Jürgen Klopp

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

Yeah, see above. A bit like Van Dijk. Double standards!

Double standards how? I haven't said I agreed with how Van Djik acted or that Southampton fans shouldn't feel aggrieved. Neither player has acted appropriately IMO and as a support of either club you should feel some way towards a player who is treating the club badly.

In terms of the club, I haven't seen us complain about Coutinho's behaviour, in fact we've defended him publicly.

[Fredo]

Double standards how? I haven't said I agreed with how Van Djik acted or that Southampton fans shouldn't feel aggrieved. Neither player has acted appropriately IMO and as a support of either club you should feel some way towards a player who is treating the club badly.

In terms of the club, I haven't seen us complain about Coutinho's behaviour, in fact we've defended him publicly.

How is he treating the club badly? I've said that there is probably a lot that we don't know behind the scenes. At the end the the day the clubs is going to get a lot of money for him.

It's disappointing that he wants to move on but there's not a lot we can do in the end. He's given us 5 years and we should respect his wishes.

Ultimately, the challenge for Klopp and the club in general is to build a dynasty which hopefully puts an end to players wanting out as we would be the best team in world football.

[Snigger]

If a player refuses to play for our club when a team haven't even bid for him, I'd say its acceptable to be bitter towards him. He did in the summer when we had CL qualification to play for and it appears he's back at it again now. Its a cunt's trick.

Has anyone seen anything concrete stating he refuses to play? Likely to be the usual **** stirring from the Spanglish media. I've not seen a direct quote from an interview or even an interview of him saying he won't play - Barca have allegedly not even lodged a bid yet. It could be true, it could be complete bollocks.

He's been with us 4 years and given everything, there is no reason why we should think he will spend the rest of his career at LFC - players move, usually when they want to, no one is moaning about VVD's behaviour down on the south coast.

[Roboklopp]

Thus the word “allegedly”.

IFF he’s playing the cunt he’s affecting our chances to get in the CL so I reserve the right to be pissed off with him. Yes, players view things differently than fans but that’s cos they’re spoiled. I’m a fan, not a player.

[Lecter]

How is he treating the club badly? I've said that there is probably a lot that we don't know behind the scenes. At the end the the day the clubs is going to get a lot of money for him.

It's disappointing that he wants to move on but there's not a lot we can do in the end. He's given us 5 years and we should respect his wishes.

Ultimately, the challenge for Klopp and the club in general is to build a dynasty which hopefully puts an end to players wanting out as we would be the best team in world football.

I have absolutely no problem with players moving on

Provided the buying clubs meet our valuation JUST like we did with Southampton for Van Dijk

[Fuzzy]

Having his Everton pre-match press conference in a few minutes... Should be interesting.

[Frenchie]

In German with English subtitles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1206&v=GWDc-M1Gpwc

[Norbs]

In German with English subtitles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=GWDc-M1Gpwc

Cheers Frenchie. That's one for half time tonight

[marcus50bucks]

Letting Coutinho go now is the biggest gamble of Klopp’s career

Paul Joyce
January 7 2018, 12:00pm,
The Sunday Times

Philippe Coutinho’s departure to Barcelona was supposed to end all of the uncertainty. A line would be drawn under the saga, which has rumbled over the course of the last year as the Catalans set about turning the Brazilian’s head and enticing him from Liverpool, and then there would, at least, be clarity.

And yet, in so many respects, the doubts are only just beginning.

Jürgen Klopp holds the unshakeable belief that Liverpool are strong enough to absorb the departure of O Magico. He has unflinching faith in the squad he has carefully pieced together and he can say out loud they will not get distracted as they pursue a place in the top four and contemplate the renewal of a Champions League adventure.

But he cannot be sure Liverpool will not stutter in a way in which they might not had Coutinho been told he would be remaining at Anfield until the summer.

Allowing Coutinho to leave now is the biggest risk of his managerial career. It is a gamble that will be played out in the coming months but also next season.

In essence, Klopp has decided Liverpool will have a better chance of winning the league in the next two seasons by selling Coutinho and then recruiting the players he wants. His reputation and credibility are suddenly on the line, as is that of owners Fenway Sports Group.

If Liverpool find themselves with a free-kick 22 yards out and a little left of centre next Sunday (and it would have to be Manchester City who are next up), then the player they would arguably want standing over the ball will instead be preparing to face Real Sociedad, providing his thigh problem has cleared up, of course.

When they face FC Porto in the last 16 of the Champions League in February in need of a sprinkling of stardust, Klopp will hope he is not left wanting. Liverpool’s rivals, at home and abroad, have just received a shot in the arm.

