Nothing seems to be going right for Liverpool now. The club has been struggling, with the latest disappointment being their elimination from the FA Cup by Brighton. The Reds were defeated 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, bringing their cup defence to an end in the fourth round. Harvey Elliott opened the scoring, but goals from Lewis Dunk and Kaoru Mitoma ensured Liverpool’s exit from the competition.
For the rest of the season, Liverpool will only participate in the Champions League, where they face Real Madrid, but as things stand, progression through the competition appears to be a difficult task. Their chances of finishing in the top four are also slipping away. The squad’s morale seems to be low, and the players are unable to perform at their best. Liverpool’s next league match is against Wolves this weekend.
The club’s pursuit of the quadruple, coupled with the disappointment of losing the Premier League title in the past two seasons to Manchester City, seems to have taken a toll on the squad. In any other season, 92 and 97 points would have been enough to win Liverpool two more titles. Injuries have also contributed to their struggles, with the absences of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota being particularly significant.
Many knew that a drop-off was always going to happen. However, the manner in which it has occurred seems to signal the end of an era. Only time will tell how Klopp will turn things around.
It is quite clear that one of the biggest mistakes that FSG and Klopp made was not replacing Georginio Wijnaldum. His work rate, injury record, and ability to put in a box-to-box shift were something that got Liverpool ticking. No one has been able to come close to the Dutch midfielder.
The midfield is a crucial area for any elite team, and it provides control and energy to the tactical set-up that Klopp wants his players to adopt. However, Liverpool has failed in this area, and not making the right additions to the team has hurt their performance. Questions need to be asked as to why plans were not put in place to maintain a high level of quality in the midfield.
The club is currently being linked to multiple talented midfield players, but whether they will join Liverpool remains to be seen.