Jurgen Klopp breaks all-time Liverpool record which represents one of his greatest legacies

Jurgen Klopp broke a 30-year Liverpool record in their Europa League defeat to Atalanta which shines a light on one of his greatest legacies during his time at the club.

The Reds bowed out against Atalanta 3-1 on aggregate in what was Klopp’s final adventure in Europe before he parts ways with the club at the end of the season. His reliance on youth this season has been partly down to his favouring of strong talents but also their injury crisis during the mid-way point of the season which forced him to utilise their emerging academy products who all performed admirably when called upon.

As a result, the game against Atalanta saw Klopp beat the record for most appearances given to players aged 21 or younger in all competitions - beating the record of 174 that we saw in the 1992/93 season. Granted, it must be mentioned that the introduction of the five substitute rule has contributed hugely - and it makes the 92/93 achievement even greater when taking that into consideration - but Klopp has always championed youth players and given them opportunities when many other managers wouldn’t have.

For example, Harvey Elliott has been involved in all 52 matchday squads this season in what has been an outstanding showing from the 21-year-old. Other key figures have included Jarell Quansah, who has gone from making his first 16 senior appearances in League One last season to starting against Manchester City at Anfield. There’s also Conor Bradley who deputised for Trent Alexander-Arnold after Christmas and exploded onto the scene as an energetic and forced his way into contention.

Other names include Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns, James McConnell and Owen Beck who all played their part. Plus, there’s still the likes of Ben Doak (18) and Stefan Bajcetic (19) who have spent the majority of the season injured who look to have a bright future.

Klopp gave Alexander-Arnold his opportunity in 2017 when Nathaniel Clyne was injured and it led to him becoming one of their best players in what looks like a masterstroke years later. Harvey Elliott was also granted minutes in the 2021/22 season when not many expected him to feature - and his progression has been brilliantly handled by Klopp.

His legacy at Liverpool will include bringing the club back to being challengers in England and Europe and giving the people of the city a team to be proud of once again - that was already secured years ago. However, being able to promote youth players and give them a chance to flourish while also challenging for major trophies is something that not many top coaches can do - and Klopp has managed that seamlessly across his time at the club which will go down as one of his greatest legacies at Liverpool football club.