Liverpool owners FSG under HUGE fire for irresponsible coaching decision | OneFootball

The past decade has unquestionably been a successful one for Liverpool, who have won several huge trophies in that time.

Jurgen Klopp was the architect of that success and now Arne Slot has taken the reigns and is carrying on his predecessor’s legacy.

For all the success that Liverpool have had since Klopp arrived in 2015, Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group has always been a divisive topic among supporters.

A reluctance to spend big, questionable decisions around furlough in the Covid-19 pandemic and their involvement in the proposed European super league have understandably made FSG unpopular with certain groups of Reds.

It isn’t just Liverpool that FSG have frustrated though, one of the group’s other sports teams have also been left irritated by their owners recently.

FSG are ‘allergic to change’

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a National Hockey League team that are also owned by FSG, and their current situation has left supporters questioning John Henry and FSG.

The Penguins sit bottom of their division and have missed out on the play-offs for the past two seasons too.

The current head coach, Mike Sullivan, assumed the role in 2015 and has won two Stanley Cups since then, making him the most successful head coach in franchise history, but now things aren’t going well for the decorated boss.

In a report for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jason Mackey has accused FSG of being “allergic to change” and has questioned why Sullivan is still in the job.

“It's hard to imagine how this situation in another city or sport doesn't result in a coach getting fired or substantive changes.”

“Instead, it's become our own version of Groundhog Day, the Penguins making the same mistakes, blowing leads and seemingly ignoring the guy in charge.”

How does the Penguins situation compare to things at Liverpool?

Things at Anfield couldn’t be going any better right now, the Reds are top of the Premier League and maintain a 100% record in the UEFA Champions League, and Slot already seems to have his side genuinely ready to compete for titles.

Although his tenure will be remembered fondly by all Kopites, and he left the team in a fantastic place, things weren’t perfect at Anfield in the last few years of Klopp’s reign.

© IMAGO - Jurgen Klopp

In the 2020/21 season, Liverpool struggled, putting up a very weak defence of their first league title in 30 years, and only securing a Champions League place on the final day of the season.

That season was followed by a campaign in which Liverpool were only two games away from becoming the first team in history to win the quadruple, winning a domestic cup double and reaching the Champions League final for the third time in five years.

This was the winning Liverpool that supporters were used to, but that fine form only lasted for one season.

The 2022/23 season saw a sharp decline for the Reds, with Liverpool finishing fifth in the league and exiting the Champions League in the round of 16, all be it to Real Madrid.

Despite Liverpool really struggling, it never felt like FSG were even considering relieving Jurgen Klopp of his duties, and this was put down to the incredible job the German had done in the years before. He had credit in the bank.

However, the situation currently unfolding over the pond in Pittsburgh may suggest that there were more factors in play.

Would FSG have ever sacked Klopp?

There are parallels between Pittsburgh struggles now and Klopp’s struggles at Liverpool, although we never saw a sustained period of struggle under Klopp like the Penguins are currently suffering.

In his article for the Post-Gazette, Mackey said: “This whole scenario has become downright sad, the Penguins are either unwilling or unable to execute Sullivan's orders and the most successful coach in franchise history is looking more frustrated by the day.”

The picture of a frustrated coach is something Liverpool fans will remember from both the 2020/21 and 2022/23 seasons, and when Klopp said he no longer had the energy to be the Liverpool manager in January some fans felt that frustration had taken its toll.

© IMAGO

"The stubbornness shown by FSG has only compounded the problem,” Mackey also pointed out.

During the two aforementioned seasons, it always felt as though Liverpool’s ownership treated the poor finishes as off-seasons from a great team and maybe that was the case, but that attitude could have been masking a bigger problem.

The Reds did bounce back in the 2021/22 season, but that could have been a brilliant season from a declining team rather than a return to true form.

No one will ever know how Liverpool would have faired this season under Klopp, but their drop off at the end of last season could be an indicator that things wouldn’t have been as good as they are now.

Equally, no one will ever know what it would have taken for FSG to fire Klopp, but the situation in Pittsburgh suggests that they may have been willing to leave it until the squad was ruined before they made that decision.

Klopp’s decision to move on from Anfield when he did could have been a blessing in disguise if FSG don’t have what it takes to replace a failing manager, but luckily for Liverpool supporters that situation never developed, and Klopp’s legacy remains intact in Merseyside.