Jurgen Klopp: The Best XI of players to have played under the current Liverpool boss

Liverpool entered the semifinals of Champions League for the second time in as many seasons after the Reds won 6-1 on aggregate against FC Porto in the quarterfinal. The immense success of Liverpool has turned the spotlight to one man who has revolutionized modern day football by his unique tactics and man-management skills.

He has done a fantastic job at Liverpool after taking over in 2015. When he took over, Liverpool struggled to make top four, now they could well end the season with multiple trophies, which would be a stupendous achievement.

Since his debut in management at Mainz in 2001, Klopp has performed some great underdog feats in Bundesliga including Borussia Dortmund breaking Bayern’s dominance to win the title and reaching the Champions League final. Over the years, Jurgen Klopp has developed an exciting footballing team built around beautiful counter-attacks and brilliant wing plays. Let us take a look at the best XI that Klopp has played in his managerial career:

Alisson Becker

The first name on our list is Brazillian goalkeeper, Alisson Becker. It was a tough pick between Dortmund’s yellow wall, Roman Weidenfeller and Liverpool’s new man between the sticks. In the end, Allison gets the cut due to the fact that he has the potential to win match singlehandedly for his team. Allison’s ball distribution and shot stopping skills have been praised by both fans and critics.

After a disastrous performance by Loris Karius in the Champions League final against Real Madrid which cost Liverpool the title, Allison Becker was brought in for £65 million from AS Roma. From day one, Allison strutted into the ranks of the Reds and he has been immaculate. Allison time and again has performed brilliantly with responsibility and kept his presence in a league which is dominated by David De Gea, Petr Cech and Hugo Lloris.

Lukasz Piszczek

One of Jurgen Klopp’s greatest assets in Dortmund’s defence was right-back, Lukasz Piszczek. The Polish defender has announced that he will hang his boots up after his current contract runs out in 2020. Piszczek’s retirement will see an end to a brilliant career at Westfalenstadion spanning over nine years.

Along with fellow full-back, Marcel Schmelzer, and centre-backs Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels, Dortmund’s defensive line stood strong and proved hard to break at times. Piszczek was influential in BVB’s title-winning season scoring four times and chipping in eight assists.

Mats Hummels

German defender, Mats Hummels rose to fame under Jurgen Klopp during their 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. Hummels was an important figure in the back four who saved a good number of goals in the league winning season of 2011-12. Hummels proved to be influential once again when Dortmund was drawn with Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Ajax in the UEFA Champions League's group of death.

Dortmund did not lose a single group match and topped the group. Dortmund would eventually reach the finals of the competition before losing 2-1 to arch-rivals, Bayern Munich. Hummels tackling, positioning, passing and composure earned him a move to his childhood club, Bayern Munich at the start of the 2016-17 season.

Virgil Van Djik

Virgil Van Djik’s rise to fame has been phenomenal over the last 18 months. The Dutchman’s rise has been masterminded by Jurgen Klopp and he is currently compared to Premier League greats like Rio Ferdinand.

Van Dijk's acquisition by Liverpool was not an easy task. The club started to offer lucrative deals to Van Djik who was at Southampton at that time. Van Djik eventually signed for Liverpool on the winter transfer window of the 2017-18 season for a reported worth of £75 million.

With just half a season played under Klopp, Van Dijk was included in the UEFA Team of the year. His composure and stability proved decisive in Liverpool’s run to the finals. In the current season, Liverpool has reached the semi-final where they will face the mighty Catalan giants.

Andy Robertson

Scottish left-back, Andy Robertson makes the cut on the above list ahead of Klopp’s trusted warrior, Marcel Schmelzer due to the fact that Robertson’s best years are yet to come under Klopp.

The Scotland international under Klopp is defensively better than his predecessor, Alberto Moreno and is more consistent and intelligent on the ball as well as keeping possession. Robertson’s burst of pace and his sudden crosses from the left flank into the box has proved to be dangerous for the opposition as forwards like Mane, Salah and Firmino would wait to pounce on an opportunity.

