It was a perfect May for Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s side picked up five wins out of five to qualify for the Champions League next season. The German has been named May’s Manager of the Month for his side’s unbeaten run.
They rose, they stumbled, they fell, and they rose again; in the end, though, Liverpool managed to make it into next season’s Champions League by the finest of margins. The Reds recorded five wins out of five matches in May, beating rivals Manchester United along the way. As a result of their excellent run, Jurgen Klopp has been named Premier League’s manager of the month for May.
This is the ninth time the German has won the individual honour, making him fourth on the all-time list of awardees. He is tied with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and is one behind West Ham United’s David Moyes. Sir Alex Ferguson still leads the table with 27 wins to his name. Klopp’s May 2021 win also means that Liverpool strengthen their position as the club with the Month titles’ second-most manager of the Month titles. The Reds have collected 22 awards with five different managers, while Manchester United lead the table with 28.
Last season’s champions Liverpool found themselves eighth in the table, with ten matches to go. The Reds had just lost their sixth match out of the previous seven and were in free fall down the table. However, Klopp managed to arrest their slump and led his team to an unbeaten finish from that point on. Liverpool won eight of their final ten matches, including five out of their last five. As a result, they were able to climb the tables and squeeze into a Champions League spot on the penultimate matchday of the season. They eventually finished third in the table, behind Manchester City and Manchester United.
Meanwhile, joining Klopp on the pedestal was Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock. The Englishman – who joined the Magpies on loan from Arsenal in January – was named Premier League’s Player of the Month for May after scoring four goals in four matches. The only game Willock missed in May was against his parent club Arsenal, with Premier League rules forcing him to sit out.
Willock left London for Tyneside late in the January transfer window, with opportunities at Arsenal becoming scarce. The loan signing of Martin Odegaard pushed the youngster further down the pecking order, and he decided to temporarily leave the Emirates in search of regular first-team football.
The young midfielder scored on his debut for the Magpies in a 3-2 win over the struggling Southampton. A six-game goal drought was broken when the Arsenal graduate scored in a 2-2 draw against bitter London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. Willock scored twice in the next three matches – both late goals which helped Newcastle rescue points at the high-flying West Ham and Liverpool. He went on a scoring spree in May, finding the net on four occasions. His goals towards the end of the season were key in Newcastle’s survival in the Premier League. The Magpies finished 12th in the end, avoiding the drop by 17 points.
Willock impressed in his half-season at Newcastle United as he scored eight times during the latter stages of the competition. Such was his impact at the club that manager Steve Bruce stated his desire in keeping the player at the club on a permanent basis. However, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Willock would return to be a part of his squad ahead of next season.
