When you think this demoralized Liverpool team has reached rock bottom, they drag themselves further below
The ‘Oles’ rang out across Molineux on Saturday as Wolves casually retained possession in the last minutes of stoppage time. Jurgen Klopp’s team stood around, hoping for referee Paul Tierney to end their torment.
It was yet another embarrassing event in an already dreadful season.
So much for reaching rock bottom three weeks ago in Brighton. That defeat was also by a 3-0 scoreline, but it was against a vibrant club vying for European qualifying, whereas this one was against a side struggling for top-flight survival.
Liverpool has earned one point out of a possible 12, surrendered nine league goals, and scored just one. The Reds’ chances of finishing in the top four are in tatters as Klopp deals with the biggest crisis of his seven-and-a-half-year rule at Anfield.
“You’re going fired in the morning!” yelled the home fans as Klopp gritted his teeth and plunged his hands deep into his pockets on the touchline.
Liverpool has earned one point out of a possible 12, surrendered nine league goals, and scored just one. The Reds’ chances of finishing in the top four are in tatters as Klopp deals with the biggest crisis of his seven-and-a-half-year rule at Anfield.
“You’re going fired in the morning!” yelled the home fans as Klopp gritted his teeth and plunged his hands deep into his pockets on the touchline.
There is no way that could happen. Understandably, Klopp retains the complete support of the club’s owner, Fenway Sports Group (FSG). Whatever happens between now and the conclusion of the season, he has enough credit to lead the upcoming summer rebuild.
Certainly, the vast majority of Liverpool fans continue to support a guy who has been the most transformative figure in the club’s history since Bill Shankly. He has earned that dedication and support during such a trying time by leading the club to such lofty heights.
Yes, Klopp must answer some hard questions regarding the precipitous deterioration of a team that suddenly appears blunt at one end and fragile at the other. The difficulties continue to mount, and he is striving to find solutions.
Yes, a lack of investment in the team has led to their current predicament. Yes, the off-field uncertainty and instability doesn’t help, with FSG president Mike Gordon standing back to supervise the search for new investment and sporting director Julian Ward planning to leave in the summer.
However, this does not excuse what is being served.
Liverpool have conceded three goals in three consecutive away league games for the first time since November and December 1993, and it has happened against Brentford, Brighton, and Wolves rather than Arsenal, the Manchester clubs, Chelsea, or Spurs.
Allow that to sink in.
There are way too many athletes in that locker room who are down on themselves. Some people require a long, hard look in the mirror. Is anyone going to stand up to keep this season from falling apart?
Every fixture now appears to be dangerous.
Next Monday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield against resurrected Everton is followed by a difficult journey to fourth-placed Newcastle United, then the opening leg of the Champions League last 16 clash at home to holders Real Madrid. Then it’s Crystal Palace at home before a resurgent Manchester United comes to town. What is the tipping point?
The return of Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk to team training at Kirkby this week after lengthy injury absences will bring a much-needed boost, but it will require more than that. There needs to be a collective mental shift.
It wasn’t a tactical error that sent Liverpool down 2-0 after just 12 minutes on Saturday. They were just cut apart. How can you prepare for a game for a week and then start so slowly?
“It was incredibly frustrating and disappointing. The game’s opening was simply terrible. “It was the polar opposite of what we wanted to do,” confessed Klopp.
Slow starts have plagued Liverpool all season, and whatever is said before the players leave the locker room is clearly not going through, but this is also about personal responsibility. It’s not much to expect to be switched on and ready to play on the front foot.
Centre-backs Joel Matip and Joe Gomez were both equally responsible. Nobody followed Hwang Hee-run chan’s for the first goal. Matip would not have ended up in a situation where he accidently turned the ball into his own net if he hadn’t been so reluctant.
The second objective was to add another set-piece shambles to the collection. Andy Robertson was defeated in the first round by Matheus Cunha, who was then permitted to collect the loose ball and cross unopposed. Craig Dawson hammered home a shot after Gomez’s weak header.
These severe scars were inflicted on myself.
“It’s not difficult to play center-back next to the leader of the back four. “Judge centre-backs when they have to lead themselves,” tweeted Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool defensive stalwart turned TV analyst.
Liverpool may still have won the game, but their strikers are all suffering from confidence issues.
Wolves were pinned back for the first 25 minutes of the second half, yet so many promising chances went unrealized. Liverpool had 22 shots, but only four were on target, with half of them coming from left-back Robertson.
Mohamed Salah made a dejected figure as he failed to register a shot on target for the fourth time in a row in the Premier League. Darwin Nunez was unpredictable in his return to the center role he seeks, and he hasn’t scored in the league since November 12. Cody Gakpo, the club’s January signing, never appeared like he’d make an impact.
Everything is so disconnected.
Leicester City defender Wout Faes, who scored that hilarious own-goal double at Anfield in late December, is Liverpool’s best scorer in the league since the season resumed following the World Cup.
Others are now making fun of Liverpool.
While Klopp’s team huffs and puffs, frantically seeking inspiration for the future, they are so easy to exploit defensively. Wolves’ third goal on the counter was unsettlingly familiar: challenges were missed, runners were not followed. More humiliation.
“How could I not be worried? “I can’t sit here and claim everything is fine,” Klopp remarked.
“I was questioned outside if it was because I played 63 games last season” (across four competitions). Of course, it’s obvious that it had an impact on the first half of the season, but how long do we want to suffer as a result? It’s currently February. We had a week to prepare (for Wolves).
“Seven or eight players had no part in the first goal, seven or eight had no part in the second goal, but everybody is influenced by it. I haven’t lost faith in the boys, but I can see where we need to improve.”
Klopp maintains he is still completely dedicated to bringing Liverpool out of its current predicament. He’s not going to give up.
However, unless there is a reaction in that dressing room, the size of the reconstruction that is required this summer will continue to rise. There are people playing for their futures in there.
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