Sunday 20 December 2015 11:59, UK
With Daniel Sturridge injured and Christian Benteke struggling to rediscover his best form, the case for starting Divock Origi is growing. Whoever gets the nod for Liverpool against Watford, expect Jurgen Klopp to be patient with his strikers. Adam Bate examines why…
In Jurgen Klopp's 14th game in charge of Borussia Dortmund, he drew 1-1 at home to Hertha Berlin. Sebastian Kehl scored the equaliser. The midfielder was still in the squad for the team's two Bundesliga titles as well as the trip to the Champions League final at Wembley five years later.
Fourteen games into Klopp's role as coach of Mainz in 2001, he had succeeded in saving the club from relegation to the German third tier. It was the start of a turnaround that would take them all the way to the Bundesliga. He remains even more beloved in Mainz than in Dortmund.
As a result, it's easy to appreciate why, 14 games into his Liverpool reign, the scrutiny that's accompanying the job could cause Klopp to scoff. There's seemingly incessant talk of players needing to impress and the January transfer window looms large at Premier League press conferences.
At the moment, it's the relative merits of Klopp's two Belgian forwards that's up for debate. Christian Benteke has gone five Premier League games without a goal, while Divock Origi is showing some encouraging form after an unconvincing start to his Liverpool career.
In fact, he's just had his best week in Liverpool red. Origi's deflected stoppage-time strike against West Brom sparked emotional scenes in front of the Kop. The moment was a shared one but was perhaps also a cathartic experience for Origi, signed for £10m last year but still only 20 years old.
"I expect a lot from myself and I was a little bit frustrated," Origi said of his season so far, one that's restricted him to only two Premier League starts. "You work hard and the games don't go like you want, so it was a huge relief to score. Mentally, for me, it was a huge boost.
"I think I needed some time to adapt to the lifestyle and the new competition but now I am able to show my qualities. The last game showed that great things can happen." It also showed that even talented players can need more than a handful of minutes to make a significant impact.
Potential. It's a malleable and fickle beast. It can be nurtured and flourished or left unfulfilled. All the indications are that Klopp is a coach willing to work with players to get the best from them. That thought must be applied equally to the excitement over Origi and the concerns over Benteke.
Klopp has preached this message of patience. "I can tell you I am not sure that Robert Lewandowski could have developed into the Robert Lewandowski of today in England because no one is patient enough to wait for this," he said. "He made seven goals in his first year.
"I don't know what you'd say if he made seven goals in one year and played all the time. 'Not good enough, come on, sell him!' (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang needed three years for his performance at the moment, so sometimes you have to work together. It's very important in football."
Lewandowski actually scored nine goals (in 43 appearances) in his first year at Dortmund. But he's currently on 23 for the season. Aubameyang had a goalscoring record of one goal every three games in his first year under Klopp but has now scored 27 goals in 26 appearances so far this season.
The Liverpool manager had faith in those two and worked hard to make them better. Given that he also expressed an interest in signing Benteke from Aston Villa in 2013, expect him to relish the prospect of spending time on the training field with the 25-year-old striker.
Origi too can count on this support. "The manager knew me from before and I try to play on my qualities in this system," he said of Klopp. "He demands a lot as a coach but he is very good tactically so I am happy I can show my qualities. I am happy at this club - I am here for a reason."
Klopp is at Liverpool for a reason too. And while the cure-all of the transfer window is the solution for some, he is more likely to seek his answers from within an expensively-assembled squad. That's how he works. And that's why it works.
"Each person needs time so he can get better," said Klopp. "There is no doubt about the quality of the strikers we have, no doubt at all. Now we have to help them to show it." That challenge continues at Vicarage Road on Sunday, but Klopp will want to be judged in years not 14 games.
Watford v Liverpool is live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 12.30pm on Sunday.
