Jurgen Klopp Can Inspire Liverpool to UCL Return This Season, Says Phil Thompson

Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has backed new manager Jurgen Klopp to return the Reds to the Champions League this season, insisting European nights under the new boss will be “electric” experiences.

The Merseyside giants confirmed the German as their new chief on Thursday evening, with the former Borussia Dortmund man penning a three-year deal. But Thompson thinks Klopp has the calibre to make an impact in his maiden campaign as manager, per Sky Sports:

"

We've seen him on the touchline with the Dortmund fans in that end of theirs which is like the Kop. His welcome will be exactly the same from the Liverpool fans away at Tottenham and then the European game at home [to Rubin Kazan] will be electric.

I think there's always a chance for Liverpool to finish in a Champions league slot just looking at the quality of the league at the moment. Before the derby game, Liverpool were just five points off the top of the league. We are just three points off a Champions League spot and we haven't played particularly well this year. 

If he can instill a lot of confidence into these players and the belief they can do it, there's still a chance.

"

Handout/Getty Images

Thompson went on to suggest that while in former boss Brendan Rodgers Liverpool had a “young upcoming manager,” in Klopp they have someone who is “top notch” and the “finished article with pedigree.” 

Already there’s a sense of excitement among the Liverpool fanbase, which is evident by the renewed confidence in a squad that seemed to be toiling under Klopp’s predecessor. Talk of getting back into European football’s top tier competition will ensure there’s a much better atmosphere at Anfield on matchdays, as will Klopp’s infectious affinity for the game.

European football expert Rafael Hernandez thinks the influence the 48-year-old will have on the club could be wide-ranging:

Lofty ambitions should only be viewed as a positive thing. Especially at a club like Liverpool, where dreaming big seems to be part of the make-up of most supporters. But as strong as Klopp’s CV is, having inspired BVB to two league titles, there is a danger of expectations running wild before the German has even taken charge of his first game. After all, there is a lot to fix at Liverpool.

Sascha Schuermann/Associated Press

Oliver Kay of the Times thinks while Klopp is a tremendous acquisition for Liverpool, he may not have quite as massive an impact as many are anticipating:

Still, there is a lot for the new boss to work with in stars such as Nathaniel Clyne, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Christian Benteke. One of Klopp’s biggest attributes is making players operate above themselves, and if he can get the optimum from those sorts of talents, Champions League qualification is not a fanciful prospect.

Any more than that is, though. Klopp has a lot of work to get Liverpool back on the right track while having to integrate himself into a new culture and an unfamiliar division. Still, the Reds faithful will be delighted their new boss has already allowed them to start dreaming again.