Jamie Carragher believes that Liverpool doesn’t need world beaters like Steven Gerrard to win the Premier League.
In his first 8 months as Liverpool’s manager, Jurgen Klopp guided his team to two cup finals and in his first 12 months, the German has taken the Reds from tenth to fourth in the league.
There is a lot of context being removed here, but the important thing to consider is that Liverpool’s progress and success of the last year have been accomplished without the presence of any genuinely world class players.
Manchester City has Aguero and David Silva, Arsenal has Sanchez and Mesut Ozil and Chelsea has Hazard and Diego Costa. Who does Liverpool have that can be classified as authentically world class?
For the first time in years, it doesn’t seem like such a bad thing to not have any world beaters in the Liverpool team and it’s due to the way Klopp has his side functioning as a unit, rather than a bunch of individuals.
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Speaking on the Liverpool Echo’s Blood Red podcast, Jamie Carragher has astutely pointed out that players like Stevie G aren’t required.
“Steven Gerrard’s not there anymore. We’d have all said we’d have no chance of winning the European Cup or Premier League without him. You can never be bound by one person,” Carra said.
Gerrard was pivotal in Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League success. Many people point to the final against AC Milan in Istanbul where, guided by Rafa Benitez, Gerrard inspired his teammates to a 3-3 comeback and won the final on penalties as an example of the former skipper’s influence.
The thing that is easily forgotten, however, is that Gerrard was influential throughout that particular Champions League season.
Carragher believes that under Klopp, Liverpool doesn’t need just one player who will fight for the cause, but that as a team, the Reds can do wonders together.
“I think Klopp is a special manager, at the moment I don’t think we could get anyone better than him in how he’s suited to the club.
“In terms of winning a league or the cup, you look at the Leicester situation, sometimes it’s not just about what you do but what the other teams do.
“You could have a season, it could be this season, are we the best squad? Probably not but we’ve made a great start.
“In terms of Klopp over these next couple of seasons, he’s been to two cup finals and you hope a manager like that can bring us some trophies, it’s not easy, we’ve had a barren spell.”
Liverpool headed into the international break with 16 points after 7 games. The start that Klopp’s side has made to the season is one of the best in years from a Liverpool team. The last time the Reds began a Premier League season this well, they went on to finish second.
Under Klopp, anything seems possible. The German has restored that sense of self-belief to a fanbase which has been so lacking in ambition after years of domestic heartbreak.
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