The start of the season Liverpool FC failed. Ninth place in the league, a narrow win and a clear defeat in the Champions League. However, Jürgen Klopp hardly has time for error analysis – for the “Reds“There are extremely important days ahead.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been the scapegoat on social media for the past few weeks. The still young right-back is accused of not being able to defend and can only be used offensively. “If he wasn’t a good defender, he wouldn’t play”explained Alexander-Arnold’s coach Jürgen Klopp recently and criticized the lack of fairness in the assessment of the 23-year-old. “I don’t understand why we accept that a world-class talent is judged on the one thing that he’s not quite as world-class at as he is at other things.”said Klopp.
Alexander-Arnold the “symbol” of Liverpool’s troubles
The problem is that this season Alexander-Arnold, with his definitely existing defensive blunders, is emblematic of what’s going on at the Anfield Rd wrong so far: The team makes too many mistakes, especially in defence. An analysis for which you really don’t need to be an expert. But you have to be one to turn them off. One doubts that Klopp is this expert Liverpool not yet.
“I’m still in the right place at the moment, one hundred percent”he had before the 3:3 against Brighton Said on “Sky” at the weekend, but with the addition: “And if not, then you have to end it. It would be stupid if you didn’t do that.” But, he stressed “none of those involved see it”. Instead of the coach, there is a young right-back, who was the big shooting star in the Champions League title three years ago, the scapegoat of the fans and the media.
The fact that this “mechanism” is not fair can be seen just by looking at the three goals that were conceded Brighton had to accept. Although you can also see Alexander-Arnold in an unfortunate role, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Virgil van Dijk are too late or don’t go to the ball energetically enough. But because Alexander-Arnold is actually offensive in the “Reds” plays such a major role and is now more noticeable through defensive failures, it is obvious to highlight this discrepancy on the basis of his person. Because that too is symbolic of the game of the Liverpooler.
Jurgen Klopp: “It was terrible”
15:6 degrees, 9:2 corners, 55 percent possession. Liverpool was against Brighton by no means the inferior team and the offensive potential of the team is still enormous. This not only underlined the 9:0 against Bournemouth a few weeks ago or the team’s beautifully played first two goals against Brighton. But the team is currently unable to implement Klopp’s usual concept, also because of too many individual mistakes. Does not consistently stand against the ball in the collective when pressing and allows too many dropouts in the build-up game. “It was awful, really awful to look at,” said Klopp afterwards. “We didn’t stand deep, but we didn’t attack high either. We were somewhere in between.” 1.3 goals conceded get the “Reds” currently in the league per game. Last season it was about 0.7 at the end – an increase of almost 100 percent.
Liverpool’s struggling newcomers
Although things aren’t going as badly at the front as at the back, it has to be said that Sadio Mané’s departure hurt. Substitute Darwin Nunez isn’t quite there yet Anfield Rd arrived and overall the newcomers of the last transfer window have not yet shown that they can decisively strengthen the team. Nunez, Arthur, Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konaté and Diogo Jota have cost more than 200 million euros together and, apart from Diaz, none of them are currently playing a major role – too little to play as a team at the consistently high level that in the premier league and the premier class is needed.
Very important weeks: Rangers, Arsenal, Manchester City
It is now on Tuesday (October 4th, 2022) against the Glasgow Rangers. They are 0:7 goals and without points after two games at the bottom of the table in Group A, Liverpool have three points after beating Ajax Amsterdam and losing to SSC Napoli. A win is a must, and the coach knows that too: “We’re under pressure, we don’t ignore it. We don’t increase the pressure every day, but it’s there.” Because the rangers-Partie heralds a series of games in which Liverpool revise – or worsen – the overall impression of the start of the season.
On Sunday (October 9th, 2022) it’s going directly against the leaders of the league Arsenal FCthen again against the rangersthen against the overpowering appearing Manchester City. Four games in which three or more wins can quickly restore the self-confidence that teams need, especially those who prefer a style of play like Klopp’s, once called “heavy metal football” because of its aggressiveness and power.
If this small intermediate spurt does not succeed and about three of the four games are lost, you would probably be closer to the relegation zone in the league than in international competition and would be on the verge of being eliminated from the Champions League. Then the pressure would increase all by itself.