5 players who failed under Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp has developed into one of the finest tacticians in world football since beginning his managerial career with Mainz 05 in 2001.
After seven years at the German club, he was snapped up by Borussia Dortmund, where he rose to prominence. Jurgen Klopp spent years developing the club's youngsters and establishing Dortmund as genuine Bundesliga heavyweights.
Klopp led Dortmund to the league title in 2010–11, before securing the club's first-ever domestic double the following season. Klopp also guided Dortmund to a runner-up finish in the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League.
His exploits meant he was appointed Liverpool manager in 2015. The German took over a side languishing in mid-table and desperately short of quality. He led them to an eighth-place finish and Europa League final in his first season at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp then helped Liverpool secure a top-four spot the following season and set the foundations for a team that would go on to challenge on multiple fronts.
He guided the club to a runner-up finish in the Champions League in 2018 and went one better the following year as Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur to win their first Champions League title in 14 years in 2019. The German also oversaw Liverpool's march to the Premier League title last season.
Jurgen Klopp has always been lauded for his ability to improve his players, but over the years, there have been a fair few who did not quite flourish under the German.
On that note, we take a look at five players who failed under Jurgen Klopp.
#1 Loris Karius
Liverpool signed Karius from Mainz for just £5 million in 2016 with a view to providing competition to Simon Mignolet in goal.
After a promising start to life at Anfield, Karius established himself as the first-choice keeper but his form quickly dipped and a number of sub-par performances led to him being replaced by Mignolet.
Nevertheless, Klopp placed his faith in Karius by starting him in the 2018 Champions League final against Real Madrid. The German made two costly errors that gifted Madrid a 3-1 victory.
That signaled the end of Karius' career at Liverpool. He spent the next two seasons on loan at Turkish club Besiktas, and is currently on loan at German side Union Berlin.
#2 Christian Benteke
Liverpool signed Christian Benteke from Aston Villa in a deal worth £32 million in 2015. The Belgian at the time was one of the most feared strikers in the Premier League.
However, Benteke struggled to break into Jurgen Klopp's starting line-up after the German took over from Brendan Rodgers midway through the 2015-16 season. Klopp's preference for Roberto Firmino, who provided more creativity and work-rate, meant Benteke's game time was limited.
Benteke spent just one season with Liverpool during which he scored 10 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions. He was offloaded to Crystal Palace in 2016.