Jurgen Klopp has now lost his fifth major final in a row after Liverpool lost 3-1 to Sevilla in the Europa League final last night.
Despite taking the lead from a wonderfully curled effort from Daniel Sturridge, Klopp’s side capitulated in the second half and they leave Basel empty handed.
The loss not only condemns Klopp to a fifth straight final loss but it means Anfield will be without European football for next season’s campaign.
Wednesday night’s final was Liverpool’s second final of the season. They reached Wembley in the League Cup but were defeated by Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City side on penalties.
The Liverpool boss’ unwanted record dates back to his time with Borussia Dortmund where he was defeated in three major finals while at the club.
Despite his time at Dortmund widely considered a success, it now appears a final is the Germans Achilles heel.
A Champions league final defeat to Bayern Munich in 2013 was the start of the record. His Dortmund’s side were a breath of fresh air in the competition but lost to their bitter rivals 2-1 in the final.
A year later, the charismatic manager guided his team to the German Cup final where he once again faced Bayern, only this time under Pep Guardiola. Dortmund lost 2-0 and the tally of defeats began building for Klopp.
His third final loss while in Germany came against Werder Bremen in the German Cup once again. The 2015 loss was even harder to stomach since it was his last game in charge of the Dortmund before he left in the summer.
Liverpool finished out of the qualification places in the league so this defeat means no European football at Anfield next season.
With less games in next season’s fixture list, Klopp will hope he can guide his team to another final and rid himself of this unwanted record.
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