Extraordinary business my dear Klopp... but can it take you to Prem title?
SIXTY-SEVEN million pounds is an astronomical sum of money to spend on a footballer. The question is, however, ‘Will it be enough?’ Can Jurgen Klopp’s capture of Alisson bridge the gap?
If £67m is what it takes to cure the Reds’ Achilles heel, then it will be money well spent. But it remains an extraordinary sum. Anyone who wants proof of its value only has to look down the East Lancs Road at Pep Guardiola’s capture of Ederson 12 months ago to see what a confident presence can do. It’s a well-trodden path. Back in the day, late great Brian Clough secured promotion to the First Division and made signing Peter Shilton his priority.
“We brought in the best in the business,” he said, “and then we won the lot.” Klopp will be hoping for the same. With the additions of Fabinho, Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita, the squad has added depth.
And if reports from my spies are to be believed, Klopp’s vision of an all-action, energetic, pressing game will be realised.
A friend of mine watched their pre-season game at Tranmere and came away mightily impressed.
It was a nothing friendly. But the manner in which they swarmed all over their neighbours from the Wirral left my pal thinking Klopp’s vision is close to being realised. And yet...
Also falling into the ‘extraordinary’ category is the form of Mo Salah. What a start. What a performer. A montage of his goals the other day, broadcast by Sky, showcased them.class
He really was on top of his game, that boy. There was never any doubt about that finish against Manchester City, was there? Even though it was 40 yards out. Supporters tend to think that once a benchmark of performance has been reached that it can be repeated. Not just Liverpool fans. That’s all of us.
Class is permanent, obviously. But form can come and go. And there’s no disguising the fact that a bloke who scored 40-odd goals will be going some to repeat that – even in a side that is taking big steps forward.
Yes, there was an injury to Sadio Mane and the loss of Philippe Coutinho to overcome – neither of those facts will come into play.
And the £75m capture of Virgil Van Dijk – a Rollsroyce defender – will see them reap additional benefit this season.
But even if you have spent an extraordinary sum of money on an extraordinary talent, Klopp still has an extraordinary team in Manchester City to find a way past.
For all the joy in reaching the Champions League final, the fact is that the Reds didn’t finish runners-up in the Premier League.
They didn’t even finish third, trailing both Manchester United and Spurs – finishing a massive 25 points behind Guardiola & Co. That’s a huge gap to bridge. Massive, in fact, and it does not take into account either that both Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino will be working from stronger bases.
United have added Fred and strengthened the defence with the arrival of Diogo Dalot. While Spurs have the boost of a shiny new stadium to give them added impetus.
Moreover, Guardiola has greater depth to his squad – and one that knows what it takes to win.
Alisson’s fee was extraordinary – even in these extraordinary days.
But there’s no escaping the fact that if Liverpool are to land the title they have an extraordinary obstacle to overcome.