BENGALURU: What has happened to the Liverpool machine - are they running out of fuel? Why are the renowned front three of Liverpool failing - is it fatigue? Who will score Liverpool's next goal? Will they finish with any silverware this season? These questions have surfaced with the Reds' 2021 slump becoming a talking point. Even more so after Liverpool lost their first home game, at Anfield, in the Premier League after 1369 days to Burnley on Thursday.
Three weeks into 2021, and the cracks in the Liverpool squad are appearing. They have lost twice in three league matches, slid to fourth place and are six points off the top of the table. If things do not improve, Champions League qualification could take a hit. With other teams like Manchester City and Manchester United getting desired results, and Liverpool's case being the opposite, the defending champions need a major resurgence to give their rivals a run for their money in the title race.
There is d fora serious nee Liverpool players to find their mojo back and Sunday provides a good opportunity for a team, which is lacking in confidence. They face United in the FA Cup fourth round, and a win may give them the much needed push for the rest of the season. A loss, well, will only deepen their crisis. Hence, looking at their current form and circumstances, Klopp, who has played with youngsters in Cup competitions previously, might field a strong XI.
"It would have been easy for them, in Jurgen situation, to play a weakened side if it would have been a weaker opponent, like a League One team. But, in a way that would not have helped Liverpool's current situation. Playing Manchester United is just the right fixture. Playing a stronger side and getting the win not only helps them progress in the FA Cup, but also gives them the much needed confidence back into, what seems like a short of confidence, Liverpool side," former England and Liverpool goalkeeper David James told this daily in a virtual interaction.
Liverpool's problem surprisingly lies in front of goal. One of the most feared attacking trio of world football, Sadio Mande, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah seems to have forgotten their shooting boots in 2020. Make no mistake, Liverpool have scored the most number of goals (37) in the league so far and the Egyptian with 13 in pole position for the golden boot, but it is their current record, which is disappointing.
After defeating Crystal Palace 7-0 mid December, Liverpool have scored one in five league matches and their only win came against Aston Villa, who played with a young team in the previous round of the FA Cup. To make matters worse, nobody has stepped up their game when it comes to scoring goals.
Champion teams find an alternate route and players to goal, but that is missing from Liverpool currently. With the kind of possession based football Liverpool play, they always create chances, but converting them has been a big problem, which needs to be sorted. Injury to the then in-form Diogo Jota did not help their case too.
"For Manchester City now other players like Phil Foden, (Ilkay) Gundogan have stepped up and are chipping in with goals. That is not the case with Liverpool, they are not getting it from elsewhere, especially with Jota being injured. They are creating chances, yes the finishing has not been the best, but even when they hit the target, no matter what, the goalkeepers have been making those good saves," said James.
Such below par game in the final third is frustrating especially when they have most of their key attackers in the squad fit. Had they leaked in goals, one would have understood with the likes of Van Dijk and Joe Gomez out. They have had to use make shift or rather young defenders play in big games too, and it has worked.
But, James provided a different picture as to why the Liverpool attackers may have failed. "You can imagine a training session, where you have got a full squad, including Van Dijk. So when players are training against the best defenders, then you have to be on top of your game to beat them. Given that Liverpool have got a very skinny defensive unit (lack of top end quality), then you are not training against the best defenders, therefore you can argue that the best players don’t have to play their best to get past these defenders...I would argue that the frontline are not training against the best defenders, which impacts their ability on the field.”
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