Date: 8th October 2015 at 6:47pm
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With Liverpool widely reported to be on the verge of appointing Jurgen Klopp as their next manager, @Dangaleastjohn believes this isn’t good news for Arsenal.

It now seems inevitable that the next Liverpool manager will be Jurgen Klopp, as numerous outlets suggest an announcement will be made before the end of the week.

The former Borussia Dortmund coach has previously been linked with Arsenal as a replacement for Wenger and the Gunners are a team Klopp has praised in the past. But now, it would seem, he is about to take over the reins at Anfield.

While this is good news for the Premier League, in general, this might cause of few new problems for Arsene Wenger.

As we’ve seen in the past with Dortmund, Klopp can convert a relatively unrecognized team into a side oozing class and all this was done with limited funds. This is exactly what Liverpool need to propel them back into the top four.

While Liverpool are by no means unheard of, they are relatively less well off than Manchester City and Chelsea. Financially they are a lesser team and in the market they are unable to make the waves Manchester United and Arsenal do.

One thing which Jurgen Klopp is famous for is ‘gegenpressing’. For those who’ve never heard of it, ‘gegenpressing’ is an exhausting tactic in which a team collectively plays higher up the field to press the opposition into losing possession. This tactic resembles the play of Alexis (thank goodness he didn’t end up in Anfield).

The idea behind this gegenpressing is so that the team harassing the opposition may win the ball in a position more likely to result in a goal (just look at Mkhitaryan’s goal against Arsenal in 2013).

Another worrisome point is that this tactic of pressing high up in the field, can lead to a lack of counter attacks, because the ball will most likely be played back. Klopp once described his team’s football as ‘heavy metal football’.

Klopp also likes to pack the midfield to maximise the space on the flanks for the full-back to operate. This is particularly worrying for Arsene Wenger, whose team can’t seem to cope with this simple tactic (refer to the Champions League game vs Dinamo Zagreb for further proof).

While this tactic might seem unattractive and dirty, Klopp’s Dortmund team played a very delightful, pacey counter-attacking football. His teams usually play an intense, passionate style of football. It is a rather aggressive one, and one which Arsenal may struggle to cope with.

A particular thought worth mentioning is the influx of German players likely to follow Klopp into Anfield. Marco Reus, Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan, and Sven Bender are all players who would ease into Arsenal’s side- but with Klopp at Liverpool, Anfield could be a destination for the German quartet.

Klopp’s stellar rise to one of the game’s most recognised managers must not be forgotten. Not many people rated Dortmund very highly until Klopp led his side to the 2010-2011 Bundesliga title, the 2012-2013 Champions League final, and a couple of domestic trophies.  Therefore, no one should write off him being successful in the Premier League.

However we’ve shown that we have what it takes to beat a Klopp side before, so that is a positive thought to bear in mind. In short though, the race for the top-four is set to get increasingly difficult.

 

3 responses to “Why Arsenal should be worried about Liverpool’s latest manager”

  1. baros says:

    The rest of teams should now be scared about this appointment.

  2. austinpaul says:

    Unwarranted worry nd conjectures dis post; Jorgen is nt in Anfield to play only Arsenal, so why should Arsenal be worried? Besides AW has played nd defeated Dortmond at home b4 while Jorgen was there; so let all d Hummels et al shiift base to Anfield Arsenal has d wherewitdal to deal wit it wen occassion demands.why worry! AW is one of d best in d trade, he nd his backroom staff are up to d task anyday anywhere!dis is mere unwarranted apprehension!

  3. Jonathan Kaney says:

    Reckon Klopp might struggle at Liverpool. Just dont have the prestige they once had. Too many plodders in their team.