Could Jurgen Klopp's seventh-season curse be threatening Liverpool's 2022/23 season?

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be the first to admit that the start of the 2022/23 campaign has not been a good one.

Taking two points from a possible nine represents a truly woeful opening to the season.

His side have lacked energy, intensity and a cutting edge. This is particularly unusual for a Klopp team.

Fans have become worried that a familiar tale is repeating itself before our very eyes.

In Klopp’s previous two managerial positions, things have turned sour during the seventh full season.

As a result, the German boss has left both posts following the conclusion of the seventh year.

What went wrong for Klopp previously?

Jurgen Klopp was a revelation at the beginning of spells with both Mainz, whom he helped to promote, and Borussia Dortmund.

With Dortmund, Klopp won back-to-back league titles and was the last manager to do so for a club other than Bayern Munich.

Similarly at Liverpool, the revolution has been somewhat miraculous.

Klopp awoke a sleeping giant during his first few years at Anfield as he led the club back into the Champions League and into contention for the League.

Having won a Champions League title and a Premier League title, it is fair to say things have worked out very well for all parties concerned.

With the early season form concerning fans, this is where comparisons have been drawn to his previous ventures.

Mainz were relegated from the Bundesliga at the end of Klopp’s seventh full season with the club.

This spelt the end of his time with the club as he then moved onto pastures new.

Pastures new being Borussia Dortmund.

Again, another former giant that was going through a tough period, Klopp worked his magic and got the team firing on all cylinders.

After a few seasons, Dortmund were back into the Champions League and becoming a popular club globally once more.

There was a stage where the German club became many fans’ second team to support.

Winning successive league titles and reaching a European final was ultimately the pinnacle for Klopp and his journey with Dortmund.

During the seventh season, the team was stuck in the relegation zone for large parts of the season and ultimately finished seventh, coincidentally.

Once again, this was the end of the road and both parties went their separate ways.

The speculated reasons behind the downfalls

A big talking point with Klopp has always been the sustainability of his play style.

High energy, high pressing, giving no opponent time to breath, this style can really take it out of a fan watching never mind a player having to put in the hard yards.

With German giants Bayern Munich snapping up a lot of players Klopp had produced and progressed at Dortmund, it was difficult to really kick on and build a stronger squad.

Losing your best players leaves you always playing catch up and it becomes a thankless task.

Not being able to retain important players and improve the weak points of the squad may have ultimately cost Klopp.

The players that did remain appeared to be exhausted by the end as they had done so much running over the years.

How to avoid history repeating itself

Looking at Liverpool’s first three games of the season, it is easy to draw comparisons.

Players such as Milner, Henderson and Robertson have been so reliable for Klopp during his tenure with the club.

Constantly being called upon to go the extra mile and work tirelessly week after week looks to have taken a toll.

All around the team and particularly in midfield, the Reds look leggy and almost as if they are running in quicksand.

Coming up against opposition that are hungry and willing to match and even beat the intensity of Klopp’s side has been a challenge.

New recruits are needed to avoid the point being hit home further and for Klopp to break this ‘curse’ as it has been dubbed.

Injuries to several key members of the playing staff have brought questions about the training methods being employed.

Whether the sessions should be brought down a level in intensity for the sake of the players or the problem is to be solved by signing more durable players, something must be done.

While the possibility exists that this is nothing more than a rocky spell of form, it does seem quite coincidental that it comes at the exact same time as Klopp’s spells at previous clubs.