Jurgen Klopp’s assistant Zeljko Buvac takes leave of absence from Liverpool for ‘personal reasons’

Buvac steps away from his position just days before a crucial Champions League semi-final

Jürgen Klopp’s assistant Zeljko Buvac will not work with Liverpool’s first team for the remainder of the season.

The Anfield club confirmed on Monday morning that Buvac has temporarily stepped away from his duties due to ‘personal reasons’, just days before a crucial Champions League semi-final against Roma.

Liverpool dismissed reports that Buvac had left the club permanently and claimed his position as a member of Klopp’s backroom team would not be affected by this period of absence.

The timing, however, is far from ideal and raises questions over Buvac’s long-term future, as well as leaving Klopp without the man dubbed ‘the brain’ of his coaching operation at a critical point in the season.

Buvac has worked alongside Klopp since becoming his assistant at Mainz in 2001. The pair had previously played together at the Rhineland club during the late 1990s and pledged to work with each other in management.

Klopp and Buvac eventually moved on to Borussia Dortmund in 2008, where they honed the famous gegenpressing style to win back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012. A Champions League final appearance followed in 2013.

Klopp then brought Buvac to Anfield when appointed as Liverpool manager in October 2015 and his assistant signed renewed terms on Merseyside alongside him the following summer.​​

Buvac sat with Klopp in Anfield’s home dugout during the goalless draw with Stoke City on Saturday but will not now travel to Rome for Wednesday’s second leg.

The uncertainty over his future will evoke memories among some Liverpool supporters of previous backroom departures that proved costly.

Gerard Houllier failed to adequately replace his trusted lieutenant Patrice Bergues following Liverpool’s cup treble in 2001 and never enjoyed the same level of success at Anfield thereafter.

Rafael Benitez’s failure to retain the services of Pako Ayestaran following defeat in the 2007 Champions League final also marked something of a turning point in his tenure.

The Spaniard was replaced by Sammy Lee, but Liverpool failed to reach another European final in the tumultuous years that followed before Benitez’s departure in 2010.