Liverpool is experiencing an unexpected critical moment, just in the season in which the coach Jurgen Klopp will leave office. The team was eliminated from the Europa League and is moving away from its chance to win the Premier League.
1. Tired team; excess of matches
Just as City manager Josep Guardiola complained that his team has to play too often, Liverpool is experiencing a similar situation. So far this season, including the Premier League, League Cup, FA Cup and Europa League, he has played 54 games. And the team fell from the last Fifa date. Jürgen Klopp had already warned: “I know that their coaches want them in the best possible shape in the summer for the (America) Cup or the Euro Cup. So I hope they don't have to play 90 minutes twice now, but that's not in my hands,” he said.
2. Lack of effectiveness; Liverpool misses many scoring chances
In the last game against Everton alone, Liverpool made 23 shots, of which only 7 were on goal and none ended in a goal. The BBC published this Thursday a ranking of the ten players who missed the most scoring opportunities this season and three of them are from Liverpool: the Uruguayan Darwin Núñez, second with 26; the Egyptian Mohamed Salah, eighth with 17, and Luis Díaz, ninth with 12.
3. Defensive doubts; a rear with problems
Of the three teams that still aspire to win the title in the Premier League, Liverpool is the one that has conceded the most goals this season (34, against 32 for Manchester City, which has one game less, and 26 for Arsenal) . Of the last 11 games he played in all competitions, he only kept a clean sheet once: it was in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals against Atalanta, which he won 0-1, but in which he already He had the burden of 0-3 in the first leg at Anfield. Liverpool has also shown striking problems in the defensive aerial game.
4. Injuries; a mess this season
According to the BeSoccer portal, this season Liverpool has recorded 46 different injuries, from small illnesses to serious knee problems, in 22 different players. Fortunately for the plans of the Colombian National Team, Luis Díaz has passed clean and only missed one game when his father, Mane Díaz, was kidnapped at the end of last year. Today, the most serious case is that of Joel Matip, who tore his cruciate ligament in December and would barely play again at the beginning of next season.
5. The uncertainty of the change of technician; Arne Slot seems to be the main candidate
Although the announcement of Jürgen Klopp's departure was made in January, the uncertainty over the arrival of his successor has generated some anxiety. Names like Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim were mentioned, but now everything points to the Dutchman Arne Slot. “It's no secret that I want to go to Liverpool. Now I am waiting for the clubs to reach an agreement. Trust that it will happen,” the current Feyenoord coach told ESPN. JOSÉ ORLANDO ASCENCIO Deputy editor of SPORTS @Josasc