Jürgen Klopp’s alchemy requires new ingredients to reach next level

Close to one in the morning, deep in the concrete bowels of the Olympic Stadium, Jürgen Klopp sighed with some feeling and prepared to put away the frazzled but stoically brave face he’d brought to the final post-match press conference of Liverpool’s season.

There were two last questions from local media. Both were essentially expressions of pleasure at Klopp’s presence in Kiev, where he is hugely popular for reasons that range from Liverpool’s diaspora support to that translatable sense of authenticity. (“I like this Klopp,” was the verdict of one ex-Soviet citizen of a similar age. “He is for the collective”.)

Question one went a bit like this: “Jürgen, as the last rock star of the modern era, would you say this season has been a battle for authenticity against the depraved stadium-rock football of Big Capitalism or what?”

Question two was even more affectionate, and is probably best summarised as: “Mr Klopp, would you please just say something so I can bask in the glow of your charm and feel that beaming Jürgen-power envelop the room one last time before this is all over?”

As ever Klopp played it straight. No. He’s not a rock star. But thanks. And no, Liverpool are not a force of red-shirted people-power fighting against uber-capitalism. They’re a business that also pays a lot of money for players just like Real Madrid.

As for question two, well he’s fine, thanks. But he’s also about to turn 51 years old and has a very long journey home. At which point exit Klopp, bowed with a touching familial sorrow, like your favourite uncle at a funeral, and showing all the angst, the soul ache and desire to do it all again right now given the chance that you would expect from a manager of his pedigree.

In fairness both questions were on point. Liverpool’s run to the final of the Champions League was remarkable for exactly these reasons. Firstly, Klopp has spent, net, almost nothing on players during his time at Anfield. In fact, player recruitment is trading at a slight profit for the club’s owners FSG. Despite this, Klopp’s team has retained a place at European football’s great gushing financial teat. Win or lose in Kiev, there will be trebles all round in the boardroom.

There was some obvious evidence of this on the pitch. Madrid have not been football’s number-one spenders of late. But with the game in the balance they could still bring on Gareth Bale, a player at least as good as anything in Liverpool’s starting XI.

For their part, Liverpool lost Mohamed Salah and were faced with a toss up between an unfit Adam Lallana and Dominic Solanke, who has scored just once in professional football. They had nine shots at goal with their star player on the pitch and four in the hour without him. Salah Can Karius may sound like a serviceable spine to the team, but as a gameplan it’s not enough – not least when Salah goes off and someone else has to do the carrying. And really what Liverpool do next is the most interesting question here, one that speaks directly to the lessons to be learnt from a 3-1 defeat to the masters of the modern club age.

Madrid’s regal meringues, the cream of European champions, were resilient and also fortunate in Kiev. Yes, these are some creamy, jammy, chewy meringues but while the difference on the night was marginal, it was also consistently and insurmountably marginal.

Madrid won because they have a stronger bench, a stronger attack, a stronger midfield, a stronger defence and a stronger goalkeeper. For half an hour in Kiev Liverpool’s plan to negate this pedigree was working. Forced to adapt by Salah’s elimination from the game – a clever foul by Sergio Ramos but not a deliberate attempt to ping his shoulder – they had no other gears to fight against these strengths.

And so the game slipped away. By the end of 90 minutes Toni Kroos and Luka Modric had made 159 passes combined, 151 of them successful. Their opposite numbers James Milner and Jordan Henderson completed 50 passes between them. There is a significant gap to make up in basic footballing artistry, a gap Klopp’s blitz-attack plans can swarm around and over if everything is perfect.

But he does probably need some help now. This was the nugget of truth concealed in the second closing question in Kiev. Klopp has been a transformative personality. He is wonderfully charming. He has done a wonderful, alchemical job with this group of players.

This time last year Trent Alexander-Arnold was being nominated – and failing to win – the Premier League’s PL2 player of the season award.

While Ramos was lifting this trophy last summer, Andy Robertson was being relegated with Hull. And yet Robertson lost nothing in the comparison with Marcelo, just as both Liverpool full-backs have looked entirely at home on this stage, utterly in tune with the focused, fast-forward nature of the run to Kiev.

Klopp has the right to expect a little more now. He has provided a wonderful service to Liverpool’s owners: primping the global brand; forcing the club back to the grand stage of European football; opening up lusty revenue streams; and at no point questioning the resources at his disposal. Liverpool FC is in rude health thanks to the successful ground redevelopment, and above all the good vibes, the basic positivity created by the spectacle of full-speed Klopp-ball.

There is another side to this: Klopp is a stayer. But he isn’t just popular in Kiev and Liverpool. It is possible for a star manager to outgrow the players at his disposal without a little consistent investment. This doesn’t have to be extreme, just well-judged. Look at Madrid: Marcelo and Casemiro came from obscurity in Brazil; Kroos was unwanted elsewhere; Modric was a handsomely rewarded punt; while Ramos was perhaps the handsomest punt of all.

But as a minimum Klopp will probably want a new goalkeeper and a central midfielder in addition to the inbound Naby Keïta. The defence looks pretty sound now given Virgil van Dijk’s ability to steady whoever stands next to him, but a high-quality centre-forward to share Roberto Firmino’s load wouldn’t go amiss in this attacking team.

Fight, run, harry and be damned has been a wonderful plan A this season. Liverpool can bask in the memories of some genuinely thrilling, high-spec football. But as ever with Klopp this is a moment not to stop, but instead to press even harder.