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Jurgen Klopp is the notable new manager for Liverpool, but the question still remains, is he the man to bring them back to the top?

There are few things that can raise the expectations surrounding a new club, such as the appointment of a new manager. A new manager can bring new ideas, new tactics and new vision to a club in trouble. After all, managers don’t usually get the sack unless things aren’t going as planned.

Over the last five seasons, an average of six managers will make a mid-season debut, replacing the man that was in charge on the opening day and this season has made a jumpstart on that statistic. Game week nine had two managers making their debuts under very different circumstances.

Beginning at the bottom of the table, Premier League veteran Sam Allardyce has taken the reins at the struggle that is Sunderland. Beginning the season under the stewardship of Dick Advocaat, the club had yet to register a victory, with a total of three points seeing them firmly stuck in the relegation zone.

Advocaat was initially appointed on a temporary basis last March, guiding the club to safety before first announcing his retirement, then reversing the decision to sign a permanent contract. He resigned on Oct. 4, citing a desire to give his successor time to turn things around, leaving the club after only 19 matches and four wins.

Five days later, the Sunderland board had turned to Sam Allardyce as the man to take Advocaat’s seat. Allardyce has been plying his trade in the league for 15 years, first by bringing up and establishing Bolton Wanderers. Less successful spells followed at Newcastle, Blackburn Rovers and West Ham, where his teams gained a reputation for unattractive, yet effective football.

Unfortunately for Allardyce, an opening day victory was not in the cards, as Sunderland lost to West Brom under controversial circumstances. The club performed with more promise than they have shown all year, but lost 1-0 despite a seeming handball and foul on the goalkeeper in the buildup. Immediately after the loss, they were confirmed as the last place team in the league, leaving Allardyce with a mammoth task if he is to keep them up.

On the other end of the table, Liverpool confirmed Brendan Rodgers’ successor, and to say the announcement made waves would be an understatement. Jürgen Klopp was confirmed as the new manager after just four days, an appointment that is seen as a massive coup for a club in Liverpool’s situation.

Klopp made his name in his native Germany, guiding Borussia Dortmund to successive Bundesliga titles and a Champion’s League final, temporarily breaking the hold of Bayern Munich on German football. One of the most sought after managers in the game, he cut short his one year sabbatical to take the position, despite many thinking he was holding out for the Bayern job.

Klopp is a young, dynamic manager who has excited the nation’s media in a way that few coaches have before. In an era where the English league has been losing quality to the continent, the appointment of such a huge name is important to more than just a single club.

His first game was against Tottenham Hotspur, a fixture that has produced a fair bit of drama over the last few years as the clubs have been stuck in the same zone of the table. Right away his high-intensity running style was evident, as his team covered more ground than at any point so far this year. They were also the first club to outrun their hosts this year, nullifying Spurs at their own game.

Sadly, nullified is as far as the scores got, as Klopp was unable to get a goal out of his injury-ravaged squad; the loss of Danny Ings has left only 20-year-old Divock Origi up front. Still, a 0-0 draw away from home on your first day is still a statistical anomaly, and Klopp himself has said he is completely satisfied with the result.

It’s early days for both these two men, and only time will tell how they fare in their new posts. Can Allardyce save Sunderland? Is Klopp the man to bring Liverpool back to the top? Each one is a monumental task in its own right, and it will take a special sort of manager to pull it off.