Liverpool legend David Fairclough admits that Liverpool's defensive woes have plunged them into a "little bit of a crisis", and that now is the time for Jurgen Klopp to "show how good he is". While Liverpool have only lost twice in the league all season (away to arguably the two best sides), their usually benevolent defence has entered a particular frenzy of generosity of late, with the four goals presented to Tottenham the latest indictment.
Speaking to Balls, Fairclough believes that Klopp himself has been too kind, but believes that the early (although not necessarily premature) subbing of Dejan Lovren is the moment that the German manager has realised it is time to change.
I'd love to see his attitude behind the scenes. I think he has been too kind outwardly, I think he has given people too many chances. His nature is to give people a chance, and I don't think he is a bad judge, but I think he has been too kind on a couple [of the players].
That changed yesterday [with the subbing of Lovren] . I sense that was the lowest point of Klopp's time at Liverpool.
That outward kindness changed somewhat after yesterday's game, with Klopp hugely critical of his defence, claiming that "the first would not happen if I was on the pitch but I am in the middle of the technical area in my trainers".
Graeme Souness was speaking on Sky Sports after the game, and said that Klopp's vacant look into the distance as the game drew to a conclusion was as low as he has been since arriving at the club two years ago. While Fairclough agrees, he doesn't see the Liverpool crowd turning on Klopp anytime soon:
I sense that was the lowest point of Klopp's time at Liverpool, and I feel that the core base of Liverpool fans are with him. Certainly the homegrown fans, the diehards, the guys who don't ring into phone ins and live online and all that nonsense. They know he has something.
The new fans, are very much like 'if it's broken, don't get it fixed. Just get a new one'. That's how life seems to be. but with the diehards, the old Liverpool thing still exists.
The "old Liverpool thing" is the club's attitude to the manager. Few managers at other clubs are deified to the extent that they are Liverpool, which Fairclough traces back to the success of Bill Shankly.
Up to him, the managers had been quietly-spoken guys led by the directors. Then he came in, and created this culture that 'we're all in this together': the team and the fans. His relationship with the fans was so important.
His legacy definitely makes it harder for a manager at Liverpool, as he has to come in and build that relationship with fans. The fans could associate with Fagan, definitely with Kenny and Souey as they had been great players, and they can understand how certain decisions are made.
You have to be of a certain type to get on with the Liverpool fans, and I think that Klopp has that X Factor.
The ex-players who can vouch for it - those who played under Shankly - say that Klopp is the closest thing to Shankly: in his personality, his leadership, his attitude.
Here follows the irony. While the manager at Liverpool needs to be a kind of dominant figurehead, it can be argued that the most successful Liverpool teams were those least reliant on the manager. Fairclough played at Liverpool during the club's most successful period, an eight-year stint which yielded six league titles and three European Cups. It was a side policed by the players, allowing the quietly-spoken (and occasionally entirely mute) Bob Paisley become one of the most successful managers of all time.
When we go to watch games today, at most of them there are ten or so of us [former Liverpool players] in a row, playing a sort of judge and jury.
The Liverpool team I came into [Ian] Callaghan, [Ray] Clemence, [Tommy] Smith, - later [Phil] Neal, Souness, Kenny [Dalglish] - they could all have been captain.
Bob Paisley would never have to say anything to me about a mistake at half-time, that was all done by the players on the pitch. It was policed by the players. So the manager never had to come in, really. If I misplaced a pass, I knew I'd get a bollocking off Ray Kennedy, Alan Kennedy, Souness, whoever.
Is it missing in today's Liverpool squad?
Yeah, I think it is something missing in the current team.
