Liverpool needed to invest when Van Dijk was injured
Hif I picked the club’s best XI, it would be the same for three years – and that is the problem with Klopp’s squad
One of the most astute observations I have read about Liverpool since Wednesday night’s defeat by Burnley is this: “They have been superhuman for three years. Now they look human.”
That puts into perspective the loss of form. When you have attained extraordinary standards, you need to readjust to normality.
Since 2015, Liverpool’s owners have allowed Jurgen Klopp to be the symbol of the Anfield revival, the figurehead as well as the coach and inspiration behind the Champions League and Premier League triumphs.
The relationship between a low-key, overseas ownership group and charismatic front of house leader has worked. Fenway Sports Group has been the first to acknowledge the club would not have restored their elite status without Klopp, and he has been generous in his praise for how they support him, and granted him the freedom to manage without boardroom intrusion.
But when I heard Klopp assume all the responsibility for Liverpool’s defeat by Burnley it did not sit comfortably with me, especially when he pointed out that it was not for him to decide if the club acted in the transfer market. In the midst of the first significant backward steps since Klopp’s appointment, there must be a collective effort to ensure this is just a blip.
The club’s response should have been activated on Oct 19, the day Virgil van Dijk’s cruciate knee operation was confirmed. I said then I did not think Liverpool could win the league unless they had a new centre-back in place on Jan 1. They needed one before Joe Gomez was injured. His and Joel Matip’s appearance record was informative of that.
Frankly, it is preposterous that three months on and with the transfer window now open, Klopp felt compelled to use Jordan Henderson in the position against Manchester United. And although Fabinho has been outstanding, he would be more influential in midfield. It has caused a chain reaction throughout the team.
Maybe the club thought Klopp was so good he could overcome any situation. If so, the past few weeks are a reality check for them.
At the moment, the impediments – albeit many of them were unforeseen – look too much to overcome to meet the highest ambitions.
I have long felt that what Klopp has achieved at Liverpool is incomparable to what managers at other leading Champions League clubs have accomplished. I know rival fans always point at expensive signings such as Van Dijk and Alisson Becker and say Liverpool are as big spenders as Manchester City or Manchester United, but the facts show how Klopp subsidised his biggest deals with sales.
He bought into the Liverpool self-sustaining model, accepting there was not the bottomless pit of cash as at other Premier League clubs.
Since 2018, it has felt like owner FSG has looked at the quality and age of the squad assembled over the previous three years, and saw a lifespan of around four or five seasons for the core of the team who reached the Champions League final in Kiev.
The proof of that is investing only £7.5million in the three transfer windows preceding last summer. Liverpool’s net spend in the Premier League since Klopp took over in 2015 is less than Everton, Brighton and Aston Villa.
Look at the side who were beaten by Real Madrid and you see minor alterations. The goalkeeper is a massive upgrade, as is Fabinho, but if I were to pick Liverpool’s best XI, it has been the same for three years.
Although Thiago Alcantara is a stellar name and we have yet to see enough of him at Anfield, and Diogo Jota hit the ground running before his injury, no signings have demoted the established stars. That means the first dip – or series of injury setbacks – has led to a significant quality drop.
Xherdan Shaqiri, Alex Oxladechamberlain and Naby Keita are back-ups. Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino have opportunities, but will never be regular starters.
The club have stuck to the preferred and so far successful option of patience, knowing Van Dijk and Gomez will recover for next season, and the high standards of the world-class players such as Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will eventually return.
This time the club need to react in the transfer market to ensure these most trying of times do not undermine Liverpool’s upward trajectory. They need a new centre-back.
The consequences of the pandemic, lockdown football without Anfield’s major weapon of a vibrant crowd and the loss of key players for a prolonged period means there has to be a contingency plan to go alongside the more measured, long-term one.
Nobody ever wants to panic buy, but sometimes circumstances demand flexibility. Otherwise – even though they will never admit it – it will seem the club are prepared to tolerate some pain until normality returns next season.
Liverpool’s fixture schedule shows the situation may deteriorate before it improves, with trips to Old Trafford, Tottenham and Leicester City coming up, and Manchester City and Everton heading to Anfield.
We will know by the end of next month if Liverpool are still fighting for the title or to stay in the top four. Klopp may be prepared to accept all the burden, but when the tools he needs are unavailable – or, worse still, are not provided when needed – it is his to share.