Liverpool is the birthplace of The Beatles, whose sophisticated and ever innovative songs have enthused different generations of music lovers – from baby-boomers to millennials. The first global rock stars have made Beatlemania, a collective form of super-sized hysteria, work well far beyond the British isles.

Last October, a new rock star – of the heavy metal inclination – arrived in north-west England: Jurgen Klopp. Another delirium, another prolonged trance of euphoria ensued, for landing Klopp had been a coup. The much-heralded German was Liverpool’s new messiah, tasked with delivering salvation to a club in decline, a club that had been indolent and inert for too long.

Klopp downplayed his larger-than-life status. “I am a normal guy from the Black Forest,” he said, during his first press conference as Liverpool manager. “My mother is watching this press conference at home. If you are going to call me anything, call me the normal one.” His remarks were a little jab at Jose Mourinho, the self-proclaimed "Special One", whose downfall at Chelsea this season besmirched his grotesque personal cult.

The Normal One’s first game away to Tottenham Hotspur was just that – very mundane, but with feverish and energetic tendencies. Full-throttle challenges and physical tackles were legion in an inconspicuous scoreless draw. That’s part of the Klopp paradox: his charisma, wit and bulging smile transcends the notion that he doesn’t represent an instant path to success.

No silver bullet

Klopp's coaching career underpins the fact that he needs to be given time, both to reassess and adjust. At Borussia Dortmund, his heavy metal brand of football came to the fore after a few seasons of mid-table finishes and tweaking squads. Klopp is a zealot in advocating a zealous style of play called "Gegenpressing", but this particular brittle footballing ecosystem requires nurturing, honing and fine-tuning over a number of seasons.

Against Tottenham, Klopp was immediately confronted with another reality: the Premier League is a relentless rat race, where chasing the ball and closing down both opponents and space is ingrained, part of a turbo-charged football culture. Thus, Gegenpressing would even itself out in the world’s fastest league.

In fact, Gegenpressing is no longer revolutionary: the idea that possession must immediately be regained when the ball is lost has filtered through to the majority of elite clubs of European football. Together with Pep Guardiola, Klopp popularised this school of thought, but it’s highly demanding: pressing high and ball-hunting in packs. At the same time, players must also understand when to stop pressing.

In the Premier League, a superior version of Gegenpressing would simply not be attainable. The excessive and strenuous demands on players would be suicidal.

To succeed in England, Klopp will have to adapt, the way Guardiola tweaked his ideas at Bayern Munich or Claudio Ranieri dispensed with his rotation policies at Leicester City. That’s no sinecure at Liverpool, a quagmire of instability ever since the 2010 takeover by the American Fenway Sports Group.

In the past few seasons, current England manager Roy Hodgson, Liverpool legend Kenny Daglish and Brendan Rodgers all headed to Liverpool with differentiating philosophies and transfer polices, resulting in a confusing medley of styles and squads. In the 2013/14 season, Rodgers propelled Liverpool within touching distance of the Premier League title, but the legacy, if any at all, of Klopp’s recent predecessors is highly questionable.

The German coach is presiding over a transitional season at Liverpool. Since his arrival, the club’s fortunes have oscillated between lowly defeats at the hands of both Watford and Newcastle, and great victories over Manchester City and Klopp’s old employer Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League, the second tier of European club competitions.

And so to Basel

The Europa League final in Basel offers Klopp a chance to win silverware of note and wrap up his first season at Anfield Road in style. Opponents Sevilla, whose third consecutive Europa League final highlights their distinguished record and European pedigree, also tilt towards Gegenpressing. Coach Unai Emery stresses both ball possession and aggressive pressing high up the field. In that sense, Klopp’s reaction to a semi-mirror of his own game will be intriguing.

But, bet on it, the Europa League final will turn on more than simply tactical intricacies. This is not a Champions League final, the pinnacle of European club football. Therefore, players will scarcely be paralysed by nerves – instead, they will display a hunger and the desire to win a traditionally closely contested game. Klopp, with his zany touchline coaching, will have his part to play. This season, Klopp has merely enacted cosmetic changes. Next season, though, he will seek fundamental restructuring.