Jurgen Klopp's arrival at Anfield means the Liverpool flops have nowhere left to hide

Hot dog anyone?

DESPITE the constant turmoil, the litany of disappointments and unremitting angst of the past 16 months, it seems there has never been a better time to be a Liverpool player.

 

Mess up last season and the blame is invariably shunted onto Mario Balotelli. Surrender in big matches, such as the FA Cup semi-final to Aston Villa, and the transfer committee comes under attack.

Lose 6-1 at Stoke in a performance that is the antithesis of everything the club stands for and Brendan Rodgers gets it in the neck.

Win once in 90 minutes in nine matches and it is Fenway Sports Group's ownership model which is broken.

The owners, the transfer committee and the previous manager have played a part in Liverpool's slide towards mediocrity, but at Anfield the spotlight does not always shine into every nook and cranny. Until now.

 

When Jurgen Klopp's appointment is confirmed in the next 48 hours, there will be no more excuses and nowhere left to hide for the squad he has inherited.

It is sink or swim for those players who believe themselves good enough to be playing at the top of the Premier League and in the Champions League and rail at the reality they are ensconced in mid-table and condemned to the Europa League.

The time has come to justify their existence.

If Liverpool now stumble then the groans which will ring around Anfield will not be directed towards the German coach in the dug-out or at the directors' box.

 

New man Jurgen Klopp, whose players will be in the firing line when Liverpool falter

Danny Murphy, who made 170 appearances for Liverpool, believes that focus on players may help them

"I don't think it is a bad thing if the spotlight is on the players," said Danny Murphy, the former Liverpool midfielder.

"It might spur them on a bit. Big players should take responsibility and stand up and be counted.

"Players react in different ways when a new manager comes in. Some individuals will be devastated because the previous manager liked them and picked them.

"Some players will be delighted because they weren't getting picked, and there will be some players who are a bit more middle-of-the-road and just get on with it. But they will all want to impress."

 

It is natural to assume there will be an improvement in the short term from those looking to catch the eye of the new man.

What is intriguing is whether that upturn will be prolonged given FSG's decision to jettison Rodgers was because they did not feel he was getting the best from the players at his disposal.

If, come January and next summer, Klopp is pushing for yet more wholesale changes then it will add credence to his predecessor's theory he did not have the tools to be a success and leave FSG's faith in their scouts and analysts exposed.

Klopp will know plenty about Roberto Firmino, who arrived at Liverpool from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim for £29million in the summer, with Rodgers in agreement unless it impacted upon a deal for Christian Benteke.

Firmino scored in a 3-2 defeat against Dortmund in the German Cup back in April, after which Klopp hailed the Brazilian’s performance.

 

At Dortmund the favoured formation was 4-2-3-1 so how the quartet of Firmino, Benteke, Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge fits in - if they do so - represents one of many sub-plots.

How, when Klopp craves the "perfect" defence, will he view Simon Mignolet, Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren, who is perhaps the only player to have been subjected to sustained criticism over the past 12 months?

Will he see Alberto Moreno as a conventional left-back where Rodgers regarded the young Spaniard's defensive flaws as meaning he could only play as a wing-back? What will he do with Emre Can?

 

Liverpool's squad is essentially a young one and therefore impressionable. They are likely to follow their new leader.

"There is a responsibility on the new manager to impress the players as well, especially the senior ones," said Murphy.

"There are a lot of young players who are looking to be guided and looking to learn and that is a good place for a new manager to go into.

"It is not all negative at Liverpool. They are just outside the top four with a wonderful striker in Sturridge just getting back and their captain Jordan Henderson coming back to fitness.

"Liverpool have plenty to play for over the course of the rest of the season."