With the international break over and done with and the Premier League about to get back into swing Liverpool sit fourth in the league, which Jurgen Klopp would probably have taken as the season began.
Barring a shoddy result against Burnley, the Reds have looked seriously impressive on a number of occasions this season and, under Klopp, they’re looking very ruthless indeed.
So with some encouraging form going forward, many people have now begun questioning whether the Reds can continue this form for the entirety of the season, or whether they’ll let it slip at some point.
And whilst this team might have their doubters when it comes to defending, if they can outscore their opponents, they’re not going to struggle – and they’ve been doing that with aplomb so far.
But at Liverpool, there is more than just a good set of players on the pitch with a charismatic manager – there is also a buzz about the whole place which we haven’t seen for years.
The Anfield stand development has seriously aided the team’s development on the pitch, but it’s easy to forget that when Klopp took over, things on the red half of Merseyside had almost hit rock bottom.
Week after week we see the former Dortmund man charging up and down the touchline barking orders with extreme rigour and embracing his players after the game. You won’t find another manager in the whole world who lives and breathes football like the German, and his energy is infectious both on and off the pitch.
He puts smiles on everyone’s faces and – like we saw with Leicester City last season – the way to win trophies is to instil team spirit, and Klopp certainly seems to have done that.
A lack of European football has given the manager the chance to really focus on matters in the league, and so far they’ve been pretty good. Perhaps some supporters feel a lack of Champions League action is a really bad thing, but for Jurgen Klopp it’s given him the chance to get rid of the deadwood and get his squad looking neat and tidy. And it’s certainly beginning to pay off.
In recent years, you really got the feeling that the various managers at the helm of this great club didn’t perhaps know who their best players were. But now, we’ve seen continuity and stability and with the summer window giving Klopp the chance to sign the players he wanted, we have a Liverpool team centred on what he sees in winners.
Obviously, there is a long way to go this season and with some key games coming up, no one at Liverpool should be getting carried away just yet. But the early signs have been extremely promising and if they can keep it up, there should be no reason why they shouldn’t be challenging come the end of the campaign.
Klopp is a winner and the Reds will be there or there abouts in May.
