Klopp To Depart From Anfield

On January 26th, Jürgen Klopp announced that at the end of the season he will be stepping down as manager of the Premier League club Liverpool. This came as quite a shock to many fans around the world who have praised the German manager throughout his nine year career with the team. There is talk of the current Bayer Leverkusen manager- and former Liverpool player- Xabi Alonso being a top pick to replace Klopp following his departure. However, with nothing yet confirmed, let’s take a look at the legacy that Klopp will be leaving behind. 

In October 2015, Jürgen Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers at Anfield. While Liverpool’s 2015/16 Premier League season ended with them at eighth on the table, that same year they had advanced to the UEFA Europa League final. Additionally, in the 2017/18 season, they competed against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final. Whilst both of these games ended in their defeat, Liverpool was quickly reforming itself back into a title winning side. 

Klopp’s Liverpool soon went on to win seven trophies across all competitions. Their first trophy with the German manager was the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League title, where they beat fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur 2-0. This made it Liverpool’s sixth Champions League title in their club history. That same season saw Klopp’s side perform tremendously in their domestic campaign; while they finished second, a single point behind champions Manchester City, Liverpool managed to finish the season with only one loss in all of their thirty-eight games. Klopp’s side continued to improve and impress, winning several more trophies, including the Premier League title in the 2019/20 season.

Aside from club trophies, Klopp has been on the receiving end of many personal accolades whilst managing Liverpool. These include, but are not limited to, the German Football Manager of the Year (2019), the Best FIFA Men’s Coach (2019, 2020), and the Premier League Manager of the Season (2019/20, 2021/22). 

As impressive as his achievements are, Klopp has also been hailed as one of the most successful managers of all time due to his transformation of the Liverpool squad. A few of their key players such as Mohammed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Alisson Becker who were all brought to Anfield under the German’s reign. These players have quickly gained a reputation as some of the best footballers in England (and arguably, the world). 

As of Matchweek 25 (in the Premier League), Liverpool sit first on the table with 60 points after their 4-1 win against Luton. Additionally, with their next game to be played on the 29th, Liverpool are still, as of this moment, contending in the FA Cup. Perhaps we’ll see Jürgen Klopp leave his club with a few more trophies on his shelf.

NBA All-Star Game Disappoints Fans

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game saw the Eastern Conference dominate with 211 points to the Western Conference 186, signifying a new record high in an All-Star game (the previous being 196). Despite this, fans were disappointed by the overall lack of competition displayed by the teams. Many exclaimed that there was a total lack of defence, with players being uncontested at the net and being given too many open shots. 

American sports journalist David Aldridge took to X, formally known as Twitter, to express his own take on the game. He shared this statement:

“That was dreadful. Again. I am beginning to think that this game is irredeemable. I am not sure why even minimal defence effort is beyond this generation of All-Stars. But it may be time to end this game if they can’t give more of a damn than that.”

Many other fans and journalists have expressed their disappointment for the game, suggesting that the NBA does not know how to handle events like these and that there needs to be a long-term solution to ensure that there is a much more competitive showdown.