Jurgen Klopp is among a number of candidates to take the England job. The former Liverpool boss has been linked with taking over from Gareth Southgate following his resignation after Euro 2024’s final defeat against Spain in Germany. But despite the interest, the German has already hinted that he will not take the vacant England job this summer.
Klopp has been the most sought after managerial free agent since his Anfield exit with USA already reportedly making the German a top target. Bringing in a new wave of Red success, the former Dortmund man’s nine years on Merseyside saw a Premier League title, Champions League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Club World Cup among other honours.
Since his takeover in 2016, Southgate’s tenure reflected a superb record – winning 61 of his 102 matches at the helm. In the manager’s career, England had bettered their knockout record of the last 50 years, with nine knockout wins. Plus, before the former U21s boss, the Three Lions’ longest time ranked in the top five in the world was seven months. Under his leadership, England ranked there for six years.
Klopp’s Liverpool departure
Jurgen Klopp broke Kopite hearts when he announced his plans for resignation for the end of the 2023-24 season, in January of this year. From there, he played out a veritable farewell tour as Liverpool clinched the Carabao Cup trophy, yet missed out on league and European success. In his comments from the time of his announcement, Klopp made his stance clear:
“I will find something else maybe to do. But I will not manage a club or a country at least for a year, that’s not possible, I cannot do that and I don’t want to. That’s all.”
Recent reports show that the German has already quashed links to the USA men’s national team, reiterating his need for a break from the sport. Klopp was sounded out by USMNT chiefs before quickly rejecting their advances – following the resignation of Greg Berhalter after the hosts failed to progress from the Copa America group stage.
Despite this, Klopp’s name still entered the prospective England manager rumour mill. While he has rejected the FA’s interest, many have already drawn comparisons to his style of play to that of Southgate’s, and how it may actually better the England team.
Jurgen Klopp’s Managerial Career | ||
|---|---|---|
Club | Win Percentage | Trophies |
Mainz | 40.37% | 0 |
Borussia Dortmund | 56.43% | 4 |
Liverpool | 60.90% | 8 |
What Klopp’s England Would Look Like
A style contrary to previous
A major bugbear for pundits and fans alike around the tournament in Germany, was that Southgate’s England often played with caution. Looking to grasp a lead and then sit back, or alternatively, only click into gear when falling behind – it was a somewhat conservative style that didn’t fit with a team that many branded the best on paper.
That’s not to say Southgate created that sort of environment. In fact, it was a close-knit group that displayed quite the opposite. However, trying to slow the game to a painstaking tempo often saw games set up like relegation dog fights, rather than slick title-winning performances.
Another aspect of consideration would have to be formation. While Southgate employed a 4-2-3-1 that eventually shifted into a 3-4-2-1 in times of offensive need, Klopp played to attack and grab the game by the scruff of the neck. With a carefully curated 4-3-3 that often saw aggressive and committed counter-pressing off the ball, mixed with a certain dynamism going forward – Liverpool would have quicker ball retention and thus more meaningful possession to exploit newly arising spaces on the field.
Once again, it is important to note that Southgate will have had perhaps less time (intermittently) to implement his style, yet in eight years – why had it become so passive? Perhaps the over-arching burden of searching for success has stayed on the national conscious, yet the same could be said for Liverpool’s relationship with the Premier League. It’s reasonable to suggest, in accordance with the BBC’s Chief Football Writer Phil McNulty, that Southgate had a great ethos around the team, yet wasn’t the winner that the country required – and again, that’s something Klopp could offer.
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 18.07.24