Brendan Rodgers put Liverpool back in contention for major silverware during his reign at Anfield.
No cigars, or trophies, are handed out for coming close, though, and within 18 months of falling agonisingly short in a Premier League title bid – and with Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez having already departed – the Northern Irish coach was ushered through the exits as a new era swept in.
Few could have predicted at that stage – in October 2015 – that Jurgen Klopp would make such an impact in English football, but the demanding German tactician quickly laid the foundations on which to build future success, while picking up a useful knack of finding considerable value in the transfer market.
With a remarkable Champions League triumph followed by the Holy Grail of a first top-flight crown in 30 years, Liverpool were returned to the loftiest of perches. Where many before him had failed, the man with the biggest smile and post-game hug in world football was blending passion with points and performances.
Ahead of Klopp’s latest reunion with predecessor Rodgers, with Leicester City set to pay a visit to the red half of Merseyside on Thursday, GOAL – with a little help from a player that worked under both – takes a look at the similarities and differences between the Reds’ bosses of past and present.
What changes were made after their appointments?
Whenever a new manager is appointed, one of their first pieces of business is to assess the qualities and deficiencies of those they have inherited and put a plan in place that allows said squad to become their own.
How did Rodgers and Klopp set about that task? Former Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique – speaking in association with BoyleSports football betting – tells GOAL of the two tenures he witnessed being opened at Anfield.
“They tried to put their stamp on it," he says. "Brendan, he was completely different to Klopp – you can see that they are completely different kinds of managers.
"I learned a lot from both of them. I loved Brendan and I love Klopp, although I didn’t play too much under him. That was my mistake because my knee didn’t let me!
"Both of them definitely tried to make a stamp. Brendan came in from Swansea and was working with big players. He did make his mark. The impression of Klopp was something else at this club. For me he is a top manager.
"With Brendan, we had to find out who he was when he arrived, with coming from Swansea and being young. He was outstanding. Managing a big team with big players is not easy, but he did that. He was a technically very good manager.”
Did everybody buy into the new ideas?
Change, regardless of how necessary it may be, is not always universally welcomed by those that find themselves having to tow a different line, but Klopp’s famous ‘gegenpressing’ demands were embraced by those that bought into a long-term vision.
Enrique says of how the ex-Borussia Dortmund coach got his message across: “It’s strange with Klopp, because you can see in his face that he looks really intense, but it’s different when you get to know him.
"The most important thing in football, especially at a big team, is for everybody to trust the manager and follow whatever they want. For me, what Klopp has done at Liverpool is amazing – making Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, all of them running. You don’t see any other team in the world running that way.
"It’s incredible what he has done with big players. Someone like Salah would normally say ‘ok, I’m happy scoring goals’, but they all run as much as any full-back.
"Klopp told us on the first day, don’t look at me like I’m going mad at you, I’m just saying things in my own way. He wanted everyone to understand that is his way. He made it clear that shouting wasn’t a way of saying someone was bad, it was just his personality.
"He has an aura around him that even when he is screaming at you, you know that he is trying to help. It’s strange. That’s why he is incredible."
PressBox/GettyHow do their training methods differ?
Rodgers arrived at Anfield having cut his managerial teeth at Watford, Reading and Swansea City, and Enrique says his methods are comparable to the man that stepped into his shoes.
“Klopp is more about intensity. But, to be honest, the best training I ever saw – with it different everyday – was with Brendan. He was incredible, changing things everyday.
"You would wonder ‘why are we doing this?’ But he would explain it and it made sense why he was doing things that way. He put a lot into it.
"Klopp, don’t get me wrong, is great, but for him it is all about intensity, about putting everything in and really going for it.
"I enjoyed both but what Klopp has done, getting players to run in that way, I can’t believe it. They all appreciate that they have to run and press and that someone will follow them. That’s the most difficult thing.
"He was very demanding – they both were, but Klopp more so.”
Is their style of play different?
Rodgers enjoyed a win ratio of 50 per cent across his 166 games in charge of Liverpool, while Klopp is up at 60.9%.
Both have found a way of delivering positive results, although their respective approaches are a little different.
“Brendan liked more possession," Enrique explains. "Klopp obviously does as well, but they set up to adapt when they have the ball. Brendan was more about those players in midfield, like James Maddison, and when they have the ball, then we can adapt.
"Klopp likes to have players that are going to run hard and work hard. Both, though, have a very clear idea about which players are going to fit into their system. What Klopp does is get the best out of the players that he has bought.
"Look at Kostas Tsimikas – last year it looked like he wouldn’t play for Liverpool and this year he’s a different player. Don’t get me wrong, Robbo [Andy Robertson] is at another level, but Kostas has shown he can compete at this level. That’s what you need, somebody behind you pushing you to be your best.
"Salah, at Roma he wasn’t scoring as much and was playing more in midfield. He has found a new level under Klopp and it’s incredible what he does with these players."
How do their man-management skills compare?
When working with high-profile and very well-paid stars, it is important to realise that not every player should be handled in the same way.
Rodgers and Klopp may have different personalities, but they are able to get everybody at their disposal singing off the same hymn sheet.
"Both are very focused on the players, but the coach that Brendan is today is not the coach he was back then," Enrique says. "He had experience at Chelsea with Jose Mourinho, he learned from top managers, but he didn’t have that experience at a massive club – especially when it comes to dealing with young players that are 20 or 21.
"He was a good strong leader. He nearly won the league, got us into the Champions League, so he does what is demanded. Brendan is now a better manager than he was, in terms of managing a club. But all of the players spoke very highly of Brendan, he is a great guy.
"When Klopp arrived, he had more experience than Brendan had. He has also had more time. Klopp is a manager that can do whatever he wants for Liverpool. He changed things.
"When he arrived at his first press conference he said there are big expectations and he said, in a period of four years, he would have a title. When I heard that, I was like ‘that’s incredible confidence!’ - to win the Champions League and Premier League. I don’t see what he has in other managers now.
"For me, he is the best manager in the world. I’m not just saying that because I played for Liverpool and support them as well, it’s because I believe that if he is given more money, then Liverpool will get even better.”
(C)Getty ImagesWho shouted the most?
While there is no questioning Rodgers’ dedication to his craft and desire to win, it comes as no surprise to find that Klopp is more highly strung.
Enrique says when quizzed on who shouted the most: “Definitely Klopp! But you don’t take it in a hard way.
"I didn’t play too much under him due to the situation with my knee, but what I saw from him was amazing. He made me captain of Liverpool one day, because he knew that I wasn’t the player I used to be. He spoke to me personally and was honest with me. That was helpful.
"It helps when you are told the truth as a player. You know where you stand because he says everything to you, not behind you.
"Klopp is definitely more passionate. When he is talking, you can see in the players that they listen. He speaks to everyone the same – to Salah, to Mane, he doesn’t care. Salah knows he is the best player in the world right now and Virgil van Dijk is the best defender, but Klopp is the main man. He has won that trust from the players.”
Said passion will be on full display at Anfield on Thursday, with Liverpool looking to get one over on their former manager and keep themselves within sight of table-topping Manchester City.
Leicester, meanwhile, could desperately do with a positive result on the back of a FA Cup fourth-round humbling at East Midlands neighbours Nottingham Forest, with questions starting to be asked of whether Rodgers has taken the Foxes as far as he can.