Seven years ago today, Jurgen Klopp vowed to turn “doubters into believers” during his Anfield unveiling.
The dust settled on a frenetic afternoon at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday and he found himself facing his biggest challenge since his first visit to Merseyside.
It’s been a grim anniversary for the Liverpool manager. Another Premier League defeat saw Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold both sidelined through injury.
When Brendan Rodgers was sacked in October 2015 and Klopp was named his successor, the club were 10th in the Premier League table with 12 points from eight games.
Today, they have just 10 points in eight games to occupy the same mid-table spot — their worst return at this stage of the season since 2012-13, when they ended up seventh.
Klopp has accomplished so much during this period – from Champions League glory in Madrid to ending a painful 30-year title drought and securing a domestic cup double. He is the most transformative figure in Liverpool’s history since Bill Shankly and rightly retains the unwavering support of his boss and supporters.
But the wheels have come off. The team that threatened to win it all five months ago now looks like a failure. Any lingering talk of a title challenge was quelled by the setback.Liverpool are 14 points behind