Former manager Brendan Rodgers was axed on Sunday by the Reds after a 1-1 draw with local rivals Everton and Klopp is the big favorite to take over, with reports claiming a deal is close to being agreed, per Andy Hunter of the Guardian.
According to Simon Hughes of the Independent, the reason for such swift action against Rodgers is the owners still feel as though this team can challenge at the summit of the table:
Owners hastened Rodgers’ exit as they feel with a new man in charge Liverpool can still challenge this season....
Beneath the frenzy of the last 24 hours, lies a reality: only six points separates Liverpool in 10th from Manchester City in first. By sacking Rodgers, FSG believe that not only do they now possess a head start on rivals, it will give Liverpool the best possible opportunity of finishing inside the top four – or even challenging for the title this season, taking into consideration the relative struggles of several clubs they are meant to be competing against.
While critics will argue their decision is short-term and reactive, they consider the removal of Rodgers as pro-active, one that could have positive short-term consequences as well as long-term ones.
Currently there are
six points separating Liverpool, who are in 10th place, and league
leaders Manchester City after what has been a gripping start to the
domestic season. There are few sides that have struck up any kind of
consistency in the opening weeks, with champions Chelsea faltering
badly under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho.
Klopp will surely enliven this group. The former Borussia Dortmund man is a figure of infectious charisma and his teams play the game with a real vibrancy. So feasibly, the top four may not be beyond this group quite yet.
There will be
different challenges facing Klopp in English football. In the
Bundesliga he only had to usurp one juggernaut in Bayern Munich,
whereas in the Premier League, while none of the top sides have
started particularly well, there are a lot more teams capable of
competing with the very best.
In addition, Klopp
will be taking over another manager’s squad and won’t be able to
make major adjustments to it until the January window. Even then, in
mid season it can be very difficult to lure players to a football
club, making a squad reshuffle problematic.
He’s a manager who
got so much out of his players at Dortmund, turning youngsters into
title winners. Liverpool’s squad isn’t too dissimilar, rife with
talented footballers with malleable abilities. If Klopp can give them
some direction, Champions League qualification is a realistic
ambition. However, even if the German does come in, the title looks
beyond them.
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