Klopp can sort Reds, but he must go back to the future to do it
A QUESTION I’ve been constantly asked can sum up tomorrow night’s pressure-cooker clash between Liverpool and Everton.
It’s the “What’s gone wrong?” derby!
Honestly, if I had a quid for every time I’ve been asked that question on both sides, I’d probably be able to buy the Blues a new centreforward, or a midfielder for my former club.
Where. Do. We. Start. Well, with Liverpool, the first half at Wolves was among the most abysmal I’ve ever seen from them... and I’ve seen some bad ones. 6-1 at Stoke, anyone?
There are no simple answers.
If there were, then Jurgen Klopp would have sorted it out. But I do think people are overlooking just how demanding last season was, for them and equally for Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side haven’t collapsed quite as badly as the Reds, but, c’mon, they’re still a shadow of the side that chased honours on all fronts.
What does that tell you, if one of the greatest – if not the greatest – teams of all time has fallen off ?
Klopp maintains, “You cannot play the season we had last year and not have a reaction” – and I agree.
But it’s not the physical side, players can cope with that. It’s the mental exhaustion.
When you are chasing four trophies, the pressure is phenomenal, the mental demands are debilitating.
After it’s all over, that’s when you get the reaction and, no doubt, Liverpool have suffered.
Fabinho is only 29, so his legs haven’t gone, but he has appeared that way at times. Maybe Jordan Henderson, too.
That’s the mental toll. I think Klopp has taken both of them out of the firing line in recent weeks because he doesn’t want them to suffer any more psychological damage with all the criticism.
It’s tough. When I was Liverpool captain, I was mortally offended when I wasn’t starting.
Why believe that I’m an important enough player to be skipper and then not play me? I probably said something to that effect to
Gerard
Houllier.
For probably, read definitely.
I suspect
Henderson will be the same, but, of course, he’s an absolute pro, so he’s not going to be slagging his manager off in public.
Nor did I, for all the friction between me and Houllier then, but Hendo will be hurting. But then everyone is hurting.
Klopp (right) knew his side would struggle this season to repeat their superhuman effort, so he tried to refresh the side.
In came new signings Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo alongside youngsters such as Harvey Elliott, Calvin Ramsay and Fabio Carvalho.
But that hasn’t worked. Yet. I think that’s the second explanation.
Look at Liverpool’s successful signings even before Klopp arrived – and very definitely during his time at Anfield – and the vast majority had Premier League experience.
Henderson himself, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren, James Milner and Joe Gomez in those pre-Klopp years. All have played crucial roles for him.
And after he came?
Well, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk had both played in the Premier League. So too Sadio Mane, Gini Wijnaldum, Andy Robertson, Alex OxladeChamberlain, even Xherdan Shaqiri and Elliott.
I’m just stating the obvious – the Premier League is ferocious and it’s incredibly hard to adapt at the top level, even for top stars.
If you’ve not played there before, it’s even harder. And that is where Liverpool are.
They used to identify experienced Premier League talent at decent prices and build an incredible squad.
Now, it’s so much harder. Look at Anthony Gordon’s price.
It’s ridiculous for someone who’s hardly done anything and is yet to show any end product going for £45million.
But that’s the market for homegrown players today.
How much will Declan Rice leave West Ham for?
So, given that Liverpool always look for potential, and not the absolute superstars on superstar wages – and even Alisson and Van Dijk weren’t near those levels – they have to look elsewhere.
Nunez is inexperienced, raw, and not yet proven – and he’s played like it.
Even Gakpo was hardly proven at the highest level.
So it’s no surprise they haven’t settled yet, and there’s no guarantee they will. You can see it in the performances.
All Liverpool’s best wins have come when Salah played with Roberto Firmino and either Diogo Jota or Luis Diaz... and not Nunez or Gakpo.
It’s the tried and trusted, not a new style and system they’re still learning.
That’s why I expect Klopp to go back to that forward line as soon as he’s able.
And I’m sure he’s hoping it will be for the derby.
All Liverpool’s best wins came when Salah played with Firmino and Jota or Diaz