Hailed by many to be the best manger in German football, I’ll take a look at Jurgen Klopp (and to quote Talksport presenter, Adrian Durham) and see if he is all that.
Klopp has taken Borussia Dortmund from the brink of financial meltdown, to one of the largest clubs in world football. A remarkable feat it itself, although we can’t forget the great work also done by Hans-Joachim Watzke and Reinhard Rauball.
His side are known for high pressing, attacking football a template that has been copied by many clubs all around the globe since. He installed a great camaraderie and team spirit into his Dortmund side, one that is hard to find in any other team and manager duo.
When he was appointed, he was virtually an unknown coming in after one of the worst seasons in ‘Die Borussens’ history. The club immediately saw the fruits of his labour and returned to the European stage after a few years away. But it was in the 2010-11 season where Klopps ‘masterplan’ came to fruition.
He fielded a young and vibrant squad which looked promising but seriously lacked any experience. His side did the unthinkable and won the Bundesliga, with players like Mats Hummels and Mario Götze transforming into Bundesliga veterans overnight.
The 2011-12 season saw Klopp prove his prowess, by retaining the Bundesliga title whilst also humiliating Jupp Heynckes’ Bayern side in the Pokal final. It was in this season where the worlds spotlight fell upon Signal Iduna Park, people started to sit back and take note of Borussia Dortmund, and Klopps’ successes.
The following season, whilst not winning a trophy was still a relative success for ‘Die Schwarzgelben’. Dortmund took Europe by storm reaching the all German Champions League final in London, where they were defeated 2-1 by the juggernaut of Bayern Munich.
With all this success, you may ask why I am questioning Klopp. Well, over the past 14 months we’ve seen his Dortmund side regress in some ways. Though not all his fault, it gives the question “Is he all that?”
The last campaign saw Borussia Dortmund blighted by injuries, the reason as many claim to why they didn’t challenge Munich to the title. Whilst I can also attribute injuries to last years failings, it’s the early signs this season which give me doubts about Klopp.
Once again, Dortmund have started the campaign with numerous absentees through injury and many other members of the playing staff falling to new injuries. This makes me wonder about Klopps training techniques, how can one side have so many injuries year on year?
It also makes me wonder about his, and Dortmund’s transfer policy. Surely, recognising that he has a thin squad with many capable of injuries (and just following a World Cup) he would have brought in many new faces just as backup? It’s not as if Dortmund aren’t a favourable attraction, they could easily sign players just to provide cover.
My final concern about Jurgen Klopp is his failure to adapt his game as the years have gone on. It just isn’t possible to keep playing the same type of football year in, year out. Teams will eventually find a way around it, and soon you’ll start to crumble. This is evident in this seasons opener against Leverkusen. Dortmund were played off the park by Roger Schmidts side, and they were beaten at their own game. By pressing. It’s this inability to change that could hold back Dortmund in years to come.
Overall, it can’t be argued that Klopp has done a superb job at Dortmund. But I don’t think it’s right he’s claimed by some as “the best” and that he can’t commit an error, because it’s something that has seriously been challenged in the last year or so.
So to answer the question “Is he all that?” Yes, I believe he is, but he must be careful whether he’d like keep that title.
The Blue on the Danube 