Liverpool half-term report: Headmaster Jurgen Klopp needs to revamp class if Reds are to reach Champions League

How have Liverpool got on in their 18 Premier League games so far this season?

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (Getty Images)

Season so far...

Despite the ‘Jurgen Klopp effect’, Liverpool remain a team in limbo this season, and it could cost them a place in the top four unless the German manager can work his magic in the January transfer window. The fantastic victory over Manchester City and battling win over Leicester are signs that they’re heading in the right direction, but they can’t afford defeats like the loss to Watford last weekend.

The sacking of Brendan Rodgers after the Merseyside derby draw with Everton on 4 October did seem premature given the support he was given in the summer, but with Klopp available the Liverpool board made their decision and must now stick by it. The players and fans have unsurprisingly bought into the Klopp effect, but it’s hard to assess how the season has gone so far when this isn’t Klopp’s team.

Pre-season expectations...

Liverpool weren’t expected to finish in the top four at the start of the campaign, but that was largely based on Chelsea being in the mix and Manchester United building on last season’s fourth-place finish. Had those two clubs been taken out of the mix, Liverpool would have edged into the top four, and it’s only the emergence of Leicester that should be keeping them out.

Liverpool did shell out large sums in the transfer window too, mainly to sign Christian Benteke from Aston Villa, Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim and Nathaniel Clyne from Southampton. While some of the summer additions can be seen as building for the future, it’s an awful lot of money to spend on not finishing in the top four this season.

What they need in January...

There are doubts over Simon Mignolet’s suitability in goal, especially given that back-up goalkeeper Adam Bogdan is providing no competition whatsoever. Klopp is believed to be looking at possible targets in the Bundesliga, although Barcelona’s German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen could be available after he looked visibly unhappy with playing a bit-part role with the Catalans this season.

Klopp still has reservations over his attack given Daniel Sturridge’s on-going injury troubles, though the England international has announced that he is ready to return for Wednesday’s trip to Sunderland. The manager also looks reluctant to put his faith in Benteke, but the striker’s match-winning goal against Leicester could change his mind after Divock Origi got the nod in front of him.

Prediction: 6th

If Klopp is able to get his side playing the fast pressing football he desires in every match, then there’s no reason why Liverpool can’t finish in the top four. But there seems to be too many players in the squad that don’t fit the mould, and he simply doesn’t trust the current attacking options at his disposal despite the excessive spending on Merseyside in recent seasons – largely offset by the departure of Luis Suarez.

With the Europa League due to kick in again in February, the games will be coming thick and fast for Liverpool, and they can be expected to drop off when it matters most to finish in the Europa League-qualifying positions once again.

Grade: C+