Wednesday 6 June 2018 09:11, UK
The Premier League may be in its off-season break but there will be little rest this summer for the country's leading managers.
With the challenges to come in the 2018/19 season already at the forefront of their minds, they will have a busy few weeks ahead, preparing and plotting how their team can improve on the previous campaign.
All this week, we will be taking a look at what the top managers will be mulling over while their players are away on holiday or at the World Cup. Today we focus on Jurgen Klopp - who has plenty on his mind over the summer as he looks for Liverpool to grow from an impressive season with a tough end.
A Champions League final defeat and fourth-place Premier League finish means last season will go down as a success in the history books but Klopp knows there is plenty to improve on in order to move up the table or potentially even go one step further in European competition. A crushing loss to Real Madrid in Kiev which left his goalkeeper bereft will test Klopp's motivational skills.
Ending the season on the lowest of lows is always a tough one to contend with as the players are left with plenty of time to contemplate it. Most of the team will be allowed to put it to the back of their minds for four weeks as they head to Russia but what they will get upon their return to Melwood are memories of that night in Kiev, something will quickly need to be brushed away. It is the second time in three seasons that Liverpool have lost a major European final, having suffered a 3-1 defeat to Sevilla in 2016, so at least it is not the first occasion that Klopp has had to deal with such a situation.
Klopp will need to be at his motivational best during pre-season to get his team fired up to improve. The German has moved quickly to bolster his squad in the market, acquiring Fabinho in addition to Naby Keita's arrival, which will be a boost to the other players in the squad, knowing they will be joined by world-class players. It also seems likely they will be joined by Lyon's attacked-minded Nabil Fekir, meaning Liverpool could potentially field a new midfield three, ensuring the incumbents will be motivated to keep their spots when it comes to the pre-season games.
The man-management skills that Klopp offers his squad have created a more vibrant team and aided the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who went from looking subdued at Arsenal last summer to becoming an integral part of a midfield which led Liverpool to the Champions League final. He was sorely missed in Kiev and will be key absentee for England at the World Cup, something which surprised many, considering the position he was in 12 months ago and Klopp will need to have a similar impact on the rest of his squad who could potentially return feeling a little low.
Fresh faces will aid the thought process of how Liverpool are moving forward, leaving little time to think about past failings. The Liverpool team is still evolving. When Philippe Coutinho left in January few thought the team would be able to cope with his absence but they adapted and arguably came strong and more dynamic and the thought of greater strength in depth will be a further boon to a squad focused on improvement.
Although Liverpool finished fourth in the domestic table, they will not need to have an early reminder of the galling defeat in Ukraine by going through Champions League qualifiers, the point they entered the competition last season, following a change to the rules. It will be a boost to Klopp as he will like to keep the upset away from his players.
Loris Karius' Liverpool career does not look to be retrievable at the moment after his two catastrophic mistakes in the loss to Real Madrid. The goalkeeper was left distraught as the realisation that his errors cost his team the biggest game of their careers sunk in. Karius' compatriot Klopp had backed him to be his No 1 but the decision seemed flawed upon the final whistle blowing on the season.
Throughout Karius' Liverpool career he's battled Simon Mignolet for the starting spot, eventually claiming the jersey after months of repeatedly rotating as neither promised consistency in the role. To save himself from further indecision, Klopp proclaimed in January that Karius would be his man. The goalkeeper looked more composed and assured once he was informed his position was not under threat from Mignolet but all the positives in the final few months were forgotten when he threw the ball onto Karim Benzema's foot. In his 32 games prior to the final he only made one mistake which resulted in a goal, a sign of how well he performed but it will be tough to forget his fatal errors for him and the fans.
If Karius is deemed surplus to requirements, then it's unlikely Klopp will return to Mignolet; Liverpool have been linked with numerous goalkeepers over the last 12 months, with Roma's Alisson a key target for Klopp as he looks to bring stability to a crucial role. Other names being linked with Anfield include Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak, Barcelona understudy Jasper Cillessen and Jack Butland as Klopp maintains a shortlist of options if he doesn't get his first choice. By bringing in Virgil van Dijk, Klopp completed his back four and now he will be hoping he can make it a consistent five.
Catching Manchester City looks like the impossible job currently but moving above Spurs and Manchester United will be Klopp's starting aim, not to mention ensuring Chelsea and Arsenal do not overtake them. He has got Keita and Fabinho to sign, giving a new base to a midfield which will be without Emre Can next season, who looks set to join Juventus. Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain have all impressed as part of a midfield three, leaving Klopp with plenty of options in that specific area, a useful problem to have with Liverpool planning to battle on all fronts.
Getting the new players settled into Klopp's preferred 4-3-3 formation will be imperative if they are to challenge for a position higher than fourth. Both Keita and Fabinho should make the shield in front of the defence a fortified one. It is also important for Klopp that they have experience of Champions League football and look perfectly capable of adapting to the rigours of the Premier League.
Liverpool scored the second-highest number of goals in the Premier League, only behind a rampant Manchester City, netting 16 more than Manchester United who finished two places above them. Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane were a potent threat throughout the season but Klopp may well want more options in the final third, as Dominic Solanke and Danny Ings struggled to have any impact, scoring just two goals between them all season.
Fekir looks likely to be the first player to be added to the attacking roster, a player who can open up defences and score goals as a No 10, giving Klopp a fully-formed Coutinho replacement. The Frenchman operates behind a striker, normally, and would provide greater options in the final third for Klopp. Fekir scored 18 in 30 league appearances for Lyon last season, to stand alongside his eight assists as he became one of the most desirable players on the continent but if Klopp wants him to play as part of the three, he will need to get the 24-year-old to adapt to a deeper role, a position he has not played before but he certainly has the talent to do so.
The Reds will break themselves into the new season by warming up in America, where they will first face Borussia Dortmund on July 22 in North Carolina before heading to the Big Apple to play Premier League champions Manchester City. Their tour of the US will be rounded off by coming up against Manchester United in Michigan. Finally a trip to Dublin beckons where Napoli will be waiting on August 4 at the Aviva Stadium.
Liverpool pre-season fixtures
July 22: Borussia Dortmund - (Charlotte, USA)
July 25: Manchester City (New York, USA)
July 28: Manchester United (Michigan, USA)
August 4: Napoli - (Dublin, Ireland)
