Addressing the elephant in the room: Liverpool.
Surely by now everyone realizes how bad Liverpool's season is. They are 9th in the Premier League and out of both the FA cup and Carabao cup. While they face Real Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Of course, they hope to eliminate the reigning champions, in a task that seems rather impossible given their form. So now, let’s talk about the problems facing the Reds, a team that fought on all fronts and almost had it all last season.
Shaky defense
In the beginning, their defense has been all over the place conceding big chances like crazy. In a way that without Alisson, they could even be further down the table. They have been so naïve with their press to the point that when you look at the team play you see the opponents have the ball as long as they want, ironically, the reds still commit to a high line which is equal to tactical suicide because the defense is easily bypassed by through balls and long balls.
Over the top balls in the back of the defense and especially behind the spaces left by Trent Alexander Arnold are becoming the thing of habit that Liverpool fans have been accustomed to and expect to see from opponent teams rather sooner than later.
People have criticized Trent heavily saying stuff like he can't defend. This criticism has damaged a lot of his confidence, which is sadly apparent on the pitch. He doesn't commit to challenges like before and on the ball quality isn’t up to his standards. Surely some of the criticism is spot on but these spaces have always been there in the past seasons. But they were not that much of a headache because there was a lot of tracking back from the right sided midfielder which was frequently Jordan Henderson plus covering the space by the right sided CB whether it was Matip, Gomez or Konaté.
Trent's position is not right back specifically, he is the highest one up the pitch of the defense and he leads the pressure on the opposition attack. He even frequently occupies the midfield position in the attacking phase of play. He is required to create chances for the team and he did that consistently in a manner that is unusual for a right back. Whereas his attacking numbers have declined as well, the 24-year-old registered his first and only assist in the league against Brentford away in gameweek 19. It has surely been a season to forget for the English right back.
But Trent is a part of a system and surely a system doesn't and shouldn't rely on one player; which is a fact.
Additionally, Jordan Henderson, the captain of the team, is not having the best spell of football recently. Henderson's role and effort and the way he leads the team has always been underrated. He is a phenomenal player on his day and Liverpool suffer massively when he is not in the starting eleven. This season unfortunately, he is not performing on the same level, his energy and the quality of his passing in the final third hasn't been up to standards.
Dilemma upfront
Nevertheless, the attack of the team has probably been the most frustrating part of the team. Jurgen Klopp's ruthless attacking side has become toothless. So many easy chances missed with no cohesion and understanding between the attackers. This of course is partly due to the integration of three new attackers (Luis Diaz, Nuñez and Gakpo) in the space of a year. Coincidentally, with the loss of one key cog in the wheel which is none other than Sadio Mané, the tiranga lion who is known for his ruthless finishing and one key element of his game, which is so vital for the team, his relentless efficient pressing. Moreover, Liverpool lost two key squad players upfront: Divock Origi, the unsung hero in most Liverpool big moments. Besides Takumi Minamino who scored important goals in the cups. This change in dynamic but also change of profiles of the players for the evolution of the squad, hasn't been as smooth as you would want.
Luis Diaz is an outsanding winger but he is different to the way Mané used to play. Diaz hugs the line and dribbles past players more than Sadio does. However, Mané has more box presence, hence is more of a goal threat than Diaz is. That is not to say that Diaz is a bad player, instead he is different to what Liverpool are used to and expect from their wingers. Perhaps, it’s in the thought of the management to try and adapt Luis more to the style of the team. In fact, since the colombian came to the team, he has been nothing short of electric. The energy he brought to the table, has pushed the team to compete in all competitions last season. He actually adapted a little bit more since the season started. He has been the most consistent player in the team, until his injury. The system actually was flowing really nicely at the end of last season, where the starting trio was Salah, Mané as the center forward and Diaz as the left winger. But then Mané left and came the introduction of the Uruguayan striker Darwin Nuñez.
Nuñez is a really different player from all the options upfront. Talking about the options: Bobby Firmino, a proper false nine, one of the best at it in fact, you have Diogo Jota, a quality poacher, who operates like a false nine while being more efficient in front of goal than his Brazilian team mate but with less involvement in the build-up. Meanwhile, Darwin is a traditional number 9, which Liverpool needed for a long time. Maybe he hasn't started in the way Liverpool fans hoped he would, but his commitment to make runs in behind is always appreciated by the fans and the so called chaos he brings on the pitch is really exciting in a season full of frustration.
