(CNN) — The World Cup was a welcome pause for English club Liverpool, a moment to reassess after a poor start, defeats and a lackluster performance.
And with the resumption of the European football season, the same problems arose for Jurgen Klopp’s team, and now there is no chance of winning the (Premier League) title, but rather there is a small chance of ending the season in the first four places, and thus ensuring qualification for the Champions League, next season.
In fact, Liverpool were eliminated from the competition last October, and the results were very appalling, and now, barely in the new year, Klopp’s men find themselves, 10 points behind Manchester United, which ranks fourth.
How did Liverpool get to this?.. It was fighting for all four major titles last season, losing the English Premier League title by one point on the last day of the season, and losing to Real Madrid in the (Champions League) final, while winning the League Cup and the FA Cup.
This is the club that, since Klopp’s arrival in October 2015, has been accustomed to winning and fighting for the title, delving into cup competitions and bringing in the right players at the right time.
“I can’t remember a worse match.”
Liverpool have lost 26 league points this season, four more than during the entirety of last season, scored fewer goals, conceded more and won fewer points than any of the previous seven seasons at this point in Klopp’s reign.
Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Brighton in the league was Liverpool’s worst performance this season.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, Klopp said: “I don’t remember a worse match, I can’t, of course we are very worried, how can you not worry after a match like this?”
Team captain Jordan Henderson admitted, “It wasn’t right a short time ago. Everyone knows that. I will take the responsibility and the players will take it as well. We have to try to correct the course.”
Henderson and Fabinho failed to provide the addition to the “Reds” midfield this season, while they were main pillars in the beginnings with Jürgen Klopp, and this indicates the need for change, and raises a question: Is this the end of an era for Liverpool?
But the midfield is not the only problem, the defense too, the defense line was weak even with the presence of the captain of the Netherlands in the defense center, Virgil van Dijk.
“Our confidence is very low, the energy level is low, we have to keep fighting and hopefully we can change it sooner,” Henderson said.
and Darwin Nunez, who was bought to replace Mane and although he has the potential to become a superstar, he has had a lukewarm start to his career with the Reds.
Last month, Liverpool signed Cody Gacbo, one of the most sought-after young players in Europe, from PSV Eindhoven, but it would be very difficult to expect him to make an impact right away.
The attack, the front line that does not score, The departure of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich in the summer is certainly one of the explanations for the weakness of this line, which was feared in the past, while the injuries suffered by the two subsequent players, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, reduced the options “Reds” in the attack.
And if this team is still the old Liverpool that enjoys the “monster mentality” as Klopp liked to call them, and if they want to refuse to raise the white flag, there is still hope for this season, and hope for a turnaround and a series of victories, in addition to returning to the competition for Top four.
But this season’s performance so far suggests that this scenario is very unlikely, and only time will tell if Klopp and his men are able to turn things around.
