Don’t ignore Jurgen Klopp’s role in Liverpool’s rise… he filled his garage with Ferraris then handed Arne Slot the keys, writes SIMON JORDAN

I’ve always felt that building a business should be judged by how well it runs when you’re not there. If it is too dependent on one individual and performs poorly without them, it cannot be considered successful.

In that context, Liverpool’s impressive rise to the Premier League summit is as much a reflection of the great work Jurgen Klopp has done during his time at Anfield as it is of those who are there now.

That is no small thing for the current manager. This is still Klopp’s team, but with Arne Slot’s paint job. It is a combination that you can see ending with Liverpool as champions in May.

Klopp was already one of the best managers of the Premier League era. He has now shown himself to be great enough to leave a legacy that his successor could immediately benefit from.

When Manchester United and Arsenal lost their legendary leaders – Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger – the baton was not passed on in the same way, for different reasons and circumstances.

In contrast, Klopp has given Slot the opportunity to run the best final stage that any relay runner can imagine. As a result, Liverpool are progressing at a pace few would have predicted. They win in the Premier League, Champions League, Carabao Cup, everything!

Klopp’s last campaign ended on a negative note; After winning the League Cup against Chelsea in exciting fashion with children, the big prizes then went to Manchester City and Real Madrid.

However, despite any pessimism hinted at, the outgoing manager had not left a collection of Minis in the garage for Slot, but Ferraris.

Liverpool didn’t need to make any signings in the summer because of what Klopp and the recruitment team did in 2022 and 2023, with Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.

It leaves Slot an embarrassment of riches to choose from – the best gift a manager can receive.

Although the jury is still out on Nunez, Liverpool had deployed some very formidable forward and depth all over the pitch; a very strong team. And Slot has had the insight to steer it all in the right direction.

He certainly inherited a better situation than Klopp when he arrived after an innocuous last season under Brendan Rodgers in 2015. Then, through his charisma and skill, he gave Liverpool another boost by bringing in a new player profile and establishing a connection with the fanbase that harked back to the days of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish.

Slot has seen the opportunity presented to him at Liverpool and has taken full advantage of it. He has been sensible and tweaked some of the edges of Klopp’s rock ‘n’ roll to make the team more refined. There’s less frenzy about them if that’s the right description!

Nor could anyone have legislated that would cause Manchester City’s form to fall off a cliff or Arsenal to be less consistent than expected. It has created a perfect storm for Liverpool.

Being four points clear and a game ahead, with Leicester City at home today (Boxing Day), they have this momentum that makes it feel like nothing can derail them – not even the noise over the contract talks with Mohamed Salah. , Virgil van Dyke and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool keep going and my suspicion is that Salah and Van Dijk will decide to stay and win the title. All the stars are aligned.

United and Arsenal fans may be wondering why their move has been much more difficult. United were a poisoned chalice for David Moyes, partly because they lost intellectual capital not only in the dugout with Ferguson’s departure, but also in the boardroom when the highly influential David Gill also left as CEO.

Arsenal had cut both transfer spending and wages over time to accommodate the new stadium, meaning they had become a participation club rather than actively competing for the biggest trophies.

The ownership model at Liverpool is better prepared and the way clubs are run has changed even in the last decade; there is more content, more comprehensive thinking and detailed data across all departments.

They also had Klopp, who was considerably younger than Ferguson and Wenger when he left, and who was able to transfer a selection of players who were still starting or in their prime.

Klopp doesn’t strike me as the type who will bask in the achievements of others during the Christmas holidays. But even though he is no longer playing on Merseyside, this season is certainly partly his achievement. For Liverpool, he is the gift that keeps on giving.

What next for Fury?

When a friend showed me that the esteemed American magazine Sports Illustrated had included me in a boxing power list for 2024 alongside the likes of Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn, I thought it was a misprint.

Worth it or not – and it probably isn’t – I was worried about Fury’s chances in the big fight of the weekend from the moment he did his ring walk. To me he looked intense, but without showing intensity.

The eyes were still demonic at the allotted moment before the first round, just a tad emptier.

There is talk of Anthony Joshua as his next opponent. It will be a big payday and there will be bragging rights, but I don’t have a desperate need to see the match made. In an ideal world, I would prefer there to be real danger when it comes to big fights, and not just significant bank balance increases.

Despite neither being in their pomp and both having been defeated twice by Usyk, in the end it will still be a spectacle that Riyadh’s new found saviors of boxing will no doubt contribute financially to.

Match schedule for Boxing Day

As a club owner I loved the football party during Christmas and New Year. It was fantastic to play game after game, but I didn’t like the January transfer window…

The season we won promotion at Crystal Palace, we beat Reading on December 23, played Millwall on Boxing Day, Ipswich two days later and then went straight through to the FA Cup.

Now I see that there are no games on Saturday to give players an extra day off after today’s games. They must have listened to Martin Keown’s speech on player welfare!

My response to players and managers who complain about too many games at this time of year is to remind them that the fans do like it, and that they are the ones who give footballers the platform they have.

Friedkins Dyche decision

New Everton owner Dan Friedkin would be wise to keep an open mind on Sean Dyche. It shouldn’t be a fait accompli to walk in and automatically assume he needs another manager to take the club on the next part of their journey at the stadium at Bramley Moore Dock.

An experienced and realistic operator, Dyche knows he is auditioning for someone else, not the people who first hired him.

My opinion is that he is very capable and should be seriously considered by the American owners, although of course it is a two-way street and Dyche also needs to show his new boss what he can produce.

I consider Friedkin a sensible man. I would be surprised if he didn’t take the time to assess what is best for the club in the long term. It could still put Dyche on the hot seat.