Jurgen Klopp’s genius and how he’s delivered Liverpool’s best title shot since 1990

12/18/18 • 53 min

A huge chasm now exists between English football’s most successful clubs and it was exposed in all its glory at Anfield on Sunday as Liverpool swept aside sorry Manchester United.
It took the Reds back to the top of the Premier League and it proved to be the final straw for the beleaguered United board as they sacked Jose Mourinho.
But hours before Jose was handed his P45, Paul Wheelock caught up with the Daily Mirror’s David Maddock for our latest Verdict podcast.
David is the Mirror’s Northern Football Correspondent and, having covered Liverpool since the 1990-91 season, he is well placed to comment on the Reds.
And he assesses the win over United, the gulf in class between the clubs, and the difference between Jurgen Klopp and his now departed managerial rival.
David also takes a broader look at Klopp’s influence, including how he has seemingly solved a midfield problem in the unexpected form of Fabinho, how he has evolved his tactics, and what he reckons is the Liverpool manager’s true genius.
But will Klopp break with tradition and stay at Anfield longer than the seven years he remained with Mainz and Borussia Dortmund? David gives his opinion on that and whether he thinks this is the Reds team best-equipped to win the title since 1990.
The January transfer window and the Champions League draw with Bayern Munich are also discussed before the podcast rounds off with what David – and Robbie Fowler – believe has been a key shift in the championship race with Manchester City. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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Previous Episode

Blood Red: Liverpool's Fabinho surprise, the Roberto Firmino revival and being ready for Bayern Munich

Next Episode

Allez Les Rouges-Poetry in Motion special: Liverpool’s secret weapon in the title race and the major change in Jurgen Klopp’s squad

We have a very special podcast for you, Reds fans.
Allez Les Rouges and Poetry in Motion are two of our most well-established and well-loved pods and, what with it being the last week before Christmas, Neil Fitzmaurice and Peter Hooton have teamed up to produce what is an absolutely belter of an episode.
Joining Poetry host Fitzy and Allez host Peter are Ste Monaghan and the ECHO’s own Dan Kay as they bask in the comfort of knowing that it is just a great time to be a Liverpool fan.
Earlier in the campaign, there were questions about how the Reds were performing, if not their results, and not least from Fitzy himself, but now one and all are very happy indeed.
Very happy to be top of the Premier League and very happy to be through in the Champions League, the last-16 draw for which the lads reckon proved just how feared Jurgen Klopp’s side have become.
There is a lot of love for Naby Keita, Fabinho and especially Andy Robertson, who the panel believe is something of a throwback, and the latest Klopp bargain signing to become a fan favourite.
It’s quite clear that the Reds are not going to go away, and what could be their secret weapon in the title battle with Manchester City is discussed.
Also up for debate is the transformation of the defence, the strengthening of the squad, the belief within it, and the mentality of it, which Dan and Mono believe is best summed up by the captain, Jordan Henderson.
Fitzy also tells a brilliant story about Jamie Carragher before Mono recalls the incredible time he stuck one (a sticker, that is) on poor old Jose Mourinho, who gets little sympathy from all involved after his sacking from Manchester United following their defeat to Liverpool.
All four panellists are in great voice – and quite literally in a superb finale to a superb show.
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