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Liverpool legend John Aldridge has said that Jurgen Klopp has struggled to refresh his Reds squad, unlike Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
The Reds were on the verge of winning an unprecedented quadruple last season. After winning the EFL Cup and FA Cup, they were just a step away from bagging the Premier League and UEFA Champions League but came up short.
Liverpool missed out on the league title by just a point and lost 1-0 in the Champions League final to Real Madrid. They played 63 games from a possible 63 in the 2021-22 season.
The Merseyside-based club have failed to maintain those standards this term, as they're not even in the title picture and have been eliminated from both domestic cups. The Reds are on the cusp of crashing out of the Champions League, having lost 5-2 to Real Madrid at home in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie.
Aldridge reckons Liverpool's bid to win the quadruple last season has led to their downfall this campaign. The former Reds striker said that the team have run themselves into the ground after playing a whopping 63 games last term, writing in his Sunday World column:
"The demise of this great (Liverpool) team has baffled all of us this season, but I have come to the conclusion that last season’s exploits are at the heart of their problems. Klopp needs his team to play with a high tempo and to run through walls for him, but that takes its toll on players. Having played every game possible last season and come so close to a quadruple, the kick-back appears to be a team that has run out of gas."
Aldridge also pointed out that Klopp should have freshened up his squad like Ferguson did with Manchester United during his time at Old Trafford, writing:
"Alex Ferguson used to change his team consistently during his successful reign as Manchester United manager. He did that even when they were winning trophies, but Klopp has struggled to refresh his team after all the success of recent years. He knows that a pretty radical rebuild is needed this summer."
Liverpool pushing for top-four finish
With any silverware this season looking unlikely, the Reds will be hopeful of securing a top-four finish. They're sixth with 39 points from 24 games, trailing fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by six points, but have two games in hand.
They will look to reduce that gap with a win at home to Manchester United on Sunday (March 5).
