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Jurgen Klopp is beginning to look perilously close to the historic kind of meltdown which cost Kevin Keegan the Premier League title at Newcastle.
The signs were alarming at the London Stadium on Tuesday evening, as Klopp blamed the referee for being held to a draw by West Ham in a game Liverpool deserved to lose.
The stats cranked up the agitation on Merseyside the next night, as Manchester City regained the league lead with victory at Everton.
Jurgen Klopp is beginning to look perilously close to the historic meltdown Kevin Keegan had
The omens are ominous.
In January 1996, under the management of Keegan who was once a greater Anfield icon than Klopp today, Newcastle were 12 points clear at the top of the old First Division.
As Alex Ferguson brought Manchester United galloping up behind them, Keegan began showing the strain.
He cracked when Fergie played mind games by suggesting that teams like Nottingham Forest, who Newcastle were about to face, would not try as hard against them as against United.
Keegan had a memorable TV meltdown following mind games from Sir Alex Ferguson
Keegan, who then managed Newcastle, cracked under the pressure at the top of the table
Keegan went into his memorable TV outburst against Ferguson which finished with him angrily shouting: ‘I will love it if we beat them. Love it.’ Forest duly held Newcastle to a draw and United went on to complete the biggest English title comeback of all.
Fast forward 23 years to this January. Klopp’s Liverpool came into the New Year seven points above Man City.
Going into this weekend’s matches, Pep Guardiola’s defending champions are suddenly top on goal difference.
This midweek’s reversal of fortunes did not bring out the best or most reassuring in Klopp.
Not only did he berate the referee, even though the goal which gifted Liverpool a point against West Ham was allowed despite being palpably offside, he also raged at opposing manager Manuel Pellegrini on the touchline – for what reason, who knows? – and vented his temper at one of his own players in public on the pitch.
Klopp berated the referee on Monday before turning on West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini
Like Keegan, Klopp is an emotional man who wears his heart on his sleeve.
For we onlookers it is all part of the fun and excitement generated by this larger-than-life character, a fundamental element of his charisma.
He embraces that facet of his fascinating personality by saying: ‘Tactics are important but emotion makes the difference. Football is the only sport where emotion has this big an influence. The best football is always expression of emotion.’
But sometimes there is a price to pay. When fortunes turned against him at Borussia Dortmund after he won the Bundesliga and then the German double, he was sent off after a rant similar to the one the other night for which he may face an FA charge.
Then he called time on his reign at Dortmund after the club failed to prevent the sale of his two best players to Bayern Munich.
Could the Klopp Strop prove as calamitous in England as the Keegan Crack-up?
Klopp called time at Dortmund following the sales of Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze
The German manager has always been an emotional man who wears his heart on his sleeve
Even if they regain the upper-hand by beating Bournemouth at home this Saturday, with City facing Chelsea on Sunday, this season’s title race now promises to be a nail-biter to the finish.
Guardiola has turned the screw, more subtly than Fergie, by saying: ‘A few days ago we could have been seven points behind again. Now we are top. The lesson for all is never give up because life can change immediately.’ Got it, Jurgen.
Liverpool do have a game a hand but that will come at Manchester United who, as Sir Alex Ferguson among many will assure us, will be in no mood to help rivals even more arch than the noisy neighbours in their own city.
It is surprising that Liverpool’s bearded saviour has yet to lay hands on any at all during his time in England. But much more astonishing to reflect that it is 29 years since Liverpool won the title.
Guardiola has turned the screw, more subtly than Fergie, in this year’s title race
Many of the Twitter tirades from the Reds faithful suggest that if such a great club fails to end that barely believable famine now, after holding such a commanding lead, then the buck will stop at Klopp.
Keegan never fully recovered from his Newcastle collapse. Four years after that, his sorry spell as England manager ended after World Cup qualifying defeat by Germany with his resignation in the Wembley dressing room toilet.
It would be a ranting shame if Klopp were to be flushed out of our game before his work here is done.
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