The German's first home game in charge has added excitement and anticipation to Thursday's Europa League clash against Rubin Kazan
A Europa League fixture that involves an English club and elicits feelings other than ambivalence is rare and should be cherished.
Liverpool are likely to record a comfortable win over Rubin Kazan, but Jurgen Klopp managing the club for the first time at Anfield is the reason for the anticipation and mild enthusiasm.
The excitement that preceded his opening game against Tottenham has increased in the days following the 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane.
“I liked what I saw,” said Jamie Carragher when discussing his former club’s spirited performance on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
“Very rarely do you see a manager stamp his authority on a team from day one, but that’s what he did.”
Carragher’s praise will probably be more effusive when Liverpool score their first goal under the German or, even better, win their first match.
Both should occur in Thursday’s Group B fixture.
After the dour draws away at Bordeaux and at home to Sion – Brendan Rodgers’ final home game, incidentally – the hosts are 1/2 to claim their first three points of the campaign.
Even if he wanted to, the club’s slew of injuries will prevent Klopp from making many changes to the 11 that started at the weekend.
Daniel Sturridge has not featured in the competition so far, but the knee injury that forced him to miss that game is not serious.
The England striker is evens to score at any time against the Russian side and, having grabbed a brace against Aston Villa in his last appearance at Anfield, is 5/1 to do so again.
But Divock Origi is likely to continue in attack if Sturridge is not risked.
The 20-year-old Belgian – a target for Dortmund when his new boss managed the Bundesliga club – performed well against Spurs and is 9/2 to open the scoring with his first Liverpool goal against Rubin.
An improvement in attack is essential if Klopp is to succeed on Merseyside.
Only once in 12 matches this season have the Premier League scored more than once.
That, though, should change against their bottom-of-the-group opponents, who are also languishing in the Russian top flight with eight defeats in 12.
The home side are 2/1 to score more than 2.5 goals, while a 4-0 victory – which would be a repeat of Klopp’s first ever match managing in Europe, achieved with Mainz in 2005 – is 16/1.
Such a result is optimistic, but indicative of the atmosphere that has surrounded Liverpool ever since their new man was appointed.
Quite the contrast from the last Europa League fixture at Anfield, then, when the old one was booed off at the final whistle.
