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What do the numbers 7, 6, 8, 7, 2, 6 and 8 have in common?
Since the turn of the decade, all of the above represent Liverpool’s finishing positions in the Premier League, a depressing tale of one of the world’s great clubs consistently failing to punch its weight and threaten to repeat its historical achievements.
A further painful statistic reflects the club’s trophy haul during the past decade. It stands at one in 10 and, following Wednesday’s EFL Cup semifinal elimination at the hands of Southampton, threatens to become one in 11 unless Jurgen Klopp can re-energise his fading team to win the FA Cup this season or, more unlikely, close a 10-point gap on leaders Chelsea to emerge as Premier League champions.
Here comes the third numerical low blow: It is now approaching 27 years this May since Liverpool were last crowned champions of England. And the wait appears as though it will go on at least another 12 months.
There is a reason for the -mathematical history lesson and it is to underline the reality that a long-term problem is going to require a long-term solution.
Liverpool’s history dictates that they will always be expected to challenge for the major honours – if Leicester City can win the title, why can’t Liverpool? – but their recent track record in the league and the cups point to a downgrading of their ability to compete with their fellow Premier League superpowers.
In terms of prestige and honours, Liverpool are up there with Manchester United, looking down on the rest. But history is a devalued currency in the modern game and in every other aspect, the five-time European champions are playing catchup.
Which is why nobody should be surprised by the two-legged semifinal defeat to Southampton or the recent slide in the league that’s seen Klopp’s team drop to fourth, just two points clear of fifth-placed Manchester City. After early season talk about challenging for the title, they may struggle to secure a top-four Champions League finish for only the second time since 2010.
Liverpool have not been able to bolster their squad with the £200 million-plus investments that United and City have made in the past 18 months, they do not possess the title-winning pedigree of Antonio Conte’s Chelsea and lack the cohesion that has come with managerial stability at Tottenham and Arsenal.
Klopp has arguably performed beyond expectations by lifting Liverpool into title contention this season following last term’s eighth-place finish. Now, with Sadio Mane away on African Nations Cup duty with Senegal, Philippe Coutinho still searching for full fitness after injury and Mamadou Sakho continuing to be overlooked by the German coach, the cracks are beginning to appear. And Liverpool do not have the depth within their squad to compensate for those shortcomings.
In Mane’s absence, Klopp has turned to Daniel Sturridge, but the England forward has been abject in recent weeks, failing to score since the January 2 draw at Sunderland. Jamie Carragher’s suggestion following the Southampton defeat that “it’s like playing with 10 men” when Sturridge is in such poor form is difficult to argue against.
Having rattled six goals past Watford, five past Hull and four past Arsenal and Crystal Palace in the early months of the campaign, Klopp’s team have now hit the buffers, scoring six times in their past seven games and recording one win in 2017 – a narrow 1-0 victory against League Two Plymouth Argyle in an FA Cup third round replay following a 0-0 draw at Anfield.
Is Klopp willing, or able, to make the tactical alterations required to kick-start his team’s season – the tweaks that will make it more difficult for opponents to shut Liverpool down?
The manager’s critics will point to his failure to think on his feet during last season’s cup final defeats against City in the EFL Cup and Sevilla in the Europa League, as well as the inability to score over 180 minutes against Southampton.
Those who prefer to give Klopp the benefit of the doubt will say, with some justification, that this squad continues to be stocked with Brendan Rodgers’ players and that the current manager needs more time to mould it in his image. This, again, is a valid argument, but it could be countered by the claim that Klopp failed to find an adequate replacement for Sakho or a different option up front, while many continue to wonder why a proven left-back was not signed last summer, leaving James Milner to plug the gap.
Liverpool’s problem is that they need time to build a trophy-winning team, but the desperation to be the best again is growing with every failure to win the league.
Klopp needs patience to build, but at what point does the desperation for the title lead to anxiety in the boardroom and impatience among the supporters?
The club are now approaching a Catch-22 situation, but they must hold their nerve and play the long game to have their best hope of rediscovering the glory days. They may still be Liverpool, but 7, 6, 8, 7, 2, 6 and 8 suggest they are now a different Liverpool and that reality and patience is the only combination likely to change that.
— ESPNFC.
Online Reporter