I'm a new fan to EPL. My second season watching and you guys told me I'd be a good Liverpool fan based on my like of historic old stadiums, being a Red Sox fan, etc. I've devoured as much info as I can. Been following the Liverpool since last December. The whole league really. Love every bit of it. From everything I've been reading I am really hoping they get this Klopp guy. Liverpool seems to me to be underachieving.
Sounds like you'll get your wish on Thursday. Reports are that Klopp will be announced as their coach Thursday. For all his faults (those of you who think Mourinho is volatile, I'm sure Timmy will back me up here and agree that Klopp makes Mourinho look stoic), Klopp sticks with his system to a fault. I can't recall ever seeing his BVB teams to anything other than Attack! Attack! Attack!
I'll be interested to see how he lines them up since Klopp favours the 4-2-3-1. Will he keep Can as a RB or move him to his more natural box-to-box MF position, and if so line him up next to Henderson (when healthy)? Coutinho in the 10 hole seems natural, but who to use as the wingers? Go with Ibe for a bunch of games?
My guess is when healthy he'd line them up as:
Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno
Henderson, Can
Firmino, Coutinho, Lallana
Sturridge
with decent attacking options of Ibe, Allen, Benteke, Milner off the bench. Klopp seems to favour a playmaker with the ability to finish from the 10 eg. BVB's Kagawa (sorry Manch) or Goetze with the 2 attacking wingers as players to will cut in eg. Reus. That's why I'd guess he'd move Firmino out wide as player who starts deeper but finishes in the box a lot. Former Chelsea winger Andre Schurlle would'be looked good in his system.
One thing's for sure, he'll have his team in shape and willing to run for the full 90 week in, week out. Now, doing that in the PL is much different that in the Bundesliga if for no other reason that there are 38 matches vs 34 and no winter break plus 2 cup competitions instead of just 1. Will be interested to see if all out attack will work come March/April or if his teams' will have no legs left.
I'd expect Liverpool to make some moves in Jan. incl. perhaps buying some BVB players eg. Gungoden. I'm assuming they'll give him a big kitty in the summer (or he wouldn't have taken the job) to buy some players for his system. Not sure what they'll do with some of the guys that don't really fit (can't take a loss on everybody). I wouldn't be surprised if they try to make a couple of huge moves in the summer to make a big splash to show that they are serious about competing for UCL spot eg. Gareth Bale (don't think Reus will leave Germany) and/or maybe Mario Goetze (seems like he wants to leave Bayern). FWIW, I think Bale would do great under Klopp, and having Coutinho, Sturridge and Bale would be a scary prospect to face.
I little off topic here, but I think Goetze will move this summer and it's probably the right time for him to do so. As of this writing, I make Bayern the UCL favourite. They look like they'll smash through everyone. Poor (he he, sorry couldn't type that with a straight face) Arsenal get them the next 2 matchdays as well.