admin
LIVERPOOL. — Liverpool have a grip on a Champions League soccer place but there are still reasons for manager Jurgen Klopp to be wary as he prepares for tonight’s English Premier League match at home to Bournemouth.
For one thing, he will be without his leading scorer Sadio Mane, who suffered a knee injury during the second half of Saturday’s 3-1 victory over local rivals Everton.
Liverpool are waiting for the results of a scan on Mane, and are hoping he will not be out for too long.
The Senegal international scored the opening goal against Everton, as Klopp’s team extended their unbeaten run to four matches.
Liverpool have collected 10 points and climbed from fifth to third in the table during this sequence.
But the visit of Bournemouth is an uncomfortable reminder of the pitfalls that may lie ahead for Liverpool in the closing weeks of the season.
Klopp’s side have been outstanding against the Premier League’s leading clubs; beating Arsenal twice, as well as enjoying victories over Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
All five of their league defeats this season, however, have come against opponents in the bottom half of the table, including a chastening 4-3 loss at Bournemouth in December, a match in which Liverpool had led 3-1 with 15 minutes to go.
None of Liverpool’s final eight league matches are against teams currently in the top seven.
It means they must get better at defeating teams lower down the table if they are to secure a place in next season’s Champions League and there are certainly weaknesses to sort out.
Liverpool have proved vulnerable to the counter-attack time and again this season, and their inability to defend set-pieces surfaced once more on Saturday, with Everton’s Matthew Pennington scoring following a corner as Klopp’s defenders stood and watched him.
“It is still a question for us to find a real answer for,” said Liverpool manager Klopp. — AFP.
Online Reporter