How Jurgen Klopp transformed Liverpool after the sale of Philippe Coutinho 2 years ago

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool FC - Premier League

Two years on from the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for a fee of £105 million, it is fair to say that Liverpool and Jürgen Klopp made the right call when deciding to sell the wantaway Brazilian. The Reds used the money to recruit the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Fabinho to turn a team that was a top-four hopeful to serial winners.

Meanwhile, Philippe Coutinho has since departed Barcelona on loan to Germany where he sits 3rd in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich. And although Coutinho got back to his best at times this season, his fall from grace couldn't have been more dramatic as he saw his Barcelona dream crushed within just over a year at the club. By contrast, Liverpool sit 14 points clear at the top of the table with the funding from the Coutinho transfer, playing a big part with players such as Fabinho, Alisson, and van Dijk all key players in a currently unstoppable squad. However, smart recruitment isn't the only reason for Liverpool's rise to the top in the last 2 years.

Jürgen Klopp has been tactically outstanding since January 2018 which began with the demolition of the champions, Manchester City, at Anfield in what was a sign of things to come. Although, despite the win that day, Klopp would have still been concerned with his sides' lack of defensive awareness with Manchester City netting 3 goals in the 4-3 loss. But, after a Champions League final defeat at the hands of Real Madrid, Klopp and Liverpool got to fixing the defence in the summer. And they did just that.

The signing's of Fabinho and Alisson gave Liverpool an almost perfect starting 11 which was something Anfield hadn't seen for years. Alisson, in particular, was a refreshing sight for Liverpool fans who had witnessed a Champions League final nightmare from Loris Karius in Kiev. The Brazilian shot-stopper's sweeper keeper style of play also allowed Klopp to apply a higher line which allowed Liverpool to press higher as a team and dominate possession in the opposition's half. What's more, Alisson's quick and accurate distribution gave Liverpool another way of counter-attacking quickly and efficiently. The Liverpool shot-stopper has become the clean sheet king at Liverpool in the last two seasons with a dominant Golden Glove victory last season. Adding to this, Alisson also currently has the best save percentage in Europe with a resounding 83.9% of shots saved.

Fabinho also, despite taking a few months to settle in, helped to change things for Liverpool. The former Monaco man's defensive ability gave the likes of Jordan Henderson the license to play a more box to box role which he has since excelled in, assisting 5 goals last season. Fabinho has only got better since then, matching his clear potential with the coaching of Klopp.

Moreover, the Brazilian seems significantly improved when it comes to his passing range since joining Liverpool, where he often finds himself as one of the deepest players which therefore puts the pressure on him to distribute the ball quickly and accurately, which he often does. Fabinho is now lauded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world after developing under Klopp. The midfielder registers an average of 0.9 key passes per game according to Whoscored.com. In comparison, Real Madrid's Casemiro makes an average of 0.5 key passes per game. Fabinho has been directly involved in 3 goals this season which is the same as Manchester City's Rodri in 10 less games this season.

Furthermore, it hasn't just been the starting 11 whom Klopp has transformed since the departure of Philipe Coutinho, but also squad players like Divock Origi who has become a Liverpool hero and a key player in the Reds' squad. Klopp has revived the Belgian from the ashes of a disappointing loan spell at Wolfsburg to one of the greatest super subs in the history of the Premier League. The striker famously scored the winner in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona before proceeding to score the second goal in the final against Spurs to add to an impressive portfolio of late goals which includes a Merseyside Derby last-minute strike.

In fact, this season every single outfield player but Joe Gomez has contributed with a goal in all competitions. This shows that Liverpool have gone from relying on the famous front three of Mane, Salah and Firmino to being able to count on every player in the team to find the back of the net. And that's what makes this Liverpool side so dangerous because at any given moment, whether it be through van Dijk or Divock Origi, this Liverpool side is capable of finding the back of the net.

To conclude, what Klopp has done at Liverpool has been nothing short of incredible. And although he may owe some of his success to the recruitment team, his tactical genius has allowed the Liverpool squad to grow into the Club World Cup champions and runaway league leaders that they are today, despite selling arguably their best player just 2 years ago.

Also read: What makes Liverpool's gegenpressing so good?

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Edited by rehaan díaz