Memorable ‘Mane-Henmildum combination’
Liverpool’s best lineup under Jürgen Klopp has been revealed as the club’s resurgence continues.
The Premier League took to its official social media accounts on Sunday (July 27) to reveal the best 11 Liverpool players who have made the most appearances under Klopp.
The Reds announced on their official website on Monday (June 26) that Klopp will step down at the end of the 2023-2024 season.
The club said: “After leading the team to the Carabao Cup final on Friday, Klopp will end his eight-and-a-half-year spell at Liverpool at the end of the 2023-2024 season. Coaches Pepin Reinders, Peter Kravitz and elite development Vitor Matos will follow Klopp out the door. Reinders will now pursue his own coaching career.”
Klopp had been under contract until the summer of 2026 after signing a new deal in 2022. But two years before his contract was set to expire, he announced his resignation, citing “burnout”.
Speaking to the club, Klopp said: “I understand that many people will be shocked when they first hear this story. But obviously, at least I can and should explain,” he said, adding: “I love everything about this club, the city, the supporters. I love the team, I love the staff, I love everything. But I’m still convinced that it’s a decision I have to make. It’s that my energy is being depleted,” revealing his reason for leaving.
Klopp added: “Obviously, there is no problem now. But I knew a long time ago that at some point I would have to announce it. For now, of course, it’s fine. I know I can’t continue to do my job,” he said, adding, “After we’ve been together and gone through everything together, there’s respect, there’s love, there’s trust. It’s so big.”
Klopp began his coaching career in 2001 after finishing his playing career with Mainz, taking over as the club’s head coach. Until the summer of 2008, he coached Mainz through the club’s ups and downs, including promotion to the Bundesliga in 2003-2004 and relegation to Bundesliga 2 in 2006-2007.
In 2008, he was named head coach of German giants Borussia Dortmund, where he made a name for himself in the German game by breaking through the Bayern Munich defense and winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons.
On the European stage, Klopp was equally impressive. He led Dortmund to the 2012-2013 UEFA Champions League final. It was 16 years since the 1996-1997 season when they won the title. Although they finished as runners-up, it was a season that showed just how far Klopp’s leadership could go.
Klopp left the club in the 2014-2015 season after completing his seventh season in charge of Dortmund. After a brief hiatus in 2015, he was approached by Liverpool, who had just missed out on the Premier League title in 2013-2014.
Klopp arrived at Liverpool in October 2015 to replace former manager Brendan Rodgers. It was a decision that brought new life to a club that hadn’t won a title since the Premier League’s inception in 1992.
“His appointment was a decision to reform the club and deliver on that at home and away,” the club said in a statement, adding that “under his leadership, Liverpool have won the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and FA Community Shield”.
Klopp won his sixth Champions League title with Liverpool, beating Tottenham in 2019. He also led the Reds to their first Premier League title, a feat that has remained a jinx for the club. In the 2021-2022 season, he completed a mini-double by lifting the FA Cup and Carabao Cup at the same time.
On the European stage, Klopp was particularly strong. He led Liverpool to their first Champions League final in 2017-2018, won the title in 2019, and reached the final again in 2021-2022, establishing Liverpool as one of Europe’s most dominant teams throughout his career. Although the Reds finished as runners-up twice, losing to Real Madrid in all but 2019, Klopp reestablished Liverpool’s status on the European stage.
Klopp’s Premier League record with Liverpool stands at 199 wins, 74 draws, and 44 defeats in 317 games, with 671 points, an average of 2.12 points per game. That’s better than his Bundesliga record of 340 games, 162 wins, 84 draws, 94 losses, 570 points and an average of 1.68 points per game with Mainz and Dortmund.
In Klopp’s eight-and-a-half years at the helm of Liverpool since 2015, the player with the most league games played was not a goalkeeper or center back, but frontline striker Roberto Firmino.
Firmino, who joined Liverpool from Hoffenheim (Germany) in the summer of 2015, did not play in Klopp’s debut against Tottenham Hotspur in October due to a back injury. He then came on as a substitute at home to Southampton and has now played 250 Premier League games under Klopp. He left Liverpool at the end of the 2022-2023 season with 82 goals and 50 assists in 250 Premier League games.
The runner-up is also a striker. Mohamed Salah. He joined Liverpool from AS Roma (Italy) in the summer of 2017 and has since scored 151 goals and provided 66 assists in 238 league games, winning the league’s Golden Boot three times (2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2021-2022).
Rounding out the attacking line is Sadio Mane, who joined from Southampton and has 90 goals and 27 assists in 196 league games under Klopp. Mane also won the top scorer’s award once (2018-2019) and enjoyed the best years of his career before leaving for Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022.
The midfield was dominated by a veteran lineup of James Milner (222 games), Georginio Wijnaldum (179 games), and Jordan Henderson (219 games).
Milner, in particular, arrived from Manchester City in the summer of 2015 and was 29 years old at the time. Milner was utilized as an all-around rotation player in Klopp’s system and played a lot of games. He is third on the list for most appearances under Klopp and has covered most positions, including central midfield, left and right midfielders, wingers, left and right fullbacks, and defensive midfielders.
Henderson arrived at Liverpool from Sunderland in the summer of 2011 and has blossomed under Klopp. He became captain of the squad after Steven Gerrard retired, and his leadership helped the team win many titles. He is fourth on the Reds’ most-capped list with 219 appearances through the 2022-2023 season.
Bainaldum has also made an impact, albeit a shorter one than the others. While he has had his ups and downs in the middle of the park, he has anchored the middle of the park with Milner and Henderson at times being at their best.
The defense and goalkeeping were perhaps the main points that separated the pre-Klopp era from the post-Klopp era. Joel Matip (150 games), who arrived in the summer of 2016 after blossoming at Schalke 04 (Germany), Andrew Robertson (203 games), who joined from Hull City in the summer of 2017 for a mere €9 million, Trent Alexander-Arnold (216 games), who made his professional debut as a 17-year-old under Klopp, and finally Firmino (180 games), who arrived in January 2018, completed the backline.
In goal was Alisson (192). Alisson joined Liverpool from AS Roma (Italy) in the summer of 2018 for a world-record fee of €62.5 million and completely erased the perennial problem of goalkeeping risk.
