Klopp will need his Samba stars to sparkle at Liverpool

Even before Brendan Rodgers got the call to say he was to be relieved of his duties by American owners FSG on Sunday evening, the cacophony of calls for him to be replaced were steadily getting increasingly vehement.   Since then, ex-Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has emerged the clear favourite ahead of Carlo Ancelotti […]
by
sambafoot_admin
2015-10-06 20:22:00

Even before Brendan Rodgers got the call to say he was to be relieved of his duties by American owners FSG on Sunday evening, the cacophony of calls for him to be replaced were steadily getting increasingly vehement.  

Since then, ex-Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has emerged the clear favourite ahead of Carlo Ancelotti to take over at Anfield. There is no questioning his enthusiasm for the game with many people suggesting it will be a good thing for the Premier League but even better for Liverpool themselves.

Many say Klopp will bring an enigmatic box office style to Merseyside, but who will be the players who will step up and become this embodiment on the pitch?

One player who will be hoping to kick-start his Liverpool career after he returns from injury is new recruit Roberto Firmino.

Having only arrived at the club in June, Firmino came in for £29 million and the debate wages on whether this in fact will be a steal for the club in the long run. This is the opinion of ex-Liverpool full back and Brazilian Fabio Aurelio who has said quite equivocally;

“He is a good finisher and a clever player, he knows how to move well behind the lines and find good spaces behind defenders as well, to have clear options to score.”

“But not only that, he can also give various assists to other players. So I think Liverpool have signed a very promising player that could improve a lot together with the club.”

Before the 23 year olds arrival on Merseyside there was clamour of interest in the Brazilian native who was beginning to distinguish himself for his club TSG Hoffenheim as he and team-mate Kevin Volland were on form.  

It is true, Klopp was tracking Firmino for some time whilst at Dortmund with theories of making his interest stronger if they had made the Champions League last season. However, with this lack of elite European competition to provide it was almost inevitable he would end up in the Premier League.

Manchester United were interested in signing Hoffenheim’s talisman but were beaten to the punch by Liverpool with the club willing to stump up the cash the German side demanded.  

If Klopp does indeed arrive at Anfield he will be salivating at the opportunity of working with two young South Americans at the attacking hub of his team in Firmino and Philippe Coutinho.

He will need Coutinho to step up on a consistent basis and become the teams linchpin, and will hope Firmino finds the form that saw him get the second most assists, 21 behind Kevin De Bruyne in the Bundesliga last term.

If he can get this Liverpool side adapting to his distinct style of play where when Dortmund were successful saw them blitz teams with their energy and high press then they could mount a title challenge.  

All will be revealed in due course, but the wily and tricky Samba stars will be central to this philosophy.

Previous

Next