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Liverpool is bleeding, and they need quick fixes!
Things aren’t looking good as it was for Liverpool last season as the team are no longer contenders for the Premier League title – as narrated by Jurgen Klopp.
Things aren’t looking good as it was for Liverpool last season as the team are no longer contenders for the Premier League title – as narrated by Jurgen Klopp.
Currently a mid-table team in the Premier League, Liverpool are struggling to get their rhythm in place, but their Champions League run tells us otherwise. But, there are alarming signs evident at Anfield regarding the future of Jurgen Klopp.
Questions will now be asked if Liverpool fails to improve, as experts indicate that no manager is immune to criticism.
What happened?
The Reds have an unorthodox slow start to their 22-23 campaign with evident lapses in defence, and with just two wins, they’ve collected 10 points in 8 Premier League games. The returns of this have seen them placed 10th in the league, with Anfield slowly breaking down. There is also a suggestion that Klopp, who recently got his contract renewed, could be on the firing line at some stage.
The dynamics of Liverpool are no different to any club in the Premier League. If the results aren’t coming, there will be pressure on the manager. If they are not improving, there might be even more challenging conversations with the team owners and the manager.
Over the last few seasons, Liverpool fans have had delight, especially those who are regulars at Anfield with Liverpool tickets, and this is a reality that none of them thought would come back. The traditional Klopp celebrations at the Kop and the sheer passion the manager shows during the game were part and parcel of the experience. But looking at team chemistry, it feels like the team is currently behind.
While most of the pundits still see Klopp as the right man for the job, there were signs of enthusiasm taking a dip. Earlier, we saw Jordan Henderson reluctantly leaving the pitch after he was subbed and walking in disbelief. We have not seen this at Liverpool in the last few years. These little signs can be an indicator that things aren’t looking good.
Liverpool’s 3-2 loss against Arsenal might have stirred the pot. The unfortunate habit of conceding the first goal is something that Liverpool has been accustomed to and is hurting the side. With Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz picking up injuries, it makes the manager’s job even harder.
This Liverpool squad was competing to an unprecedented quadruple just five months ago, having won both the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. They were in a UEFA Champions League final and missed the Premier League title in the final game, falling short to Manchester City.
If there were one word to describe Liverpool, it would undoubtedly be lacklustre. For a side that has built a reputation to be a high-intensity outfit since the ex-Dortmund manager took over in 2015, this season saw the Reds wanting in all three areas. It is hard to imagine a championship side of this sort falling short.
Five of Liverpool’s crucial players, Jordan Henderson, Diogo Jota, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, made over 50 appearances last season in all competitions.
Henderson’s been vital in Klopp’s plans and has delivered in the last few seasons. He has featured in 57 games with 43 starts; his decline is alarming. As Liverpool tries to bring back form, now every game is a must-win for the side if they need to finish the first half of the season on a positive note.
An Ageing Squad
Arsenal’s squad from 2017-18 is now compared to the Liverpool side that was coming up the ranks that season – vibrant, aggressive and intense. When Liverpool faced Arsenal at the Emirates, it might have felt like they were playing a younger version of themselves.
That season, Liverpool had an average age of 25 years in their squad, ranking them as the youngest in the league. Five seasons later, Liverpool’s age average stands at 27 years and now is the third oldest.
The argument might not be valid across clubs where we’ve seen ruthless starts who are well above 30, such as Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling at Chelsea and Kevin De Bruyne at City, but the players of Liverpool are well beyond their prime.
Out of the players who made the most appearances in a red shirt in the 2018-19 season, the same year they won the Champions League – only Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum are no longer wearing a Liverpool jersey.
Transfer Market Issues
The problems at Liverpool has also to do with their hiring. While FSG, the club’s owners, have poured in millions to improve the club’s infrastructure, their spending in the transfer market is relatively low compared to their rivals.
The club has had a reputation for building players, but Liverpool has fallen short when the rest of the pack levels up with signings. During Klopp’s regime, Liverpool has found great value for their players in the transfer market in the likes of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Andrew Robertson.
While that being said, the clubs around Liverpool have bolstered their clubs with signings. Liverpool was fixated to a point where they needed to sell to buy, which was why they had to let go of Sadio Mane to bring in Darwin Nunez.
According to Swiss Ramble, Liverpool’s spent £318 million in 2016 and 2021, making them the fifth largest spender in England. But this figure was dwarfed by the big wallets of United and City, who spent s £656 million and £630 million.
Just this season, the side dragged contract negotiations of Mo Salah for months and finally settled on a sum appropriate for their best-performing player in the final months. There is significant pushback from the club’s management on the spending in the transfer market, and the aftermath of these decisions is visible this season.
The next few games will be crucial for the side, and everyone who purchases Liverpool tickets will be hoping for a better transfer window in January.
The Darwin Nunez experiment will not plan for the team, and Liverpool will most certainly need to look at their strategies post-World Cup if they want to make things right in the long run.
Liverpool Tickets – Where to find
The club’s momentum over the years also paved the way for more fans wanting Liverpool tickets than ever before. While the club looks to bounce back, Liverpool fans can quickly get Liverpool tickets, thanks to trusted reseller platforms.
While official sources can lead to disappointment, tickets from trusted platforms can always make every fan’s dream of making it to Anfield a reality.