Klopp must avoid Kop January blues to end seven years of hurt

THIS is Liverpool’s moment of truth – is history repeating itself or will Jurgen Klopp end the club’s longest wait for a trophy in half a century?

It’s seven years since they needed the silver polish at Anfield when Kenny Dalglish lifted the League Cup.

Not since the seven-year gap between Bill Shankly’s titles in 1966 and 1973 have the Kop craved a trophy for so long, as Klopp – who has had near-misses in three major finals with Liverpool – will be only too aware. At face value, a narrow 2-1 defeat by title rivals Manchester City (right) and going out of the FA Cup with a much-changed team at Wolves (above, right) does not represent a real blip.

Liverpool remain four points clear of City and still in the box seat. But two years ago, Klopp (left) was in the hunt for three trophies in January – and they all went up in smoke. As well as a two-legged League Cup semi-final defeat by Southampton, Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup by Wolves (sounds familiar) and dropped vital points in the title race against Sunderland, Swansea and then, in early February, at Hull, tailing off to finish 17 points behind eventual champions Chelsea. This time, I believe Klopp’s in the title race for the long haul.

But before their massive Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich, the Reds’ next five games in the Premier League are against Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester,

West Ham and Bournemouth.

City have had their blip. They have scored 16 goals in their last two games, are firing on a frightening number of cylinders and I don’t think they will lose another match this season.

So Liverpool dare not squander points in this next batch of games and, defensively, it’s going to be a big test with Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren all injured.

They will outgun Brighton this weekend but, in the long run, I hope Klopp does not live to regret that FA Cup defeat at Wolves. Liverpool FC is not just about going to the match every Saturday, it’s a way of life, it’s a religion, it’s about glory, success, prestige.

When it’s been seven years without a trophy to parade around Anfield, Klopp needs the mentality of winners, not nearly-men who are great entertainers with no pots to show for it. They were capable of winning the FA Cup and, if you are going to rest your big guns, fine – give them the night off.

But if you are going to bring Mo Salah off the bench when you are 2-1 down, why not play him from the start and rest him after 60 minutes when you might be 2-1 up? When you have gone seven years without a trophy, I’m not sure you can prioritise one competition ahead of others.

Klopp has done an amazing job, and I would happily sit and watch his team play all night, but the Reds veered off-course in January two years ago and I hope the same thing is not happening now. At the turn of the New Year, people were talking about them as favourites for the title – and rightly so. But being front runners brings its own pressure, and now the gap is down to four points – and most of this squad have no previous experience of being at the sharp end of a title race. On the other hand, City – with the likes of Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero – have bags of title-winning experience. Winning that first trophy is always the hardest one. We’re about to find out if Klopp has found a way to beat those January blues.

FOR me, there’s only one man for the Nottingham Forest job after they parted company with Aitor Karanka – my old boss Nigel Clough.

I believe Slavisa Jokanovic, who won promotion from the Championship with Watford and Fulham, is in the frame.

But if Clough is ever going to walk in his father’s footsteps at the City Ground, now is the time.

He has worked miracles on a budget of buttons at Burton

Albion, winning promotion to the Championship in 2017 and now leading them to a Carabao

Cup semi-final.

Although he has never been able to spend massive amounts of money, he is not afraid to promote the virtues of youth and give young players a chance to fulfil their potential.

To romantics, Nigel Clough and Forest would be the perfect match. And if just a little bit of the old man’s magic rubbed off on him, you never know – they might just catch a wave and get right in the thick of the promotion race.