This season, Liverpool’s troubles have increased tenfold, a snowball effect, because of which Jurgen Klopp’s team needs to break out of the rut and leave behind disturbing trends and statistics.
The microscope is firmly on Liverpool, how did such a rapid fall happen and what else will be on the cards by the time they turn it over? Just two from a long list of questions.
Lack of investment, seasons under Klopp, injuries and the inability to control matches with the ruthlessness that has brought this team to the top is not one problem.
You believe that this side will come out of the other side at some point, but there are many things that need to be fixed to get to this point, and here we will look at some disturbing facts that summarize the current problems of the Reds.
Yielding to the first
It’s a constant uphill battle when you give in first, forcing already tired minds and bodies to dig even deeper.
Of the 15 games in which Liverpool conceded first, eight ended in defeat, four in a draw and only three in victory.
Prime Midfield – where is he?
In the 22-28 age group, Liverpool have only one midfielder who can tick a box, Naby Keita.
He has played just 164 minutes this season, leaving Liverpool far behind the Premier League trend in the number of midfielders in their prime.
Injuries, and there are a lot of them.
The witch is back in the ranks: 22 senior players have missed at least one game due to injuries this season, only Adrian, Joe Gomez, Nat Phillips, Fabinho, Harvey Elliott and Mohamed Salah have escaped a similar fate.
It’s a vicious circle.
Possession is won in the final third
Liverpool’s rating fluctuates with every passing Premier League match, but there is a clear decline when it comes to possession in the last third.
The Reds were the best team in the league according to this statistic last season, but currently occupy eighth place, having dropped from 7.6 on average per match last season to 4.8.
Without an effective press, Liverpool is vulnerable.
Weaknesses on the road
Just eight points in nine away league matches for the Reds, 13th among the worst results in the top division, not to mention a goal difference of minus five.
Big chances missed
Liverpool’s weak defensive weaknesses only increased the pressure on the forwards to take their chances, but after 18 games, the Reds missed the “biggest chances” in the Premier League.
Newcastle are second in the table with 34 goals, which is ten fewer than Klopp’s team.
And missing out on big chances
This statistic was obtained after 17 league games, and at that time Klopp’s wards missed 51 big chances, which is more than twice as many as Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle, Man Utd and Tottenham.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool have not been able to maintain stable net results — just eight matches in 28 matches in all competitions.
On the senior side
Now age doesn’t lead to a complete write-off, far from it, but Liverpool are constantly over-relying on their senior statesmen, and this can go hand in hand with the drop in intensity we’ve seen.
The average age of Klopp’s current three first—choice midfielders — Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago – is 30.6 years old, and, as noted above, Liverpool lacks midfielders in their prime. Everything goes hand in hand.
