KLOPP MUST GET OVER BACK PAIN
JURGEN KLOPP is contemplating going into an explosive showdown against Manchester United without a recognised centrehalf, indicating he will be cautious over Joel Matip no matter how urgently he is needed. “After the United game we will obviously play every three days again, so… for the United game, we will see,” he said of a potential return for the injured defender.
The implication was clear: despite the importance of the contest, the run of games which follows will define Liverpool’s season, and so their manager must see the bigger picture. Klopp knows his men face 10 defining games in just 35 days, including clashes with all the rest of the current top six.
He knows, too, what a difference a year makes as he prepares for United. This time last year victory over their rivals all but confirmed Liverpool as champions-elect.
Before that match they were 13 points clear with two games in hand over Manchester City and 27 points ahead of United following a run of 13 wins and one defeat in 15.
This season is a stark contrast. Since November 25 they have won just five of 12 matches. Klopp is clear on the cause, his injury crisis in central defence with the long-term absence of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, and Matip’s continuing injury issues. He has selected 41 different centre-half pairings since taking charge, and this season contributed significantly to that statistic. Klopp knew going into the season with only three senior central defenders was a risk. He knows now, going into the second half of the campaign, it is bordering on the rreckless.
For him the issue is nnot only his defence. There are implications all over the pitch – as the last three league ggames showed. Against West Brom, Newcastle, and Southampton, Liverpool mustered just seven shots on target, one goal and two points. “Playing with different centrehalves constantly changed everything, the whole set-up is different,” said Klopp. “We can’t sort it now in the transfer market. Would one centre-half sort all our problems? Maybe for a game or two, then he could be injured too.”
Jurgen Klopp’s side face 10 games in three competitions in the space of 35 days, including league battles against every one of the other five teams currently in the top six – Man United, Leicester, Tottenham, Man City and the derby against Everton.