Klopp's Liverpool may entertain, but they will most likely prove as successful as Keegan's Newcastle.

When you’re always living in the moment it can be hard to think about your legacy. Jurgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool as ‘the Normal One’, a charming German manager that had two Bundesliga titles to his name and the optimism of a city surrounding him.

The Reds were still recovering from the trauma of Brendan Rodgers narrowly missing out on a Premier League title. Their legacy was one of a team that played entertaining, free-flowing football, but ultimately stumbled during the final furlongs. Klopp’s own legacy is slowly being moulded this season as the two-year anniversary of his arrival approaches.

Klopp’s squad — unlike some of his predecessors — has a good degree of depth. There is no David N’Gog or Fabio Borini to fill the spot in behind the leading forward. Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino are placed as the battering ram in front of Philippe Coutinho, while Daniel Sturridge sits in reserve.

For the neutral Liverpool remain as exciting to watch as that Rodger’s team that so nearly conquered the league. Unfortunately, Liverpool fans are not enjoying it so much, and are instead forced to combat a bout of stress every-time the ball shuffles towards their goal. Sometimes their defence leaves a motorway sized amount of space in the middle for Manchester City to exploit, while other times it’s a missed clearance that allows Sevilla to take the lead in the Champions League.

Regardless, Klopp knows Liverpool’s defence is an issue. “It’s obvious we concede too much,” he said after a narrow victory against Leicester City on the weekend. “That’s really hard for me. Usually I’m a really good defensive coach.”

Klopp’s self-praise does not necessarily stand up to scrutiny. His Dortmund side had the best defensive record in the Bundesliga in just one of his seven seasons in charge, (in 2011 when they won the Bundesliga and Bayern finished third). However, there are differing schools of thought about whether having the best defensive record matters. At the end of the last two Premier League seasons Tottenham Hotspur have held the tightest defence, but finished as champions in neither.

Interestingly, Mauricio Pochettino’s side also had the best goal-scoring record in both those seasons, throwing doubt on the notion that having the best attack or the best defence wins Premier League titles. Perhaps the more influential factor was pragmatism, with Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri and Chelsea’s Antonio Conte both knowing when and how to play certain situations.

Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United side in the 90s suffered from that same accusation of being poor defensively, when in actuality the issue was more likely a lack of pragmatism. The Magpies were associated with exciting and free flowing football, which in turn lead to questions over their defence. Interestingly, a look at the stats shows that defending was not the team’s issue. In 1995/1996 they conceded just two more than eventual champions Manchester United.

The Reds, despite conjuring excitement for the neutral, are not the league’s highest scorers this season, with Manchester United & Manchester City outscoring them significantly. Nor are Liverpool the best defensive team, with only Crystal Palace, Leicester City ,and West Ham conceding more than Klopp’s side so far this season. That is in part why it’s important not to conflate entertaining football with scoring goals.

Liverpool’s carefree positivity has made them endearing to neutrals, and yet at the same time their naivety is also their undoing. Like Keegan’s Newcastle, we remember them as much for games in which they imploded as we do for those in which they dismantled a rival with attacking prowess because both are entertaining, (unless you are a Liverpool fan of course).

The German does have time to change things though. His acknowledgement of the issue is the first step towards solving it, with pragmatism the key to finding a solution. “We have to keep our concentration,” he said on the weekend. “We have to want to be dominant still. And go on and go on. If we decide to use another rhythm then we have to do it active, not passive.”

The likes of Conte and Jose Mourinho have shown the benefits of game management by accepting they cannot dominate every game in the Premier League.

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In the simplest comparison, look at the way Mourinho and Klopp handled their respective Europa League finals. Mourinho sought to stifle Ajax and smother the exuberance of youth that Peter Bosz had created on the field, emerging comfortable winners in the end. That cold, calculating approach, is why Mourinho has often lifted silverware.

Klopp’s side may provide more entertainment than a one coached by Mourinho, but the latter looks more likely to lift trophies. Klopp has time to change that perception, but if he does not, he may leave Anfield not as ‘the Successful One’ but rather ‘the Normally Entertaining One’.