I get your point Aussie and ultimately there will come a time when people say "enough" but in my opinion we shouldn't even be on the first step towards uttering that phrase and I'll explain why.
In Brendan's nearly season we were scintillating in attack and pretty hopeless in defence, but this was lauded as a great achievement and as close as we've come in blah blah blah. People suggested it was down to certain players rather than the manager why we got there but whatever side of that debate you sit you can't argue that we all enjoyed it thoroughly, the chase, the almost, ok ultimately agonising defeat but it was fun and how football 'should' be played.
Now Brendan took that team and that style and threw it out of the window, turning scintillating football in tired old lump and hope footy, with Benteke isolated, Firmino sidelined and frankly the most pathetic transfer situation I've ever witnessed.
So what has changed and how have we progressed? We've gone to two finals, a semi-final, re-established ourselves in the CL and just taken a point off our hardest opponents in the group when we really should have won. We've gone from dour football to heavy metal football but rather than revel in the quality of our attacking play we're all moping around like it's doomed because the boss hasn't solved the defensive woes.
He's re-established our brand of footy to, quite frankly, the most entertaining to watch in the league. We have a transfer system in place that clearly backs the boss, targets were identified by him and the targets he wanted were pushed for. The lines coming out from FSG and Jürgen are one and the same. A coaching staff that appear like vital cogs in a well oiled machine, the academy producing talent and that talent being given a real chance and a real future at the club. So many things are right yet we focus on the one negative, it's honestly insulting to what he's achieved so far.
All this talk of "the boss better sort it or his days are numbered" really grates, sure if we were languishing in 8th or 9th and playing football without any sign of getting better but we're not. Back the man, don't let the media and our petty focus on the negative drive the narrative, show appreciation for the positives he's brought to the club rather than act like a spoilt, entitled child (not you, more us in general) who expects the title to be somehow delivered with perfection rather than the odd bump in the road.
This man is gold dust, appreciate him while he's here because I bet by the time he leaves you'll be gutted he's gone.
People seem to forget all too easily how far we've come since Klopp took over from Rodgers. There was a picture posted recently of the team that was playing the Real Madrid game. Just compare the two squads. Our current one is full of young, talented, quality players. It's a work in progress and we're getting awfully close to the finished product. Sadly enough, the words 'patience' and 'time' aren't words most people want to hear anymore.
Klopp is here to build something and he started two years ago, all the way down from the academy up to the coaching staff. He brought in some of the world's best dietitians, physical coaches, ... The results are there for everyone to see: we're one of the fittest teams I've ever seen. He only just started his second full season here, bringing us back to the CL in his first full season. That alone, given the squad he had and the injuries he had to deal with, is a bloody miracle. Has he used the transfer windows to his full advantage? Possibly not. Though seeing as he's here for the longterm, I'd rather him wait and get the player he wants than bring in a short term solution. That solves nothing long term.
The only thing missing from the current team, is its spine and due to different reasons and circumstances, he is yet to bring in the players for his spine. Van Dijk and Keita would make a massive difference to the stability of the team. Looking at a spine of Karius (yes, I believe he'll be a good goalkeeper) - Van Dijk - Keita - Firmino is pretty promising. Surround them with quality in the likes of Lallana, Mane, Salah, Matip, Coutinho, ... And those are the makings of a brilliant team.
I remember being laughed out of the room for suggesting it wasn't as easy as it seems to improve on Lovren for example. Yet Klopp says exactly that and even admits looking at players several posters on here thought could do the job. Apparently, countless of hours watching them made him decide otherwise. It was a good interview and it shows the kind of man he is. It's sad that most fans treat players as if they were numbers these days. Luckily enough, he does see them as humans, humans who can improve by training them. I believe in that process.
And f**k me, Klopp doesn't know how to set up a defence? Our team is one of the best around at defending as a unit. We're one of the best teams around in keeping the opposition out of our own box, in limiting the amount of shots they have. Do we concede too many goals from the shots we do allow? We sure do. That is not down to the system we're playing though, as Klopp says and Luke has pointed out a few times before, it's down to these things:
1. Communication
2. Concentration
3. Tracking runners
Are these things down to the system? They're small mistakes by individuals. Was De Boer at fault because Lee wasn't concentrated and gave that bad backpass? Is Klopp at fault, is his system at fault because Lovren misses a clearance? All these things, the mistakes our players make, are down to these things. A few examples:
Watford's second goal: switch off, don't track the runner (Henderson and Can)
Watford's third goal: Wijnaldum fails to clear it
Hoffenheim away goal: Trent switches off and doesn't play to the whistle
Hoffenheim home first goal: Poor pass by Henderson, everyone out of position
Sevilla first goal: Lovren fails to clear it
Sevilla second goal: Can switches off and doesn't track the runner
Those are just a few examples. They have nothing to do with the system or Klopp being able to set up a defence. They are individual mistakes, mistakes that can be avoided by training and work on the training pitch. Our team's average age is also very young, people also seem to forget that. They still have a few years to go before most of them reach peak fitness and age. We're going to see many more mistakes this season, but I don't really mind. Klopp will keep improving us and the players.
The fact that some idiots are already coming out with "he has to do this, he has to improve that, bla bla bla or he'll be gone" is absolutely ridiculous. The day that the mass gets the upper hand and manages to get Klopp out, will be the day I stop believing.
Oh and one more thing, 99% of the pundits should shut their f**king mouth, they haven't got a clue what they're on about and are still stuck in the 90's and 00's. Times have changed, football has changed. They can f**k off.
