Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have been running around in circles. The club has taken one step forward and two steps back. The 3-1 loss at the hands of Brentford was a poor performance, and it exposed the glaring holes in midfield and defence. Ex-Red Jamie Carragher has openly called out the issues that are evident with Klopp’s team. The glaring gaps are visible to fans, pundits, and other ex-players. However, there is some reluctance to make cutting-edge decisions in the backroom.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker has made as many saves in the Premier League this season (58) as he did during the entire title-winning season back in 2019/20. Here is a list of the number of goals Liverpool has conceded after 17 Premier League games each season under the leadership of Jurgen. They are back to where they were and have defensively taken a step in the wrong direction.
- 2016-17 season – 20 goals conceded
- 2017-18 season – 20 goals conceded
- 2018-19 season – 7 goals conceded
- 2019-20 season – 14 goals conceded
- 2020-21 season – 16 goals conceded
- 2021-22 season – 13 goals conceded
- 2022-23 season – 22 goals conceded
There is an apparent lack of intensity. The high defensive line is being exposed at a drop of a hat. The defence does not back themselves with the pace that they have. Communication is at an all-time low. The fact that we have signed just one midfielder in four years means that the current crop is burning out, and we are reluctant to spend money on established big names.
Ex-Red Jamie Carragher calls out Liverpool’s transfer committee for their lack of investment in midfield. After the 3-1 loss to Brentford, Carra mentioned on SkySports, “When I watch Liverpool now, and certainly, in midfield, it feels like Jurgen Klopp’s team is morphing into something else. The only team it reminds me of is when I played against Arsenal under Arsene Wenger. Yes, they were a great football team. But their actual pace and physicality, teams could not cope with it. So then that team morphed into something technical, and they never won again.”
“This is nothing new for Liverpool defensively. They have been a shambles all season. It is so easy it is to go through the middle of them. They have conceded more big chances than any other team in the Premier League this season, which is unforgivable.”
What do you think is the actual problem with Liverpool in your opinion? Let us know in the comments section below.