5 Liverpool players who have regressed most under Jurgen Klopp

Jurgen Klopp is renowned for his man-management and the ability to bring out the best in many players. In fact, he deserves more credit than what he gets because several players who thrived under him have struggled to replicate similar form elsewhere. For example, creative midfielder Shinji Kagawa and Nuri Sahin are two good instances where players have flourished under his management and struggled with others.

Despite nurturing so many world-class players over the years at Borussia Dortmund and now at Liverpool, some players have found life under Jurgen Klopp rather difficult. This isn’t surprising either because Klopp's training methods and playing style are not suited for everyone.

At Liverpool, the likes of Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana, and several others have raised their game under the German but several others have gone the opposite way. So here are five current Liverpool players who have regressed under Jurgen Klopp.

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#1: Daniel Sturridge

Sturridge has only played a squad role under Klopp

Liverpool's sensational title race in 2013/14 was powered by their lethal striking force of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. The following season, one left for a big-money move to Barcelona while the other slowly drifted into oblivion.

Sturridge scored 21 league goals during that campaign and since then, he has only netted 18 Premier League goals to date. That alone just sums up how much his career has stalled since.

Make no mistake, Sturridge is a top striker and has demonstrated his quality in patches under Klopp. However, the issue remains the fact that he struggles to fit into Klopp's aggressive system and consequently, doesn't get the regular minutes he deserves.

Roberto Firmino is undoubtedly Klopp's first-choice striker when fit and it's becoming increasingly clear that Dominic Solanke is first in line to replace the Brazilian, if the need arises.

Sturridge's downfall has a lot to do with his troublesome injuries and less to do with Klopp specifically, but it is now time for the England international to seek pastures new and if speculation is to be believed, he could depart in the final week of this window.

#2: Loris Karius

Karius has done very little to suggest he is better than Mignolet

Loris Karius was voted the second best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga in 2014/15 behind a certain Manuel Neuer. For most Liverpool fans, he was not a name they were familiar with but one they hoped would alleviate their goalkeeping woes.

However, an injury in pre-season forced Mignolet back into action but Karius was handed the gloves back after his return from injury - only for him to make costly mistakes in succession and lose his place to the Belgian. Karius has proved to be a huge disappointment in goal but nonetheless shown glimpses of promise in cup fixtures last term.

He started the current season as Liverpool’s second choice goalkeeper but was the undisputed starter in their Champions League group stage games.

Thankfully for him, Mignolet continued to be error-prone and Klopp has now reinstated Karius as the first-choice. With that being said, he is yet to do anything in particular to convince the fans of his ability.

Karius averaged 2.07 saves per goal conceded during his campaign with Mainz in 2015/16, making an average of 2.50 saves per 90 minutes. Playing all 34 Bundesliga fixtures that term, he only made three defensive mistakes - none of them lead to a goal.

When you compare that to his Premier League stats for Liverpool, you can see just how poorly he has performed. The German has appeared in 14 league fixtures for the Reds, conceding 18 goals and making just 17 saves. This means he averages just less than one save per goal conceded.

He makes just 1.21 saves per 90 for Liverpool, which is nowhere near average. He's already made three defensive errors in the league this term - all of which have lead to goals conceded.

To put things in perspective, Manchester United's David de Gea is seen as the goalkeeping benchmark. He makes 2.92 saves per game and averages 4.38 saves per goal conceded too.

During their nervy 4-3 win over Manchester City, Karius was beaten at his near post by Leroy Sané and such lax goalkeeping at the highest level is not going to get him nor Liverpool themselves anywhere. It will not come as a surprise if the Reds prioritise signing a world-class goalkeeper in the summer.

#3: Danny Ings

Ings, who made his league debut in December, has suffered from troublesome injuries and form elsewhere

Ings is a compatriot of Sturridge and shown the potential to cut it at the top level against the best - but is injury-prone too, arguably worse than his team-mate.

Having sustained consecutive long-term injuries since arriving, Klopp has hardly had a proper opportunity to work with the forward before this season.

The 25-year-old recovered from his setbacks this term but given the form of Liverpool's attack-minded players, has rarely got an actual chance to assert his quality.

He played his first Premier League game under Klopp in December last year but has only featured for 28 minutes in total - most of which came in their 1-0 away defeat by Swansea on Monday night.

With the potential he has, Ings could play a significant role for Klopp's Liverpool in future but it'll be difficult considering just how much competition there is for places in attack. It's clear he needs a loan move elsewhere to earn regular minutes, so he can find his rhythm and confidence once again. Both these factors are crucial for a striker to succeed.

#4: Jon Flanagan

Flanagan, pictured here during pre-season, has only made one appearance for Liverpool under Klopp

Jon Flanagan is one of the three remaining members of Liverpool’s squad from 2013/14 with the other two being Jordan Henderson and the aforementioned Sturridge.

Like the other two, Flanagan also played a key role during that title challenge playing at left-back. However come this summer, he may no longer be a Liverpool player.

After a long-term injury, he spent last season out on-loan at Burnley. However, he struggled to break into their first-team and only made 10 appearances across all competitions.

He returned to Liverpool in the summer ahead of pre-season, but is now a peripheral figure at Anfield. His lone appearance for the Reds this term was during their Cup defeat to Leicester, where he performed poorly and justified his exclusion - as harsh as it sounds - from Klopp's senior plans.

For someone who displayed such promise early on, Flanagan's career has not taken off and Klopp has failed to help develop his defensive quality. He was recently convicted of assaulting his girlfriend and should consider himself lucky as the club decided against terminating his contract.

Behind both Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order for places, there may never be a way back in for him.

#5: Dejan Lovren

Lovren will be fighting for his Liverpool career following van Dijk's arrival

Lovren arrived at Anfield in 2014, replacing a huge fan favourite in Daniel Agger. So naturally, the pressure on him to succeed was huge - but he has never looked convincing since sealing his £20m move.

Klopp has altered the Liverpool backline significantly during his tenure and surprisingly, Lovren has survived the cut despite being a defensive liability on several occasions to date.

In fact, since joining the Reds, he has made 12 defensive errors in England's top flight alone. Five of which, resulted in goals.

In fairness to the Croatian, he has had his fair share of good performances too but he's just not a reliable centre-back and one that Liverpool should utilise going forward, especially as they have aspirations to challenge among Europe's elite in future.

In truth, Klopp has placed his faith in Lovren on too many occasions and ultimately, it's costing him points. His disastrous performance away against Tottenham earlier this season saw him withdrawn after just half-an-hour, showing why it's important that the Reds focus defensively and acquire better alternatives to avoid Lovren featuring too often if they decide to retain him.

Lovren endured a forgettable time during Liverpool's 4-1 defeat by Spurs earlier this term

Virgil van Dijk was signed for £75m earlier this window, while Ragnar Klavan and Joel Matip are both capable centre-backs who will be keen to assert their place in the side going forward in future, so Lovren may find himself surplus to requirements.