Recruitment & Midfield dystopia
Then, in the beginning of January 2023, Cody Gakpo signed, the Dutchman impressed at the world cup. He was primarily used as a LW at PSV Eindhoven but it seems that Klopp and his assistant, Pep Lijnders, see Gakpo as a striker who can play as LW. This became evident when both Gakpo and Nuñez were on the pitch. Gakpo was used as the striker and Nuñez was used as the winger. It's a bit confusing at first, but you can see the rationale behind it. Compared to Nuñez, the Netherlands international is much better in linkup play than Darwin is. Meanwhile, the greater difference that affects the team more is the defending shift put in by Gakpo which tries to imitate the role played for years by none other than Roberto Firmino.
You could sense a bit of disorganization in the recruitment of Liverpool, with no clear plan. What was the point of bringing in Darwin Nuñez, if after only six months of his arrival You would play Gakpo in his position? Theoretically the Dutch winger could be converted to a striker in the future because of his height. The 6 '4” (1.93 m) forward has the build of a number nine. But if Gakpo is actually brought in to be a striker, was that the right solution? Because Liverpool lack in midfield quality while having a limited transfer budget and they have, like I mentioned before, 3 players with different profiles which could play that position.
But let's not jump to conclusions, usage of Gakpo as a striker could be a tactical tweak to improve the team shape as a whole by choosing attackers that can defend. Which can explain making Harvey Elliot a LW, because he can press in this position appropriately compared to other options available like Oxlade Chamberlain or Darwin who can also operate on the left.
Now let’s talk a bit about the poor planning of the future of the squad, besides the lack of recruitment of players.
Liverpool have been known throughout the years by their flawless recruitment which was data driven. It was always built on identifying a player for a position while also having a plan B and a plan C for alternative players. But recently, the club started a different approach which is player specific and not profile specific. Pep Lijnders (the assistant manager) said before, when recruiting players, the team should only target players that can compete for a starting spot. That's fine, and that's what every top club does. Still in the beginning of last summer (summer 2022), Liverpool lost the battle to sign Aurélien Tchouaméni from AS Monaco to Real Madrid. The highly rated French defensive midfielder could have been the start of a much needed midfield rejuvenation. Yet, after losing the race to sign him to the Spanish powerhouse, the team decided to stop pursuing a top-level midfielder and settle for the signing of Arthur Melo on loan on deadline day in a panic buy, amid a midfield injury crisis. Still, the Brazilian midfielder only played a measly 13 minutes due to injury as well.
The midfield issues that the club has, are the result of bad squad planning. On paper at the start of the season, the team had ten midfielders. This number at first seems more than enough, knowing that the formation only has three midfielders. But in fact, there are three U21: Harvey Elliot, Curtis Jones and Stefan Bajcetic. Three who have their contracts ending in the summer: James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain. Plus, Thiago Alcántara and Jordan Henderson, who are both 32 and 33 respectively by the end of this year. In addition, to the loanee Arthur Melo who was injured when Liverpool bought him and lacked match fitness. While the only midfielder who is technically in his prime, Fabinho has had a sharp decline in his level and now is replaced by the 18-year-old Stefan Bajectic in the starting lineup.
The squad needs a midfield revamp, Jude Bellingham is the name that is most mentioned in the press, but Liverpool needs another one or two even. Jude is a generational talent and a homegrown player which helps in squad building. He is a must and Liverpool face competition from all of Europe’s strongest teams. With the potential of missing out on the Champions League spots next season, will Liverpool still have the attracting power and funds needed to bring in top players?
Further, the last issue that the Reds face is a mix between physical and mental fatigue. Jurgen Klopp prefers to have a small squad with minimal changes to the starting eleven each game. The reasoning behind this is to keep squad morale besides having the strongest eleven always sharp and ready. This approach leads to minimal squad rotation, which, while keeping this intense style of gegenpressing, leads eventually to injuries. Injury crisis is a repeated theme when it comes to the Liverpool squad and one that can be expected. Yet, the management and sporting department refuse to add fresh blood, possibly due to the owners’ minimal spending, but also due to decision making while recruiting new players. The starters in the Reds squad have racked up the most matches by any squad in Europe, while facing that dramatic end to the season. Then, having a short vacation and returning to pre-season. It is definitely an extremely demanding effort that can only be fixed by just giving them a breather every once in a while. This raises the problem of the massive drop in team quality and performances due to the lack of proper substitutions for the most of the starting eleven.
What’s next?
This was kind of a long recap of Liverpool’s issues that touch different aspects concerning the club. There has been some talk about a possible sale of the club to new owners, hopefully it occurs before the summer. Whilst having new owners is always tricky because you don’t know what to expect. Hopefully it brings the funds required to do a squad overhaul which is much needed for the Reds to compete again on all fronts.