Has Liverpool been weakened by Jürgen Klopp’s ‘seven-year itch’?
After seven years at Anfield, critics are wondering whether his magic is wearing off

Jürgen Klopp has achieved a remarkable amount during his tenure as Liverpool’s manager, said James Pearce on The Athletic. From Champions League glory in Madrid, to ending the club’s painful 30-year title drought, the German has been the “most transformative figure” in Liverpool’s recent history. But after seven years at Anfield, is his magic wearing off?
So far this season, the Reds have accrued just ten points from eight Premier League games, their worst return at this stage of the season since 2012-13. They currently lie tenth in the table, 14 points adrift from leaders Arsenal, who beat them 3-2 last Sunday. They keep making the “same glaring errors” and have become “ridiculously easy to play through”. For a side that nearly won the Quadruple five months ago, it really is a startling turnaround.
Liverpool are currently beset by several problems, none of which would be critical on its own, but which cumulatively amount to something serious, said Max Mathews in the Daily Mail. One is that Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk – their two most influential players in recent seasons – have suffered a simultaneous loss of form. Another is that the departure of Sadio Mané, who joined Bayern Munich over the summer, has left their front line struggling for fluency.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Then there’s the fact that Liverpool’s press – for so long the cornerstone of their success – seems to be losing “its precision and its intensity”, said Jonathan Wilson in The Guardian. When working well, it routinely smothers opponents. Yet the high press has always been a high-risk strategy, and it can leave them exposed when it misfires. And currently, that’s just what’s happening – with knock-on effects all over the pitch. It means, for example, that Trent Alexander-Arnold is having to play further back than usual – thereby leaving his defensive weaknesses badly exposed.
All this has led some to suggest that Klopp’s future at Anfield is in doubt, said Jonathan Northcroft in The Sunday Times. And history does indeed seem to indicate that he’s a manager who operates on seven-year cycles. At both his previous clubs – Mainz and Borussia Dortmund – he set about rebuilding the teams and achieved spectacular success for several seasons, only to find results tailing off around the seventh year.
Klopp himself strongly repudiates the notion that history is about to repeat itself, said Chris Bascombe in The Daily Telegraph. He claims he still has plenty of energy left, and that circumstances at his previous clubs were different. And on present evidence, talk of a “seven-year itch” does seem misplaced: it’s more a seven-year “hiccup”. Klopp still retains the support of the Anfield hierarchy and is still revered by the club’s fans. But that support could swiftly erode if Liverpool’s results don’t improve.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - May 6, 2025
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - rare earth minerals, rising prices, and more
-
What to know about Real IDs, America's new identification cards
The Explainer People without a Real ID cannot board a commercial flight as of May 7, 2025
-
Where is the left-wing Reform?
Today's Big Question As the Labour Party leans towards the right, progressive voters have been left with few alternatives
-
Liverpool's Anfield redemption: how did they do it?
Talking Point Arne Slot's blueprint and standout player performances guide the Reds to record 20th league title
-
Cricket's crackdown on 'monster' bats
In the Spotlight Indian Premier League has introduced on-pitch checks to ensure bats meet strict size limits
-
The Masters: Rory McIlroy finally banishes his demons
In the Spotlight McIlroy's grand slam triumph will go down as 'one of the greatest and most courageous victories in the history of golf'
-
George Foreman: The boxing champ who reinvented home grills
Feature He helped define boxing’s golden era
-
Why Jannik Sinner's ban has divided the tennis world
In the Spotlight The timing of the suspension handed down to the world's best male tennis player has been met with scepticism
-
When 'a kiss is not a kiss': Spanish football on trial
Talking Point Luis Rubiales faces up to two-and-a-half years in jail if convicted of sexually assaulting footballer Jenni Hermoso
-
Denis Law obituary: fond farewell to 'the King of the Stretford End'
In the Spotlight Scottish footballer who was one of Manchester United's 'Holy Trinity' has died aged 84
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League