Christ Yoder
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Jürgen Klopp was adamant. “We are absolutely convinced that Steven is the best fit for us,” said the Liverpool boss, a look of unwavering determination on his face.
He was faced with a dilemma, a situation eerily similar to what the Reds face now, five years later. Liverpool, in January 2016, were in the midst of a crisis of minor defensive injuries: Martin Skrtel, Dejan Lovren, Mamadou Sakho and Kolo Touré were all injured, leaving Klopp with a shortage of center-backs during a key period of the season.
So he did what he did very rarely during his tenure at Liverpool and turned to the loan market. Came Steven Caulker from QPR, a player who had spent time with Southampton but struggled to establish himself as a regular player.
It was unexpected, not least because the 24-year-old had made what appeared to be an upward move despite struggling at Southampton. But Klopp’s reasoning was legitimate.
“We were looking for a Premier League experience because in this short period of time you need that experience,” he said. “We looked for a good head [of the ball] because that’s what we need – we want to play good pressing, we want to squeeze the opponent and so he has to play long balls. If they’re playing long balls, you need people in the last row who can help you with the headers.
“I can’t wait to work with him. He will be there today and then we can start working, so it’s all good!
Caulker would then provide defensive cover, an emergency arrival meant to ease the load on Liverpool’s other center-backs. In reality, however, things didn’t quite go as planned.
January 13, 2016 – Liverpool 3-3 Arsenal
Klopp’s claim that he needed a “good header” from the ball was pretty accurate. But few expected Caulker’s brief stint at Anfield to be a replacement for Andy Carroll.
With two minutes to go in a Premier League encounter with Arsenal, Klopp took drastic action in an attempt to reverse a 2-3 deficit. Adam Lallana was withdrawn, replaced by the imposing Caulker, who immediately joined Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino in attack.
And his presence proved to be effective, contributing to a disastrous Arsenal defense in the dying moments of the game. As extra time approached, Joe Allen equalized late, and Caulker, as bizarre as his involvement was, was praised, albeit mostly ironic.
“I thought it was a good idea, but after the goal he tried to stay attacking and we had to shout really loud to change tactics,” Klopp said.
“He won three or four heads, important heads for us, so it was a good change and for him a good start.”
Caulker, meanwhile, took to social media to express his glee. “What an honor,” he wrote, lapping the applause of supporters already in love.
As unusual as the situation was, the defender turned target had started well.
January 17, 2016 – Liverpool 0-1 Manchester United
When Liverpool were beaten by their big rivals at Anfield, Caulker’s late cameo was no longer a fun surprise. Instead, it was highlighted as an indication of the team’s problems.
They couldn’t find any way out against a stubborn Manchester United side, and the loss left Liverpool ninth in the Premier League.
“The difficulties Klopp faces boil down to the fact that, for the second game in a row, he was reduced to pitching defender Steven Caulker, a QPR loan, as a late attacking substitute,” read the report. BBC match report.
This time the heavy defender was ineffective, sent off at the last minute as Klopp grew more and more desperate. At the time, there was no Mo Salah, no Sadio Mané, and Liverpool seemed devoid of attacking options.
What seemed like a signing made with defensive reinforcements in mind has turned into little more than a reminder of the need for the club to invest upfront.
January 23, 2016 – Norwich 4-5 Liverpool
Amid the chaos, amid shattered glasses and waving limbs, Caulker celebrated in the background. Once again, his late introduction as a target man, agent of chaos in the opposing box, had helped Liverpool find something more.
It was his header that swerved on Lallana’s path, which flew home with seconds remaining and gave Liverpool one of their most spectacular and memorable wins under Klopp.
And with that, Caulker was done. He had made his third and final league appearance for the club – managing a total of four minutes of play – and will be remembered in the following years as little more than a curiosity. He had been welcomed, honored and forgotten, in the space of a few weeks.
The end
Under the surface, all was not well. Caulker’s arrival was so unexpected and he was mainly used as an old-fashioned center-forward, which meant his time at Liverpool was on several occasions taken lightly. It was, they concluded, a desperate signing always doomed to fail, no matter how entertaining along the way.
For Caulker, however, it was much more than that. Joining Liverpool was an opportunity, a chance to impress on the bigger stage, to rebuild a floundering career.
Instead, his far-from-the-field demons, an alcohol addiction that led to intoxicated and disorderly offenses, proved to be inescapable. “I sat here for years hating myself and never understood why I couldn’t be like everyone else,” he said in a 2017 interview with the Guardian . “This year was almost the end. I felt for long periods of time that there was no light at the end of the tunnel.
“In Liverpool I would wake up in the middle of the night throwing up, people blackmailed me, club owners and bouncers, ‘Pay the money or we’ll sell you this story.
“And I had no idea what I had even done about those blackouts. I finally told the club that I couldn’t function and had to go back to rehab.
Behind the anecdotes, the cameos in unlikely attacking, there was a darker story. Caulker has since changed things, impressing currently with the Turkish side of Alanyaspor, but he will not forget his time at Anfield.
The clubs and its fans have since evolved. For Caulker, however, the memories, good and bad, remain.
