlip.gif). as they finally witnessed the club in all its glory and celebration, a moment that the club’s status and illustrious history had long been screaming for a repeat.

Capturing the Premier League title is also the only way to validate the unwavering support of teenage Reds fans amidst this turbulent decade. Luckily, we have finally witnessed the club in all its glory, a moment that the club’s status and illustrious history had long been screaming to repeat. As Willian calmly stroked home the penalty with consummate ease, legions of Reds fans worldwide burst into simultaneous rapture, a mean feat of synchronized action unseen since the Arab Spring of 2011. Chelsea’s victory also heralded a new era, the Klopp Era — a successful new chapter befitting the club’s history.

Klopp’s team are bound to challenge for a series of titles, trophies and a host of club records in the foreseeable future. The complete overhaul of the club’s fortunes under Klopp has been nothing short of phenomenal, just what underpins the current squad’s huge potential for uninterrupted success?

Astute Transfer Policy

When Jurgen Klopp first took over the reins of Liverpool in October 2015, the club’s new owners — Fenway Sports Group, were unwilling to invest much funds out of their own pockets into a club that was still in upheaval. At that time, the team could not even secure Champions League qualification on a consistent basis. More importantly, the debts that previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett accumulated were still fresh in their minds, with the former almost driving the club to administration in 2010.

Jurgen Klopp however, gradually gained the trust of the board with his eye for the right players at the right prices. His transfer masterstrokes include: free signing of Joel Matip, Andy Robertson for £8 million, and fees in the region of £30 million for Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. Adding to that is a willingness to let star players such as Coutinho leave for the right price (he was sold for £105 million). The result? A £120 million net loss from transfers during Klopp’s tenure at the club to date, which averages to a £40 million transfer budget a year, a remarkably small amount given the quality of Klopp’s squad today. This astute transfer policy has secured a sound financial future for the club, which in turn has engendered the full backing of the club’s owners, who are now willing to provide Klopp with a war-chest to utilize, regardless of revenue generated from player sales.

Understanding the Club Philosophy and Squad Unity

Jurgen Klopp’s overwhelming popularity with the fan base, boardroom and his squad is partly due to his natural charisma. But more importantly, this can be attributed to his understanding of the club’s heritage and philosophy, and the subsequent commitment to imbuing the right values in his players that have united the football club into a cohesive whole.

The gesture of forbidding his players to touch the “This is Anfield” sign until they have attained success has been well documented, and it stems from his respect for the club’s legends and historical glory. This spirit has indubitably filtered down into his squad. When you look at players such as Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Adam Lallana, Divock Origi and Oxlade Chamberlain, they are all not world class players and some are not even regular starters, but what they have in common is the desire to fight for the team and for the jersey as and when required. Even established internationals such as Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita, who are known for their greater egos and temperament, have been well assimilated into the squad. While not necessarily content with their role as squad players, they fully respect the decision and are 100% committed to contributing to the team’s cause throughout the season.

“When everyone works for each other, everyone has a share of the rewards”

- Bill Shankly

True to the club icon’s philosophy, Klopp has molded a squad that believes in the mantra of ‘teamwork makes the dream work’.

Aligned with the club’s footballing philosophy, Klopp has also assembled a side that plays with an exciting attacking philosophy. Whilst the side’s regular headline grabbers are superstars such as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, Klopp’s successful incorporation of youth cannot be overlooked, with Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander Arnold the most notable stars born from Klopp’s trust in youth. The desire to give youth starlets a chance has further seen the emergence of players for the future such as Neco Williams, Curtis Jones, Ben Woodburn and Ki-Jana Hoever, setting in motion a healthy squad renewal process. The youths have certainly repaid Klopp’s faith, most famously when Liverpool’s youth team emerged victorious in a 1–0 FA Cup victory over Merseyside rivals Everton, with the latter fielding their strongest team nonetheless.

Sticking by the ‘Liverpool way’ and forming a cohesive squad has also enabled Klopp to forge a special bond with everyone at the club, from the cooks and kitmen to the coaches, players and the fans. Even the players’ families are well acquainted with one another, and are fully supportive of the players’ career at Liverpool, creating in effect, an extended Reds family. This indescribable bond with everyone associated with Liverpool F.C. forms the cornerstone for success in the years to come.

Tactical Maturity

While Klopp’s Liverpool are characterized by aggressive “Gegenpressing” and the relentless display of fast, attacking football, he has tweaked his approach in recent seasons, incorporating crucial game management elements into the team and new dimensions into their play. With the assimilation of Alisson and Van Dijk, Liverpool now has a backbone capable of withstanding long periods of opposition pressure and closing out games. This has translated to their more reserved approach to matches, content with being patient and waiting for openings against sides that sit deep, whilst also slowing down the tempo when they have the lead.

Gone were the days where Liverpool regularly dropped points from leading positions, epitomized by the 3–3 draw against Sevilla in the 2017 Champions League group stage. The team now knows how to manage leads, cognisant that victories by one goal margins are no less important than swashbuckling three to four goal displays. Whilst Klopp has also been previously criticized for not making the right substitutions either by giving players too little time to make an impact or delaying the substitution of underperforming players, he has also been braver in making the big calls early in recent seasons. This tactical maturity is most aptly captured in their crowning win over Tottenham in the Champions League final, where a resolute defense kept spurs at an arm’s length for large periods of the game having taken an early lead. Klopp’s decision to substitute a misfiring Firmino early on in the second half then paid dividends, as super sub Origi dealt the knockout blow with a second goal. Liverpool were not at their mesmerizing attacking best, but they ultimately got the job done.

This no-nonsense mentality has persisted this season. Whilst not always steamrolling over their opponents, Liverpool has managed to grind out 1–0 and 2–1 victories on a consistent basis no less. Being unfazed after conceding, finding the extra gear in the last 10 minutes of a game, and the patience to close out edgy fixtures have underpinned Liverpool’s astonishing record this season. Dropping an astonishing seven points to date, they have smashed the league record for the minimum matches played in securing a Premier League title. We have also seen an added dimension to Liverpool’s play since last season, with cross-field passes from Trent to Robertson and long punts from Van Dijk to the front three becoming regular features of Liverpool’s plays. The willingness to switch things up with more direct approaches to the game rather than a fixation on short passing shows Klopp’s maturity as a manager, which is especially crucial as oppositions become more and more adapt at containing Liverpool’s dynamic trio.

With such a wholesome combination of tactical maturity, quality, unity and youth, our maiden English Premier League title marks the start of what could possibly be Liverpool’s most illustrious period in history — The Klopp Era.

For now, let the celebrations commence :)

p.s. if you are feeling gracious, you could redirect non LFC supporters to this link, which expresses immense gratitude to all other competing EPL teams for making title triumph a reality ;)