Liverpool: 5 players transformed under Klopp’s watch

  It hasn’t even been 7 months since Jurgen Klopp took over Liverpool and he has already guided the Reds to two cup finals. The squad has quite evidently been transformed under the German and what’s astounding is that all this has happened without him spending a single penny on any of those he has used for this campaign. Ediale Kingsley takes a look at five of these players the Klopp inherited from Brendan Rodgers and how they seem to have completely turned their career around.

Joe Allen
The little Welshman was brought to Merseyside by Brendan Rodgers who coached him at Swansea. Funnily enough, Allen kind of represented the failures of Rodgers for the fans and they didn’t take a liking for the player. Allen was vastly impressive for Swansea as well as Wales but couldn’t create any midfield magic on a consistent basis for the Reds. Perhaps this was because in the absence of a proper defensive midfielder, Rodgers used him in that role. Allen is defensive minded but doesn’t thrive as being the one shielding the defence. His best position is playing a little ahead. Under Klopp, he has found his voice.

He looks confident, composed and is playing with a self-belief that is evident on the pitch. He is doing his main job — passing well, covering the spaces and collecting the second balls. His involvement in Liverpool’s transitions from defence to attack is great and he has got Liverpool ticking, the perquisite of any midfielder.

Suddenly, the majority of Liverpool fans want his contract to be extended and feel that Allen could be a crucial squad player for next season. There is no news on whether he will offered an extension but he has certainly made a solid case for it.

James Milner
The Englishman as hailed as an astute free signing for the club in the summer but guarantees given to him to play in centre midfield made sure Milner’s incredible work rate and in-game intelligence wasn’t being of any use. The former Aston Villa player was consistently giving his 100% even under Rodgers but the performances weren’t fashionable, what fans like to see, so he faced plenty of criticism.

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Milner has always excelled on the wings, thats where he did most of the damage for City. Jurgen Klopp has used him in his ideal position – he hasn’t always played as an out and out winger but he has been positioned on the right side of the midfield and he does his damaging work on the flanks. His crossing is excellent and he now has 14 assists and 7 goals for the Reds this season. He has always been under appreciated, but his performances have been so dynamic and crucial in recent weeks, fans have noticed and appreciated. The tireless work horse has done everything right in the past few months and seems like an astute investment once again.

Roberto Firmino
Roberto Firmino’s inclusion in this list might not be entirely fair. In my opinion, he never looked like a flop signing or someone who couldn’t create impact even under Rodgers. Moreover, he was out for a significant time due to injury and even before, Rodgers was using him sparingly given he participated in the Copa America and didn’t have a full pre-season under his belt.

However, if there were any doubts over his transfer, they have been cleared under Klopp. The Brazilian has shown why Liverpool shed so much money for him in the summer. He has been an able deputy striker when the Reds were struggling up-front. He has 10 goals and 9 assists for Liverpool this season, a very good return. There is no reason why he will not play as important a role for Liverpool in Klopp’s first full season in-charge of the club.

Divock Origi
The Belgian was signed by Liverpool right after the WorldCup where the young striker impressed and caught the eye of the world. It was meant to be a great move but Origi’s performances at Lille, where he stayed for another season on loan, were far from impressive. He was also named in L’Equipe’s worst team of the season which was unsurprising given how uninspiring he was.

After joining Liverpool last summer, Origi displayed decent potential but nothing quite as exciting as what one would expect from the Belgian international. He was last in the pecking order but injury to Danny Ings and Daniel Sturridge meant the player had plenty of chances to show his potential.

Klopp asked him to train more and his weight training saw him gain ‘at least 5 kilos of muscles’, which definitely has played a part in his renaissance under the German. He now has 10 goals and 2 assists in all competitions. It was a pity that his brilliant form was cut short by a cruel injury in the Merseyside derby. There is still hope he can play a part in the Europa Cup final and subsequently the Euros. There is little doubt that the Belgian will play a crucial part for the Reds in the coming years.

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Dejan Lovren
Arguably the most improved player under Klopp, the Croatian international has really managed to turn it around. Bought by Brendan Rodgers last summer for a whopping 20 GBP, Lovren absolutely couldn’t get going last season. He made many defensive mistakes and looked like a player who didn’t know the d of defence. Many thought his career at Liverpool was certainly over but Lovren proved them wrong.

Jurgen Klopp paired Lovren and Sakho and the duo’s wonderful understanding led to Liverpool having an impregnable defence for sometime. Sakho’s ban has sadly curtailed the idea of this partnership becoming further stronger but Lovren is still performing at his best and was instrumental at the back against Villarreal in the second leg. His confidence was what was really coming in the way for him and that has been restored under Klopp. There is absolutely no doubt Liverpool need to make defensive additions in the summer but this is the first time in his Liverpool career, he is not in the lists and editorials mentioning he is the one that needs replacing.

Piers Vs Wenger: A fight for trophy, contract renewal
One of Arsene Wenger’s chief critics has attempted to whip up sentiment against the Arsenal manager by claiming he is on the verge of signing a new three-year contract. Piers Morgan made the claim on a TV talk show after planned protests against Wenger during Saturday’s game at the Emirates fell flat, with fans chanting his name as a sign of support. The incident highlighted the growing split in the fanbase over the manager’s future. Wenger has expressed his concern over the sometimes poisonous atmosphere at the Emirates this season and accused an unnamed critic (Piers Morgan) with “a personal agenda, a big ego” of spreading dissent. The 66-year-old has one year left on his current contract and many expect him to leave at the end of next season, after 20 years in charge. Morgan, however, is not so sure.”Wenger, I know for a fact, has a new three-year contract on his desk,” he told Talksport. “He is, as he normally does, trying to strategically play the fans and the media to a point where he can legitimately sign that new £25m contract. If fans continue to chant Wenger’s name, they will get him the three more years. He argued that another three year spell under Wenger would be a barren one and argued that Leicester City’s Claudio Ranieri should be the man to take the Gunners forward.