What is the Jurgen Klopp curse? Liverpool boss' finals & Champions League bad luck explained

The German manager has experienced his fair share of bad luck on Merseyside, but is he actually cursed?
Jurgen Klopp's reign as Liverpool manager has been impressive, with the German transforming the club from perennial stragglers to a side regularly competing for European and Premier League titles in almost four years at Anfield.

For those who hold the opinion that winning silverware is the true way to a judge a manager's success, however, they will point out his not-so-flattering record in finals and come up with a conclusion of their own.

As manager of Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, Klopp has reached a total of eight finals - the most recent being this season's Champions League - but he has lost the last six in a row and has yet to lift a single trophy with the Merseysiders.

It is unfair to glibly dismiss Klopp as a failure when considering his six final defeats without taking into account the opposition, circumstances and the nature of the undoing. After all, how many managers amass 97 points in the Premier League yet still don't win the title? Surely there is some dark magic at work?

The idea of a 'curse' involving Klopp at Liverpool was floating around just a few months into his reign at Anfield after he took the club to the Europa League and League Cup finals only to lose both.

Prior to his appointment to Liverpool, he guided Dortmund to four finals and lost all but one. Most notably is, of course, the 2-1 loss to Klassiker rivals Bayern Munich in the 2013 Champions League final.

Klopp's curiously unsuccessful quest for trophies at Anfield, combined with Liverpool not having won the league title since 1992, has caused some Reds fans to bemoan that their club has been a victim of dark arts.

Rewind to the 2018 Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid - a game that was clouded with controversy.

The Reds were underdogs at the outset of the competition, but full of confidence ahead of their meeting with the Spanish giants thanks to the goal-scoring exploits of the attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, which helped them overcome Porto, Manchester City and Roma.