Klopp’s judgment, and that of the owners, will now come under scrutiny from supporters like never before and at regular intervals. City is the first, a team against whom Coutinho always did well. The end of the transfer window is the next, as the wait begins to see whether any of the £142 million fee has been reinvested, and then there are the fixtures when opponents will retreat into a defensive shell and set Liverpool the task they have not always mastered in the past.

The most pertinent question remains: why now? Crucial to it all has been Coutinho’s desire to play elsewhere. He does not want to be at Liverpool anymore and, in truth, he has not wanted to be at Liverpool all season.

His dream, as with most South Americans, has been to play at Barcelona (or Real Madrid) and the only way for supporters not to feel let down is for the club not buy players from that part of the world in the first place.

It has become clear in recent weeks that whatever temptations Liverpool were prepared to throw Coutinho’s way in an effort to keep him until the summer were not going to work.

Fundamentally, this has not been about money and so promising to improve his pay packet in the short-term was unlikely to ever work.

Neither were Barcelona prepared to put off the deal for five months and sign him at a reduced rate as was suggested during talks. Coutinho may not be able to play in the Champions League for his new club, but his presence in La Liga will ease the burden on others thus giving Ernesto Valverde’s side a better chance of returning to the summit of European football.

Coutinho’s on-field professionalism has not been in doubt since he was denied his move in August - he excelled in December especially, scoring seven goals - but a fresh injury coincided with the opening of the transfer window again.

Whether he would have been as committed if denied a move for a second successive transfer window will have been a concern for Liverpool and, as the numbers from Barcelona spiralled towards the third most expensive transfer of all time, they decided not to wait to find out.

Player pushes to go, FSG strikes the deal with Barcelona and Klopp signs it off. It is, essentially, a simple equation.

At £142 million, Coutinho gives Liverpool a gargantuan profit on the £8.5 million they paid Inter Milan for him four years ago this month. Only Neymar’s move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for £198 million and Kylian Mbappe’s move from Monaco to PSG which will become a permanent £166 milllion deal at the end of the season dwarfs the fee Liverpool are receiving. Yet it is only a good fee for a player - who spent five seasons in a team that did not win a trophy - if the proceeds are spent well.

It is worth remembering that before Liverpool signed Coutinho in January 2013, they had actually targeted Tom Ince. They would have instead resigned the winger, who had only left Anfield two years earlier, had Blackpool not held out for a higher fee because Liverpool had a sell-on clause. Luck and availability plays its part.

Klopp will not want to bring in a body just for the sake of it. Liverpool will want someone who can play in the middle and, ideally, they will look to persuade RB Leipzig to allow Naby Keita to bring forward his proposed July 1 move.

The astronomical figures Liverpool were willing to pay Coutinho in the short term could now be dangled in front of the Germans, although they have restated that the Guinea player will not leave before the end of the campaign.

No offer has been made for Monaco’s Thomas Lemar and, while Klopp will have received assurances Liverpool will react in the event of a target becoming a feasible option, it seems Adam Lallana, alongside Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will take the strain.

In 2014, Liverpool spent £114.75 million and recouped £83.25 million. In 2015, they spent £76.9 million, recouping £68.4 million, and in 2016 £61.9 million was spent with £78.86 million returned from player sales.

In 2017, and the first week of January 2018, Liverpool have spent £209.9 million and recouped £177.6 million. That is not a lavish spending during a period in which the club’s overall value has gone up, and reignites the debate about ambition when Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling and now Coutinho have all pushed to leave in that time.

Yet at the heart of Klopp’s managerial philosophy lies one tenet. It states the team is bigger than any individual and he is about to find out if it still rings true.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/l...reer-fwrlbctqh

[Shaggy]

[ame]https://twitter.com/danielstorey85/status/951004446426791936[/ame]

[gratziani]

https://twitter.com/danielstorey85/s...04446426791936

Very good read that ,

Klopp has previous for selling and improving all the time

also liked the bit about Robertson as well

[Tee]

Excellent article, it all makes sense now...crack on Jurgen

[SB]

That’s a great read. Here’s hoping Klopp can convince Goretzka to get onboard

[gratziani]

Don't you love it that we are being linked with big players again under Jurgen

Good times even with Cout leaving feeling the buzz again



VVD and Keita (two leaders) signed plus reports that others won't to come as well

Getting Ox from Arsenal and hearing him praise us and Klopp as his reason for coming.

GK who commands the area next and we are cooking gas

[EwarWoo]

and we are cooking gas

What method are we going to use to cook this gas?