Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool suffered a 3-0 defeat against Wolves on Saturday
Liverpool’s latest humiliation came on Saturday as they were defeated 3-0 by Wolves at Molineux, leaving them in mid-table and yet to win a Premier League game in 2023. Jurgen Klopp’s side are a shadow of last year’s quadruple-chasing outfit, as a Joel Matip own goal, followed by Craig Dawson and Ruben Neves goals, ensuring the hosts took all three points. Express Sport looks at four players that struggled against Julen Lopetegui’s team.
Salah Mohamed
Mohamed Salah was the league’s leading scorer last season but has struggled to reach the back of the goal this season, particularly in recent weeks. Against Wolves, he was able to locate opportunities that the Egyptian would have buried in past years, but is currently without a cutting edge.
When Cody Gakpo was able to cut inside on his preferred left foot and put Salah through on goal, his finish lacked conviction, and Dawson was allowed off the hook for his errant ball.
The 30-year-old must revert to his former self in order to justify his lucrative new contract, and there have been recent rumors that the Reds may contemplate offloading their star man for a reasonable amount if his difficulties in front of goal continue.
Thiago
Thiago has been tasked with keeping the ball moving and progressing play to the forwards, and while his quality has been evident since arriving at Anfield in 2020, many passes went astray against Wolves, and the Reds struggled to build momentum through the Spaniard while his teammates were put under pressure.
In recent weeks, Klopp has maintained faith in the starting midfield combination of Thiago, Naby Keita, and Stefan Bajcetic, but with each game that passes, it becomes clear that even if the Reds can sign Jude Bellingham in the summer, more recruitment in that area of the pitch is required. Thiago’s poor performance was exacerbated by Wolves’ third goal, as he lost Neves while tracking back, allowing the Portuguese midfielder a straightforward finish past Alisson.
Joel Matip
Klopp will have hoped to get off to a good start away from home and not give the home fans something to cheer about in the early stages, but the ball was past Alisson in Liverpool’s net after five minutes as Matip scored an own goal.
The goal was an unlucky deflection off the Cameroonian, but his inability to either cut off the pass or shut down Hwang Hee-chan allowed the South Korean to bounce the ball off Matip and put his team ahead.
Naby Keita’s
Keita struggled to make an impact against Wolves, and despite Klopp’s desire to keep the same lineup and recent acclaim for his side’s compactness, it was no surprise that the Guinean was the first player to be hooked by the German manager for Jordan Henderson.
His contract expires at the end of the season, and with a renewal doubtful, his lackluster time at the club could be coming to an end soon, albeit his recent performance against Wolves will not have suitors lining up to recruit him in the summer.
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