Injuries and off-pitch drama
Things got off to a rough start for the beleaguered Liverpool back-four during the first half of the 2017-18 campaign. They were conceding goals at an alarming rate, essentially negating the brilliant efforts of attack which can only be described as “world class.”
Was the lack of VVD the prime reason for this? While Van Dijk is certainly a good player whose impact was immediately felt upon joining the Reds,there is simply no excuse for the complete lack of intelligent defending that plagued Liverpool during the early part of the season.
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Many pundits compare Klopp’s first two years at Borussia Dortmund to his first two at Liverpool. This is absurd for a variety of reasons. To begin, the Bundesliga is a vastly different league from the English top flight in terms of talent and playing style.
While on the subject of talent, the roster at BVB certainly had far less of it than that of his inaugural LFC squad. Lastly, the two clubs have incomparable finances when comparing Klopp’s first season with each.
Let’s not compare the 2008-10 Borussia Dortmund sides with those at Liverpool from 2015-17. Instead, why not examine what went right for Klopp in his first full season at LFC, and how the team has progressed over the course of the 2017-18 campaign?
To begin, there was a complete lack of pitch awareness and communication between centre-backs Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip. This was on clear display in an early season match against Newcastle United in which the LFC back line was absolutely horrid over periods of time.
They conceded a critical goal which can only be described as one of the worst of the Klopp era. The injury to right back Nathaniel Clyne has certainly had an impact on the LFC defence, though, young phenomenon Trent Alexander-Arnold has done an admirable job to fill that role.
Alberto Moreno has drastically improved this season over last, but many believe that Andy Robertson has outplayed the Spaniard since his untimely injury in December. Moreno will struggle to supplant Robertson upon his return.
Team Captain Jordan Henderson has slightly regressed in under Klopp. A popular belief for this is that the player is required to do far more than a traditional central defensive midfielder. Henderson’s fitness should also be taken into consideration as the player has suffered numerous injuries over the past few seasons.
Sadio Mané has seen a massive drop in form, scoring only three goals in league play since September 9th. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has certainly had his positive moments such as in LFC’s win over Manchester City in January. The “Ox” needs to show more consistency in order to increase his selections into the starting XI.
Emre Can appears to have one foot out of the door at times. He, like the aforementioned players, has had his good and bad moments. It is likely Can will be departing Anfield at the conclusion of the current campaign.
Liverpool’s two most consistent players in attack this season have been Roberto Firmino and the undisputed club MVP of 2017-18, Mo Salah. Where would Liverpool be without Mo Salah and “Bobby?”
Firmino has become one of the world’s best “false 9s” and Salah is breaking club records seemingly every week. The two of them have combined to make Liverpool a threat to beat any team on the continent this season.