Ilkay Gundogan

A single ability which Kloop boasted at Dortmund was to replace his outgoing players. So when Nuri Sahin left for Real Madrid in 2011, the central midfield position was left vacant and Klopp had to find someone special who could string passes for his counter-attacking style. In came Ilkay Gundagon to replace the experienced star from FC Nurenburg.

Gundagon excelled right from his first match and fitted into Klopp’s plan and the system perfectly and soon became a wanted player in the playing squad. He helped Dortmund lift the league title in his debut season and helped them to reach the final of Champions League. He stayed there for three more seasons even when star players like Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandoski were leaving. Gundagon eventually left for Manchester City in 2016 when he was deemed as a favourite of Guardiola.

James Milner

James Milner earns a spot in this list due to his late bloom in his career under Jurgen Klopp for Liverpool. After spending five seasons in Manchester City, Milner arrived at Liverpool in 2015 on a free transfer. When Klopp inherited Liverpool the next season, little did he knew that Milner would be so pivotal in his team’s regeneration. The English international has inspired a young English side with his leadership qualities and his hard work on the field.

Under Klopp, Milner has been regarded as a tenacious footballer. His main role in a team stands as a wide midfielder who provides scoring opportunities and takes the ball past defenders. Milner’s short passing senses are accurate as he boasts a good record of providing assists.

Marco Reus

Reus was a part of Dortmund’s academy but he moved to lower German leagues in 2006 to improve his game playing style and sense. Reus improved as a player under former Borussia Monchengladbach manager, Lucian Favre who happens to be his present coach at Dortmund.

As a specialist in counter-attacking play, Klopp fell in love with Reus’s speed, accuracy and pinpoint passing in the final third of the attacking half. Along with Gotze and Lewandowski, Reus formed a deadly attacking trio for Borussia Dortmund which would go down as one of the best-attacking teams in the history.

Reus had rejected Bayern Munich in 2012 and rejoined his boyhood club for a fee of €17.1 million transfer fee. He has been since playing for the BVB and has promised not to leave the club in an era when his teammates gradually moved to arch-rivals for success and money.

Sadio Mane

One of Klopp’s main antics apart from Salah is the Senegalese forward, Sadio Mane. Mane’s off the ball skills are well known to the football world. Klopp had previously admired Mane’s playing style while his playing stint at RB Salzburg and was delighted to acquire his target man at Liverpool.

Mane has been a revelation since he has joined from Southampton in 2016. With 44 goals in 81 appearances for the Reds, Mane has been a clear favorite of Klopp for his combination of blistering pace with clever movement and selfless work ethic. Together along with Salah, Mane covered up the loss of Phillipe Coutinho for Liverpool as he stepped up into the goal-scorers role.

Robert Lewandowski

It would have been a tough choice to select the number 9 in a counter-attacking team of Jurgen Klopp. Polish striker, Robert Lewandowski gets the upper hand Klopp’s dream team. Lewandowski was termed as an ideal number nine during his starting years of Dortmund as he possessed almost all qualities of height, strength, balance, pace and intelligent movement.

Lewandowski scored 74 goals in 131 appearances under Klopp at his stint for Borussia Dortmund. Some of his memorable performances include the famous 4-1 win over Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in the semi-finals of Champions League with Lewandowski scoring all four goals. Lewandowski holds the world record as the fastest player to score five goals after his five-goal haul against Wolfsburg in nine minutes earned him a spot at The Guinness book of world record.

Mohamed Salah

Perhaps the best player, Jurgen Klopp ever had in his possession was the transfer of Mohamed Salah from Roma. Salah arrived in Liverpool on the summer of 2017 for an initial fee of €42 million. This was a record-breaking transfer for Liverpool whose previous costliest striker was Andy Carroll in 2011.

Salah fell into the good books of Jurgen Klopp immediately after his arrival and was awarded the Liverpool player of the month on his first month. He would end his first season under Klopp with a record-breaking 43 goals for Liverpool surpassing club legend, Robbie Fowler who had 36 goals to his name in the 1995-96 season.

A mobile, hard-working player with swift technical abilities, Salah is known for his speed, movement, and clinical finishing. Salah credits Klopp for his increased goal-scoring prowess and has accepted that the German coach has advised him to get into more advanced position while attacking.

Edited by Aaditya Narayan