DEVENTER – Feyenoord coach Arne Slot responds during the press conference to a possible transfer to … [+]
Liverpool’s collapse at the end of the 2023/24 campaign has seen the team go from being in contention for three end-of-season trophies to winning none.
On top of this sense of sporting loss and disappointment, there is an emotional one, too. Liverpool will lose its era-defining, legendary manager, Jürgen Klopp, who decided in January that he would leave the club at the end of this season.
Three Premier League games remain for Liverpool before that happens, but as they trudged off following a 2-2 draw at West Ham on Saturday, confidence was clearly low.
There is disappointment that they couldn’t help Klopp—their father figure, or “the daddy” of Liverpool as West Ham manager David Moyes called him post-match—sign off with another big trophy win. The League Cup trophy won in February now seems a long time ago.
One of Klopp’s many famous lines delivered while manager of Liverpool described his team as “mentality monsters.” It was a phrase he had used in German to describe his similarly spirited Borussia Dortmund team and one which has defined the exploits of his players as Liverpool became one of the best teams in the world during his tenure.
It is a trait that Liverpool has lost in recent weeks, and it is one that the new manager, Arne Slot, who will lead the club in the post-Klopp era, will have to rediscover if they are to get anywhere near the success the club enjoyed under Klopp.
Slot’s job is to rebuild the mentality monster.
Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp talks with Liverpool’s Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah … [+]
The signs that the mentality Klopp is famous for instilling is no longer there was seen in points during the draw at West Ham.
There was a moment where the West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had the ball following suggestions of a foul of him in the previous play. Rather than give a free kick in an unadvantageous position for West Ham, the referee Anthony Taylor waved play on several times so Areola could move into a better position with the ball in hand.
Areola rolled the ball out and looked down at the floor, leaving the ball in play. Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo had a chance to capitalize on Areola’s error and put the ball in the net, as was his right, but instead turned to the referee, confused as to what was happening.
A confident team of “mentality monsters” would not stand on ceremony in such a manner. It would have put the ball in the net and asked questions later. Taylor blew the whistle and stopped the game, calling the medical staff onto the field to treat Areola even though the player himself didn’t appear injured before or after.
Another example of Liverpool’s mental struggles was seen on the touchline as Mohamed Salah was ready to come on. Salah was on the bench having been through a poor run of form recently, with Harvey Elliott deserving a place in the side ahead of him.
Klopp said something to Salah as he was about to come on, to which the Egyptian reacted angrily. It was a far cry from the hugs and encouragement usually seen between Klopp and his players.
The general demeanor was down. The shots of players on the bench revealed some glum faces.
This isn’t to single out Gakpo, Salah, or indeed Klopp, but it is visible evidence of the downturn in Liverpool’s fortunes towards the end of this season.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (L) celebrates scoring his team’s second … [+]
“For these decisive moments, it is not that you are born a mentality monster but you can become one,” Klopp once said.
While it has been a bad sign for Liverpool in this moment, the idea that the likes of Gakpo et al can become “mentality monsters”, as Klopp suggests, could be seen as a positive. It is recoverable.
Recovering it is now the task for Slot, who will have been hired for his ability to motivate a team as much as organize them tactically. The psychological aspect of the game is something Liverpool will miss when Klopp leaves and will be one of the most difficult things to replace.
His replacement comes in at a time when this mentality is perhaps at its lowest ebb, given how close Liverpool came to winning big prizes in Klopp’s final season, and how far away it feels like they have ended up from them.
The departure of Klopp itself could lower morale, but on the flip-side, there is the chance for a fresh start with new ideas and new energy.
Rebuilding the monster won’t be easy, but that there is a chance to do it could itself be a positive.
Arne Slot Needs To Rebuild Liverpool's Mentality Monster – Forbes
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