Jurgen Klopp’s seismic announcement at the start of 2024 threatened to derail Liverpool’s stability as the club had to come to terms with losing their greatest manager of the modern era.
Fast forward to the end of 2024 and it couldn’t be much better. Klopp’s replacement Arne Slot has led his team to the top of the Premier League and Champions League and they are also semi-finalists in the Carabao Cup.
Athletic returns to Liverpool’s ups and downs in 2024.
At the start of the 2023-24 season, if you had been told Liverpool would finish the Carabao Cup final with Jayden Danns, James McConnell, Bobby Clark and Jarell Quansah on the pitch, many would have been too fearful to ask what the final score was.
Instead, the 1-0 extra-time victory over Chelsea, sealed by Virgil van Dijk’s 118th-minute header, was one of the most memorable moments of Klopp’s reign.
Due to an injury crisis that left Liverpool without several key players, Klopp had to throw academy players into the deep end. The “Klopp kids” did more than just intervene. They stood out.
Klopp described it as “the most special trophy” he had ever won. It is hard to disagree given how the odds were stacked against Liverpool. It captured everything that Klopp had built during his eight-and-a-half years in charge.
Manchester United – Liverpool 4-3 in the FA Cup quarter-finals has many fans’ blood boiling.
Going into the match, Liverpool, with a trophy already won, were still dreaming of a quadruple to finish Klopp’s tenure in style.
But it all began to fall apart at Old Trafford when Amad Diallo scored the winner in the final minute of extra time from Liverpool’s own corner. Klopp’s side failed to put the game away when on top, and paid the heaviest price.
There were several points behind Liverpool’s poor end to the season, but it seemed that they never fully recovered from the mental blow they suffered against their wonderful rivals that day.
Mohamed Salah’s incredible 2024-25 campaign so far put him right in contention, despite injuries and poor form limiting his impact in the first half of the year. But he is just pipped by Liverpool’s captain Virgil van Dijk.
The 33-year-old, the epitome of consistency, shows no signs of decline and remains an integral figure in the team.
Advertisement
He has relished taking on the captain’s armband and that responsibility of setting the tone and the tempo on the pitch has only increased as he has grown into the role.
The Dutch outsider remains one of the defenders in Europe and, with Salah, seems capable of betting at the top for many years.
Every Liverpool fan will remember what they were doing on January 26, when they found out Klopp would be stepping down as manager at the end of the 2023-24 season.
With Liverpool battling on four fronts and the German running with a reshuffled and revamped squad he has dubbed ‘Liverpool 2. 0’, few would have predicted the 57-year-old’s announcement.
It sent shock waves through the city, similar to that experienced when Bill Shankly retired in 1974, and there was a sense of mourning at the imminent loss of the club’s most fashionable manager.
Leaving had been on Klopp’s mind for a few months after he informed Fenway Sports Group of his aim to leave in November because, in his own words, he was running out of energy.
His legacy, his eight-and-a-half-year reign, includes the club’s sixth European Cup and his first name in the Premier League, as well as many moments that would have to wait until 2026 to make the list.
1 – the number of defeats suffered by Slot since taking over (against Nottingham Forest).
During the early part of the year, there was an underlying verbal exchange about who and how someone might upgrade Jurgen Klopp.
It was understandable at worst, as replacing such an iconic and influential figure is never easy – just ask Manchester United.
For now, part of 2024, everyone is wondering what is going on with all the fuss. Slot has, so far, overseen a graceful transition and put Liverpool in position for a trophy-laden 2025.
“Ar-ne Slot! Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!”
Moments after his last game in charge of the club in May, a 2-0 victory over Wolves, Klopp at the climax and saying goodbye for good at Anfield.
It really should have been all about him; instead, he offered Slot – who was yet to be officially announced as his replacement – the perfect welcome.
Fans sang the song, using Klopp’s name, to celebrate the German. But, to symbolize the passing of the torch, Klopp was given Anfield to sing his new edition and, helped by his early hits, he stuck around.
Liverpool have several teenagers who can be the player to watch. There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Trey Nyoni and the next steps in his development. Stefan Bajcetic is back in form and playing. And will Owen Beck be able to impose himself in the verbal exchange on the left-back in pre-season?
Ben Doak would, however, be my pick. He has excelled on loan at Middlesbrough, playing an integral role for them, and is doing the same for Scotland at international level. There have always been high hopes for the 19-year-old, and with a full season of senior action under his belt, he may be ready for the next step when he returns.
Well, the quadruple is relevant. . .
I’m not going to get greedy. The idea of Slot winning the league name in his first season in England would be an incredible achievement. Liverpool are in a wonderful position, and if they cross the finish line, it will be fun to be able to celebrate this in person given that the 2020 commemorations were held behind closed doors due to Covid.
Advertisement
But who would say no to a Champions League crown? The Slot team has been in the festival so far and they have a wonderful chance to win it.
Oh. . . and let’s find out the contractual conditions of Salah, Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold: as soon as possible, please.
(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)