Replacing a manager who has been the linchpin of the club for so many years is an unenviable task.
There is no doubt the gap Jurgen Klopp leaves when he bids farewell to Liverpool at the end of the season is one that will be nigh on impossible to fill.
Having collected eight trophies during his nine seasons in charge, the German has brought exceptional success to the Merseyside club, earning himself widespread praise.
As Liverpool look set to name Arne Slot as Klopp’s successor, they know they will be hard-pressed to land another like him.
But Klopp is not the only manager departing this season who is set to leave a considerable void in the club.
After 12 years in charge of Chelsea Women, Emma Hayes will leave her post at the club as she goes to take over as manager of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT).
The six-time WSL winner has also picked up five FA Cups and two League Cups with the Blues, establishing her place as an all-round managing elite.
But it is not just the future loss of these managers that is likely to have a significant effect upon these two sides in seasons to come.
Indeed, the mere knowledge of the impending change could already have had an effect upon their performances this season.
According to the statistics, both Liverpool Men and Chelsea Women have experienced a downturn in results since learning of the departures of their managers.
…and their FA Cup semi-final loss to Man United[/caption]
Hayes announced she would be moving to the USWNT on November 4.
Before that time, Chelsea had not lost a single game in the 2023/24 season – even managing to salvage an equaliser six minutes into added time against a seemingly unbreakable nine-player Manchester City in a crucial WSL clash.
But they did not manage to maintain that unbeaten streak for long.
Their loss percentage in the games after Hayes announced her departure has gone up to 13.3 per cent.
Naturally, some of this variation would have been expected due to their Champions League fixtures beginning later in the season and their Cup fixtures getting progressively more difficult.
But interestingly, since Klopp’s departure was announced, Liverpool have also seen a similar decline in their results this season.
Klopp made the official announcement that he would be leaving the Reds at the end of the season on January 26 – although he indicated that the club had known of his decision since November.
His loss percentage in Liverpool’s games before the public announcement was 9 per cent – a statistic which has increased to 19% in the games Liverpool have played since then.
Again, the pressures of the title race and Liverpool’s progression in the Europa League mean that a higher loss percentage was perhaps to be anticipated somewhat.
But it has also been suggested that Klopp’s leaving announcement may well have unwittingly contributed to Liverpool’s recent run of bad results – and Hayes’ Chelsea could have been affected in a similar way.
Chelsea are facing an unthinkable situation which could still seem them win no silverware in Hayes’ final season[/caption]
There is no denying that Chelsea Women have lacked some of their usual ruthlessness as this season has gone on.
Their recent 1-0 Champions League win over Barcelona aside, much of their domestic play has seemed uncreative and stale this season.
Their 4-1 loss to Arsenal in the WSL was perhaps the best example of this, but their last minute 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup and both their WSL fixtures against Manchester City both spring to mind too.
The wheels have also come off for Liverpool in the last few weeks with defeats to Everton and Crystal Palace costing them heavily.
A manager like Klopp and Hayes is the beating heart of a club, naturally, but such importance can be a double-edged sword.
Speaking to TNT Sports back in March, Liverpool full-back Conor Bradley spoke about how the news of Klopp’s departure had affected the team’s mentality.
He said: “When we found out the news about the manager it was hard to take. He is the only manager I’ve really known at this club. So for him to be leaving is sad, but now we just want to win every trophy we can for him and give him the best send off we can.”
That goal has not materialised in the way Bradley and the rest of the side envisioned – and it is possible that the added pressure of trying to ‘do it for Klopp’ has contributed to making that task so difficult.
When Chelsea Women were still in the running for the quadruple, Blues defender Ashley Lawrence likewise admitted to talkSPORT that wanting to give her a good send-off did factor into their motivations this season, in words that echoed Bradley’s.
She said: “Everything that she’s invested and sacrificed and given to this team, you really see it. Being in the running for four trophies [is great] and we’re going [with the ambition] to win it all and ultimately, that would be the best way to send off Emma.”
Now only in the running half as many trophies, Chelsea’ s quest to send Hayes off has become doubly difficult.
And for Liverpool, Klopp’s farewell will now certainly not be as idyllic as they envisioned.
But both clubs will surely know that this was coming – that after so many golden years under such a remarkable manager, the time has finally come for them to pay the price of success.