Of the players who suffered under Brendan Rodgers' management, Mamadou Sakho may have suffered the worst. By sheer measure of "totally should be playing" vs "inexplicably isn't playing", Sakho came out ahead of all his colleagues time and time again. The Frenchman made a return to the line-up against Norwich City in late September, but the only thing that would guarantee his continued spot in the line up under Brendan Rodgers' watch was an injury sustained by Dejan Lovren in an early round League Cup tie.
It was enough to drive the self-described Liverpool "soldier" a bit mad with his lot in life. Though he somewhat confusingly agreed to a contract extension when offered one earlier this season, it's clear that he was not enjoying his football under the tenure of his old manager.
"Let's say that during the short period when I was not playing, I was like a little caged lion who has not fed for a while," he told French magazine L'Equipe while on international break. "(Like a caged lion) when you open the door, he charges."
Liverpool fans got wind of the caged lion once previously when Sakho was left out of the line up in favour of Kolo Touré last fall during the Merseyside derby. Sakho famously made an uncharacteristic move in storming out of the dressing room upon discovering his exclusion from the team sheet.
If there's one player who might benefit most from Jürgen Klopp's arrival, it could be Sakho. Though Lovren's injury forced Rodgers to put Sakho back in the line up on a non-rotational basis, there was always the strong possibility that he'd return to the bench once Lovren had recuperated. Now that Rodgers has been dismissed, the position is Sakho's for the taking. Unleash that lion, Jürgen, unleash it!