After the end of the European Championships, all Football fans now turn their eyes to the upcoming Premier League season and supporting their respective fans. From a neutral perspective, this season looks to be the most exciting yet. From Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s arrival in England to Antonio Conte taking over the reigns at Chelsea, there are many storylines that will be fascinating to view. However, among all this hype with all 20 teams in the Barclay’s Premier League, one intriguing rivalry is dominating the headlines. Jose Mourinho at Manchester United and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City will renew their storied history in the North West of England, which will be highly entertaining for everyone.
But, could this be beneficial for another side in the North West to ultimately become winners at the end of the season?
Klopp will learn quickly
Liverpool had an interesting season last year, with many unexpected results. Making two cup finals put a shining on a relatively poor 8th place finish, for such a historic and important club. However, this can be put down to Jurgen Klopp not having a full season, including pre season, with his players. Brought in to manage Liverpool in October 2015, he made fans excited once again with his infectious style of play and swagger. He will surely have learnt a lot from his period in England so far, the competitiveness of the league does take some time to get used to.
Even playing through the Christmas period was a new experience for him, but he was able to embrace the culture remarkably well. Now, with a pre season with his whole squad, the players will be able to adapt to his demanding style, with pressing and aggression his trademark. Surely, Liverpool must be considered as major contenders for the main prize in England this season.
German’s record suggests victory is in sight
Throughout his career, he has been able to deliver astonishing results with teams that are not fancied. With Mainz, where he was a player, he took them up to the Bundesliga after successive failures to get promoted and kept them up there to almost deliver European football. At Borussia Dortmund, which Klopp admits was his favoured choice, he was a hero.
Two Bundesliga titles in succession and a Champions League final appearance was completely unexpected, given Dortmund’s tendency to sell their best players to other top clubs around the world. He creates a team that all want to play for each other and enjoy to work for their manager, however difficult the situation they find themselves in. Now, with Liverpool not expected to rise and win their first league title since 1990, could they surprise everyone, with Jurgen at the helm?
Other big clubs in transition
With all the managerial changes at clubs this season, there is bound to be a period of transition for them. Getting used to a new club, the expectations of the fans and trying to embrace the culture will all be the aims for the new managers.
Even though this should not take too much time for all the world class managers, it is likely they will not be an immediate fit. During this period, Jurgen will surely understand that this a golden opportunity for his side. They must take the chance to be the leaders of the pack and try to dominate English football. This may turn out to be an advantage for Liverpool as they will be settled with the environment they work in. Again, this is surely another factor that gives Liverpool a real chance to be winners.
Therefore, as media hype heightens in Manchester, maybe it is time we focus on Liverpool before we are surprised again, just like Leicester City did last year.
