The cursed Klopp? The seventh year of his engagement looks like a fiasco again. Will he do better at Liverpool than at Mainz and Dortmund?

Liverpool started the new season badly. And not just in the Premier League. The first match in the Champions League group ended clearly in favour of Napoli. And what’s behind it? Quite possibly a curse. For Jürgen Klopp has not experienced success at his previous clubs during his seventh year. On the contrary. And it looks like it will be no different in England.

Seven may be a lucky number for some, but Jürgen Klopp seems to see it the other way round. He is currently the coach of his third club, and in the previous two, his seventh year was not a success and was his last in the respective engagements. How did he do?

The story of the impulsive coach gained momentum in Mainz

As a player, Jürgen Klopp has made his mark on the history of Mainz. He then tried his hand as manager of Frankfurt’s youth team before being given the opportunity to lead the A-team in Mainz.

He took over the team after a poor start to the 2000/01 season and managed to save the team and keep it in the 2. Bundesliga. In the next two seasons he won two fourth places and in the following season he also made his mark as a coach. Mainz was promoted to the top flight for the first time in its history.

After the promotion, Klopp and his team managed to finish in 11th position twice. That was the season of relegation. However, the German coach stayed with the team for one more year and tried to return it to the elite, but without success. So after seven years, Klopp left Mainz.

The great years at Dortmund will never be forgotten

Jürgen Klopp made a big name for himself in Mainz. That’s one of the reasons why he was hired by the famous Borussia Dortmund. That was 2008. And just as it was in Mainz, Klopp started with a systemic work in Dortmund that started to bear fruit.

In 2011 and 2012, he won two league titles with Borussia and won the cup once. In the other years of this engagement, he additionally won the German Super Cup. He also reached the Champions League final with the team.

But then came the proverbial seventh season and seventh year. Borussia started disastrously. It won only four games in the first 19 rounds and saved the season in the second half. In the end, they were happy with seventh place. Klopp didn’t add another year. But he left as a hero.

It’s a repeat situation at Liverpool

When Jürgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool, he was not exactly a man for the taking. The famous club was becoming a rather mediocre club, or certainly not involved in the title fight. And it was the impulsive German coach who was supposed to change that, which he did.

Again, gradually and systematically. It didn’t come right away. In the first season under his guidance Liverpool were eighth, eventually secured two fourth places and then came close to winning the title. Liverpool won 97 points in the league, but Manchester City were just a hair better. Nevertheless, the Reds won the Champions League and were looking to build on their success the following season. They did that in part by winning the Premier League.

Overall, Liverpool are ranked among England’s top teams, always being tipped as favourites to win the Premier League along with Manchester City. It has won nine trophies under Klopp.

But 2022 is Klopp’s seventh year at Liverpool and the start to the season looks accordingly. After six rounds in the league, he has just nine points, winning twice and drawing three times. And to make matters worse, the team’s entry into the Misr League didn’t work out either. Napoli defeated the English side 4-1 in the first group match.

Fans are losing patience after years of success. Could this be the beginning of the end of the Klopp era at Liverpool?

Source: Transfermarkt, Liverpool