In 2019, when reflecting on Jürgen Klopps exit from Borussia Dortmund, Hans-Joachim Watzke, the club's executive director, said, “Maybe it would’ve been better if we’d changed the entire team and not the coach. It was obvious we’d never have such a coach again, but you can get new good players. But you’re always smarter with hindsight.”
Dortmund didn’t have any idea of what would happen, post-Klopp, but Liverpool can learn from Dortmund’s mistakes from here.
“The club needs to have the opportunity to use its tremendous potential without its past blocking its development. So, a big head needs to go and in this case, that’s mine.”
“Maybe that’s the punishment for this good deed.” Klopp had said then. Dortmund has won the DFB Pokal only once since that and the 21/22 is the 7th post-Klopp season with the 6th post-Klopp coach, to take the reins at the Signal Iduna Park.
Coaches like Klopp are indeed hard to replace. Klopp's approach to work is serious. Sure, it's a rush of adrenaline, but does the message get old? Klopp is a master tactician, no doubt, but he requires something more to push against to energise his players. It started with surprisingly reaching the Champions League final, and then it was about making amends for losing it. Narrowly missing out on the 2018/19 PL title was the reason for last season’s rush of adrenaline.
After 2 seasons of giving everything, a bad patch is inevitable. Come on, not everybody is Messi and Ronaldo, right? Even teams such as Manchester City and United had to revamp teams over time. Sir Alex Ferguson claimed that top teams only lasted three years before requiring a makeover, and he may have been right. Especially when you have a boss like Klopp.
Now, this doesn’t mean that Liverpool needs to sell everyone and start afresh. To start, selling Mane or Salah seems to be the way to go. Now both have been their very best since joining the Reds from Merseyside and both turn 29 this summer.
This present Liverpool side was founded with the money brought in by selling Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho and the club shouldn’t be afraid to pursue that approach again. Selling players isn't a sign of weakness; it's a strategy for achieving long-term success. And for self-sufficient clubs of the likes of Liverpool, it’s a must.
This summer will be Liverpool’s last opportunity to sell one, or both, of their star forwards for crazy dollars. And a lot of money can mean a lot of alternatives. Georginio Wijnaldum is supposed to leave for free, and Xherdan Shaqiri, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Divock Origi could all be sold for a profit.
Looking at the brighter side, Thiago Alcantara, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones are getting quality game time and ready for the Anfield experience. Ozan Kabak is also needed as Pool should stop relying on injury-prone Matip, and it’s hard to say if Van Dijk will be able to return to what he originally was. Liverpool has the bulk of a top squad, including players like Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho.
Now, this isn't to suggest Mané and Salah don't have a place in a top team or can't perform. But there are times when you just need to have something different, somebody, who hasn't achieved it all and still has years ahead of themselves. Just the thought of Mbappe or Sancho playing for Liverpool should excite fans.
Certainly, both of them have given a lot to the team, but sometimes you just have to know when it’s time to let go and start again.
