Jurgen Klopp Is a 'One-Trick Pony' at Liverpool, Says Ex-Leeds Star John Giles

Former Leeds United, Manchester United and Republic of Ireland star John Giles believes Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is a "one-trick pony" and he would be "driven insane" if he played under the German.

Writing in his column for the Herald (via the Irish Independent), Giles believes Klopp is too focused on attacking:

"

If I was in that Liverpool squad now, I would be maddened by the way he wants to play because I see no balance, nothing to lean on when the wheels come off and they concede soft goals.

...

With Klopp, it’s all about the front foot, all about forward momentum and if anything interrupts the process, he wants nothing else from his players than for them to push on and try for another goal.

"

The former midfielder, who scored over 100 goals for Leeds in more than 500 appearances, pointed to Liverpool's 4-3 defeat at Bournemouth on Sunday and the Reds' failure to see out the game from 3-1 up.

Michael Steele/Getty Images

Giles was critical of Klopp's decision-making during the game, particularly his substitutions. Adam Lallana came on for Sadio Mane in the 69th minute, the only replacement made by the German—the Reds boss did not bring on a defensive-minded player to shore up the team and protect their two-goal lead:

"

He wants none of that. It’s go, go, go all the time and while it produces some breath-taking football and can completely overwhelm other teams, it carries at its heart an obvious weakness.

There is no alternative. It’s an all-or-nothing approach.

"

Bleacher Report UK's Jack Lusby also posited the result could have hinged on the manager's decisions:

Per BBC Sport's Emlyn Begley, Klopp praised the Cherries after the defeat and said his side would learn from their mistakes—a reaction praised by the Mail on Sunday's Oliver Holt:

Giles has a point. As exceptional and entertaining as Liverpool are going forward—they're the Premier League's top scorers with 35 goals—and as easy as it is to be swept up in that, if their ability to defend and hold on to a lead does not improve, they'll struggle to win the title.

The "we'll score more goals than you" approach may be brilliant for the neutral, but it's not often accompanied by silverware—just look at Newcastle United's "Entertainers" side, who infamously let a 12-point lead slip to Manchester United in the 1995-96 season.

There's hope yet for Klopp and Liverpool, however—first and foremost, it's worth noting they were without their best defender, Joel Matip, at the Vitality Stadium.

Gianluca Di Marzio's Joseph Musker highlighted the contrast in Liverpool's fortunes with and without the former Schalke 04 man:

If he can remain fit throughout the campaign, Liverpool will be far more resilient.

Further, not only can the Reds recruit further defensive reinforcements in January if they so choose, but there's also time for Klopp to organise them further on the training ground.

Last year's champions Leicester City were vulnerable at the back early on in the season—they'd conceded 21 goals by this stage last season and finished the campaign having shipped just 32, with a run of five consecutive clean sheets aiding them in their run-in.

The manager has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and innovative coaches in the modern game over the course of his career—he needs to apply his thinking to shoring up Liverpool at the back heading into the second half of the season.