Klopp creates unstoppable comeback kings

Liverpool FC struggled through last season and only just made it into the European Cup. This year, almost everything is different: the Reds are also struggling, but are leading the Premier League table. And that is due to a remarkable statistic.

They may not admit it. But in a weak moment, one or two BVB fans will probably find themselves looking longingly at England. After all, Liverpool have the man on the touchline who has shaped Borussia Dortmund more than almost any other coach in recent history. And as if the longing wasn't great enough, Jürgen Klopp is now doing at Liverpool FC what Edin Terzić had actually set out to do at the Black & Yellows this season: win games without playing really beautiful soccer.

The strengths of this plan can currently be seen in the English Premier League table. The Reds are back at the top for the first time in two years. It is the result of a mentality that is almost unique in Europe. Liverpool have already won seven times this season after falling behind. Of the top five European leagues, only the Spanish surprise team FC Girona, which comes from the ownership circle of English champions Manchester City, can keep up. The City Football Group acquired 44.3% of the club in 2017. A further 44.3% is owned by the Girona Football Group with Pere Guardiola at the helm - he is the younger brother of City team manager Pep Guardiola.

Klopp's comeback kings recently struck back against Crystal Palace. There, the mental giants needed almost the entire game to find their feet. "I said to the team that this is the first time anyone has played as badly as we did for 76 minutes and still won," said Klopp afterwards. Late on, club icon Mohammed Salah scored his 200th goal for the Reds, then substitute Harvey Elliott also scored in the first minute of stoppage time against ten Londoners. In the end, the comeback was perfect again.

"Nobody has a right to the Oscar"

Liverpool have been unbeaten in the league since the end of September. Back then, in the 2-1 draw against Tottenham, there was a lot of VAR chaos because a regular goal from winger Luis Diaz was disallowed. The referees' association called it "considerable human error" and the Reds were outraged. And things went badly in other respects too: nine Liverpool players lost the game - ironically through an own goal in the 90th + 8th minute. But since then, the anger has subsided and things are looking up. In 2023, Liverpool became the first team to defy Manchester City to earn a point at their home stadium - again thanks to a late goal.

It is this late luck that makes the Reds stand out at the moment. "At this stage of the year, as I said after (the game against, ed.) Sheffield United, we have to get through this, we need results," said Klopp after the working win at Crystal Palace. "Nobody has a claim to the Oscar, the best soccer game of all time, it's about three points, we got them and we're more than happy."

Nevertheless, it can also be Hollywood-like. A week earlier there was the spectacle against Fulham. Liverpool took the lead twice in spectacular fashion, but conceded the equalizer just as often. And worse: Fulham took the lead ten minutes before the end through attacker Bobby de Cordova-Reid. But the comeback kings came back: first new signing Wataru Endo scored a dream goal, then Alexander-Arnold and turned the game around.

Klopp is working on Liverpool 2.0

But who would have expected Liverpool this year? Especially after last season, which was very similar to Klopp's last year at BVB. Back then, when Borussia found themselves bottom of the table in the winter of 2014, only to reach the European competition later on. And last year too: Liverpool repeatedly slumped and only had short, consistent phases. The Reds only made it to fifth place in the table and thus into the Europa League with difficulty. Then as now, there were rumors that it was the seventh year, but now Klopp has really been unraveled.

But the 56-year-old has already started working on his big new-build project in the background. For the first time, he is entering his eighth year with a club: in late summer, he turned down the national coach position for "Liverpool 2.0". Instead, there was a declaration of intent in the RTL interview: they wanted to "really attack" once again. The midfield was completely replaced, with the new signings Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai instead of the veterans Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.

The good results somewhat overshadow the fact that the new engine has not yet found its feet. The team is "nowhere near" as good as the one that played for the title against City in recent years, as one Liverpool blogger recently commented on the BBC. The two strikers Luis Diaz and Darwin Núñez are out of form, and Salah has also been less reliable recently.

At the moment, the comeback qualities are still enough. But new squad problems are looming on the horizon. The cruciate ligament rupture of former Schalke player Joel Matip, for example, means that there are only four central defenders for three competitions. In addition, the African and Asian Cups are coming up in the winter. The Reds will then have to do without Egypt's superstar Salah and Endo, the captain of the Japanese national team.

The question is therefore whether Liverpool will collapse at some point. The next acid test is still two weeks away, with Arsenal visiting Anfield Road on December 23. Perhaps one or two BVB fans will also be watching. For now, it's off to the Europa League to face the Union's terror Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (18:45/RTL+ and in the ntv.de live ticker).