LaLiga: Would Klopp be the right man to take over from Zidane at Real Madrid?

There’s a debate in football at the moment as to what constitutes success. Can a team gatecrash the status quo, but not win a major title, and still be proud of their achievements? Is improvement alone a valid reason to change your perception, or does it need to coincide with trophies?

Is success all relative? If you are expected to be in a relegation dogfight but clinch a Europa League spot, surely that amounts to success? Or does it not count because there’s no trophy for qualifying to a tournament? Yet when trophies are predominantly held by the richest sides in world football, surely there are other ways to measure success rather than by what’s in their cabinet.

After all, people are quick to dismiss PSG, Juventus and Bayern Munich’s achievements because it’s a one-team league. So if their success comes with an asterisk, what hope is there for anybody else to be universally recognised as being any good?

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“Yeah, but what have you won?”

Liverpool and Tottenham are prime examples of two sides who are punching above their weight. They are level on points, four behind Manchester United in second, and look set to secure another season of Champions League football.

Liverpool have the league’s top scorer, Mohammad Salah, whilst Tottenham have the second-highest in Harry Kane. Liverpool are second only to Manchester City in terms of goal difference and recently crushed them in the Champions League. Yet there’s pessimism from afar. To many outsiders they have nothing to brag about until they win something.

Who made this the rule?

Zidane’s impressive trophy haul isn’t enough to fend off speculation about his future

When you cast your eye over to events at Real Madrid it appears that winning doesn’t necessarily mean you are considered successful either. Zinedine Zidane’s brief foray into football management is trophy laden but he’s under increasing pressure to win the Champions League in order to secure another year at the club. But doesn’t winning trophies mean you are successful?

Zidane’s eight trophies is just over two years is more than Vicente del Bosque managed in over four seasons at the club (seven). This season alone he’s won the Spanish and UEFA Super Cups as well as the FIFA Club World Cup. So, does Zidane have anything to prove or is Real Madrid just an exception to the rule?

The answer to both questions is probably yes. Zidane, even with his embarrassment of trophies so far, is only two and a half years into senior club management. That isn’t to say his record should be taken with a pinch of salt but lauding him as one of the greatest managers of all-time is a little premature. It might turn out to be true but not yet.

Real Madrid are an exception to most rules. They aren’t an ordinary side. And even if you hate them, you can’t help but respect their achievements in football. In every era they’ve produced at least one incredible team which has blown away the opposition. Winning is ingrained into their DNA. Sure, they can be a little ruthless with their coaches but if it works, who can really argue against it?

Is Klopp’s attacking football the reason behind Madrid interest?

Jurgen Klopp is one of the names being considered by Real Madrid. The happy-go-lucky German is slowly building Liverpool into a team to be feared. After a couple of seasons where Liverpool promised so much but ultimately didn’t deliver, this season has seen the project really kick on. They look certain to qualify for the Champions League again and in this season’s tournament are in a healthy position to knockout Manchester City.

Similar to his success at Dortmund, Liverpool’s threat is based around their rampant attack. Mohammad Salah is threatening to dethrone Luis Suarez as the Reds best scorer of recent times. Sadio Mane is adding an end product to his game and Roberto Firmino is one of the most underrated strikers in the Premier League. Only City are outscoring them and, on the grand scale of things, goals tend to equal entertainment.

Real Madrid fans aren’t content with just winning, they want to win in style. They want the footballing world to be envious of them and their success. Almost like an only child desperate for attention, they feel that by kicking and screaming they will eventually get their own way. More often than not, they do. Klopp would bring that entertainment factor to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid will always score goals, but they don’t always play well

It isn’t exactly difficult to add goals to this Real Madrid side but finding a system which works for everyone is. Zidane’s switch from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 means the side relies heavily on individual displays rather than utter domination. At times, there are too many options available to Zidane and he’s guilty of not choosing his combinations wisely.

The reluctance to return to a 4-3-3, particularly when Cristiano is unavailable, continues to frustrate fans.

Klopp seems more open to change and being flexible to suit the options at his disposal. In his first season at Liverpool he predominately used a 4-2-3-1 before moving onto 4-1-4-1 and this season a 4-3-3.

Although by all reports Real Madrid are looking to overhaul their forward line next season. If Klopp went to Madrid, would Liverpool sanction the sale of Salah to them? Highly doubtful.

Klopp lost his star players at Dortmund, could that happen again at Liverpool?

What Klopp achieved at Borussia Dortmund was incredible. Along with the scouting department he made some crucial additions to the team and upset the odds to win the Bundesliga twice. The frustration for Klopp would have been to see two key members of his team, Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski, both leave for main rivals Bayern Munich.

At Liverpool, could history repeat itself? Philippe Coutinho has already left to join Barcelona and Salah is the man of the moment, attracting interest from all over Europe. Speculation suggests Emre Can could leave the club on a free transfer too. If Liverpool are to keep hold of Klopp, they need to retain their best players and prove they want to see his project through.

At Real Madrid you know they won’t sell anybody unless they have to. Florentino Perez collects popular names as if he’s filling in a new Panini sticker album. Got, got, got, need. Even if the player can’t stay fit, the club can afford to pay his wages and use him sparingly. The fear of losing your stars doesn’t exist at Real Madrid.

The language barrier shouldn’t be an issue for Klopp either. I imagine his Spanish is more complete than “One beer, please” which is what we heard from him back in 2015. Like a lot of modern managers, learning languages is part of the trade. And if you’re successful at Real Madrid, no one will care if your Spanish is great or not. However start to stumble and it’ll be used against you. Just ask Gareth.

Real Madrid can’t guarantee Klopp a long-term project

Klopp doesn’t want to be a coach who switches teams every couple of seasons. At Real Madrid there’s no certainty of another year regardless of what you achieve. Sometimes there are changes with no reason or logic behind them whatsoever. Florentino Perez famously said, “I don’t know” when asked why he’d decided to sack Carlo Ancelotti and replace him with Rafa Benitez.

There’s also an ego problem at Real Madrid, one which Klopp won’t have experienced at any of his previous clubs. You need to earn the trust and respect of the locker room leaders but at the same time not bow down to their demands. Some are approaching the end of their careers and won’t take kindly to being ushered out of the side.

If Zidane does go, would you really want to replace him?

On the face of it, taking over from Zidane appears to be a thankless task. Surely for the likes of Klopp and Pochettino it’s better to let someone else take over first, a stop-gap solution, to lower the expectations and therefore be allowed a little room to breathe. At least at the start.

With Real Madrid there really aren’t many options available to them should they wave goodbye to Zidane in the summer. Most of the older, more established names have already passed through the club or have strong links to their rivals. They could promote from within again, that’s another option, but Perez will want a bigger name further down the line. If Klopp continues in his current vein, the opportunity to manage Madrid will present itself again.

In terms of ability and what he’s achieved so far in football, Klopp fits the bill. He’s a popular name in Madrid, and has been for a long while now, so it makes sense that he would be on this potential list of Zidane replacements.

The vast improvement in Liverpool will be overlooked by most because of City’s dominance in the Premier League but it’s unquestionable.

However I don’t see Klopp becoming Real Madrid’s next manager. He’s an intelligent man and knows that if he continues to impress these opportunities will come his way. The project at Liverpool isn’t over and as long as the board backs him there’s no reason to leave right now. To match Zidane’s trophy haul is near impossible for whoever does replace him.

Klopp’s stock is high and while a move to Madrid might happen, it’ll most likely be further down the line.