Tuesday 19 January 2016 19:37, UK
Jurgen Klopp needs a full pre-season and the addition of three new signings to impose his Borussia Dortmund style on Liverpool.
That's the view of Sky Germany reporter Torben Hoffmann, a former defender who came up against Klopp's Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
The one-time Bayer Leverkusen and 1860 Munich player was at Anfield on Sunday to watch Liverpool lose 1-0 to rivals Manchester United and spoke with Klopp after the match.
While his compatriot was frustrated by Liverpool's costly missed chances, Hoffman believes only time, the recovery of key players from injury and summer recruits will allow the Reds to successfully replicate the successful high-pressing style Klopp's Dortmund became famous for.
"I think Klopp hoped it would have gone faster for him at Liverpool, that he would come in and have a lot of victories. But I spoke to him shortly after the game on Sunday and he's not so funny about how it works right now," said Hoffmann.
"The game was ok, Liverpool created chances but they didn't score. That was the big problem. If Liverpool had scored the first goal, Manchester United would be dead and Liverpool would win the game.
"But he has only been Liverpool manager for just over 100 days, he came in during the season, so he needs time.
"The way Liverpool play is not the same as Dortmund right now, but he tries to make pressure after they win the ball and quickly go to score a goal.
"It will be a long journey. It doesn't work in this short time."
Hoffmann expects an interesting summer at Liverpool, with new signings and tactical work from Klopp potentially boosting the club's chances of competing with the Premier League's best in 2016/17.
"They have a lot of players injured right now, such as Daniel Sturridge, Dejan Lovren and Philippe Coutinho, and they can't change them like-for-like with the guys they have in the squad," he said.
"But there's a big break in the summer and then the preparation for the new season, when Klopp can create his own way to play.
"He needs his players back from injury and, when he buys two or three new players, it works."
For now, Klopp's work with Liverpool will continue to attract interest from Germany, where, according to Hoffmann, he remains a source of intrigue for football fans and the media.
"With Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, everyone speaks about it and whether it is working or not," Hoffmann said.
"He's so emotional, like he was in Germany, jumping on the line, running on the pitch. On Sunday, I saw him standing the whole game while Louis van Gaal is sitting for the whole 90 minutes - even after the goal, Van Gaal just wrote something on his paper. He sits without emotion. That's not Jurgen Klopp.
"For us, it's good that a German trainer works in the Premier League and we keep an eye on him."
