BOOK REVIEWS
Kloppite: One Man’s Quest To Turn Doubters Into Believers by David Segar (Sportsbookofthemonth.com price: £10.19, saving £2.80 on rrp)
If, as this book’s sub-title suggests, Jurgen Klopp’s quest upon arriving at Anfield was to “turn doubters into believers,” then the big German has succeeded a hundred times over.
When Klopp was appointed in October 2015, Liverpool required fresh impetus, a radical change to a transfer policy that had appeared amateurishly random for far too long and someone capable of harnessing a devoted level of support bordering on the spiritual. Klopp has done all of this and more. He’s turned Liverpool into the world’s best club side, a status few Reds’ fans believed they would ever enjoy again. Doubt no longer stalks Anfield: Liverpool haven’t lost a home league fixture since April 2017.
Yet reading Kloppite, you wonder whether the gregarious German will remain on Merseyside, where he’s already achieved so much and create a new Anfield dynasty, decorated with silverware and accolades, or will he depart as unexpectedly as he arrived? Ask the club’s supporters and they want him to remain at the helm for the next 20 years.
Though famously describing himself as ‘the normal one’ at his first press conference, Klopp has been ruthless in his rebuilding. His teamsheet for Liverpool’s first league duel under his tutelage (away against Spurs) proves the point: Mignolet, Clyne, Skrtel, Sakho, Moreno, Lucas, Can, Milner, Lallana, Coutinho, Origi.
Similarly, Liverpool’s upward momentum has been evident too. Following an eighth-placed top-flight finish in his first season, Klopp’s men have finished 4th, 4th, 2nd and 1st.
David Segar, a self-confessed Red, has produced a well-written, impressively-researched book, pinpointing the early Klopp-era promise of gengenpressing as Liverpool recorded eye-catching victories against Chelsea (3-1) and Manchester City (4-1), yet crumbled against Watford, losing 3-0 and could only manage a 2-2 draw at home against West Brom.
Segar guides readers through Klopp’s first four-and-a-half years in charge, selecting important milestones over that period, culminating in the 2019 Champions League success in Madrid; the world title crown is added in the closing pages and you get the impression that part of the author wishes he could have included the 2019-20 season too.
Still, there’s enough here to be going on with and, should Klopp remain at Anfield for the next decade, you would fancy Liverpool to replenish the silverware on a regular basis.
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