It was the t-shirt that swiftly became symbolic of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. But when Mohamed Salah rocked up at Anfield wearing a top emblazoned with the message ‘Never Give Up’ ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona back in 2019, it encapsulated more than just the belief on the field that even the most precarious of positions can be transformed.
Salah’s statement can also be applied to Klopp himself and the manner in which he ensures his players are given every chance to justify the faith shown in them by the Reds boss.
And evidence of that is almost certain to be seen when Liverpool resume their Premier League campaign after the international break with the top-of-the table showdown against familiar foes Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday lunchtime.
Under a different manager, there’s a distinct possibility Darwin Nunez and Kostas Tsimikas would at the very least not be so heavily involved this season, if still at the club at all. Klopp, though, has seen sufficient reason not to waver from his initial belief both can do a job for his team.
It would, of course, have been harsh to cut short Nunez’s time so abruptly after only a single season, given the understandable adaptation issues the Uruguayan has had to negotiate since arriving from Benfica last summer. And with Liverpool having committed a club record fee for his signature, the optics would not have been great.
However, the Reds’ strong end to last season coincided with Nunez being rotated out of the team and then permanently sidelined during the closing matches through injury, Cody Gakpo assuming the role as first-choice centre forward. The onus was on the Uruguayan to respond.
And Nunez, given the opportunity by Klopp, has done so in spectacular fashion this season, his impressive club form continuing for his country with his brace in Uruguay’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Bolivia this week taking him on to 21 goal involvements – 12 goals and nine assists – in 23 appearances. He will be expected to start at the Etihad.
Tsimikas, meanwhile, made just seven appearances and featured for only six minutes in the Premier League during his debut season in 2020/21. Klopp, though, had no doubts, and the Greece international went on to feature more prominently in the next two campaigns and earned a new contract in September.
Even allowing for self-confessed form issues after being thrust back into the starting line-up following Andy Robertson’s shoulder injury last month, Tsimikas is favourite to keep his place at City for what would be his first start against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Robertson remains a prime example of Klopp not being hasty in changing judgement on a player, having barely featured during his first four months at the club. Fabinho is another. Both became integral in Liverpool’s first all-conquering side under the manager.
On taking over in October 2015, Klopp inherited a squad incapable of challenging for the top honours that needed an obvious, extensive overhaul. Previous transfer missteps – such as Christian Benteke and Mario Balotelli – were soon addressed, with new personnel gradually introduced.
And a closer assessment of Klopp’s signings highlights how players are given an opportunity succeed, even if not all ultimately make the required grade. Of the senior players the Reds boss brought in before this year, only third-choice goalkeepers Alex Manninger and Andy Lonergan, emergency centre-back arrival Ben Davies and young forward Dominic Solanke departed less than two years after arriving. Solanke was the only one of the quartet to play a competitive match and, tellingly, moved for a substantial profit.
Compare that to the Brendan Rodgers era, which was littered with players – Oussama Assaidi, Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas, Rickie Lambert, Lazar Markovic, Balotelli and Benteke – who were either gone after a year or whose appearances were limited to just their debut season.
While it undoubtedly demonstrates Liverpool’s improved relationship with the incumbent manager in identifying the right players in the transfer market, it also shows how the Reds boss permits players ample time to prove themselves, ensuring a continuity of which some rival clubs can only dream. And it offers long-term hope to the likes of Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay, both on loan spells elsewhere this season.
Making everyone feel they can contribute has been a key tenet of the Klopp era at Liverpool. He doesn’t give up on players lightly. And that can again prove beneficial when the new-look Reds put their title credentials to the ultimate test this weekend.
