Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had predicted “freshness” and “energy”, but neither of those things materialized amid the club’s surprise collapse this season.
Rewind to the end of April last year and things couldn’t have been more different for Liverpool.
The Reds were one point behind Manchester City in the Premier League and were dreaming of a second title in three seasons after collecting a remarkable 14 points.
They were also on course to reach the Champions League final after beating Villarreal 2-0 in the first leg of the semi-finals.
And with a domestic trophy already in his pocket, a 3-2 win over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium had paved the way for a revenge against Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Liverpool have been the envy of almost every club in world football, so it came as no big surprise that Jürgen Klopp signed a contract extension. Why should he, at least in a sporting sense, want to leave?
Klopp hasn’t even asked for a raise, simply agreeing to extend his terms by $12m (£10m/€11m) a year for another two years (via Goal/The Athletic).
One of the main reasons he made the decision, after repeatedly urging him to take a break, was Liverpool’s long-term planning (via The Guardian). Klopp saw the pieces being put together for the future and he was reportedly “excited.” “There is a freshness to us as a club and that gives me energy,” he explained. “Since I’ve been here, our owners have been incredibly dedicated and energetic about this club and clearly that applies to our future as much as I’ve ever known it right now.”
Indeed, in many ways, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has laid the foundation for lasting success.
Go back to the end of April last year and things couldn’t have been more different for Liverpool.
The Reds were one point behind Manchester City in the Premier League and were dreaming of a second title in three seasons after overcoming a remarkable 14-point deficit.
They were also on course to reach the Champions League final after beating Villarreal 2-0 in the first leg of the semi-finals. And with a domestic trophy already in his pocket, a 3-2 win over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium had paved the way for a revenge against Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
Liverpool were the envy of almost every club in world football, so it’s no surprise that Jürgen Klopp signed a contract extension. Why would he want to leave, at least on a sporting level?
Klopp didn’t even ask for a raise, simply agreeing to extend his $12m (£10m/€11m) a year for two more years (via Goal/The Athletic).
One of the main reasons he made the decision, after repeatedly insisting he wanted a break, was Liverpool’s long-term planning (via The Guardian). Klopp saw the pieces being put together for the future and was reportedly “excited.”
“There’s a freshness to us as a club and that gives me energy,” he explained. “Since I’ve been here, our owners have been incredibly busy and energetic with this club and it’s clear right now that this applies to our future as far as I’ve ever known.”
In many ways, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has truly laid the foundation for lasting success.
The signings of Cody Gakpo, Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz and Diogo Jota have freshened up the attack and allayed the fear around the iconic front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, who were all aging.
Defensively, Liverpool can build their next generation around Ibrahima Konaté, alongside academy graduate Trent Alexander-Arnold and, possibly, Joe Gomez before Klopp. Fábio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott were also brought in as key players in the mid-2020s.
But FSG failed in one crucial and well-documented area: refreshing the midfield.
Yes, Carvalho and Elliott have arrived but they’re not really ready to start Premier League games in that position yet.
And that leaves Liverpool with an aging, declining or injury-prone group of options, with some players fitting into more than one category.
FSG are paying the price for years of underinvestment in this area, as Thiago has been the department’s only major signing in the last nine transfer windows. To make matters worse, one of the club’s most important and reliable midfielders also passed away at the time.
Liverpool must decisively rectify this situation in the summer, because at the moment Klopp’s rating has aged very badly.
Instead of feeling ‘fresh’ things have become painfully stale, and instead of being ‘energetic’ the club has been debilitatingly passive.
If FSG is to restore its long-term trophy prospects, get the best out of this coach and justify trusting him, FSG will need a huge outlay this summer.
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Liverpool transfer news LIVE – Klopp very serious as N’Golo Kante wanted, Jude Bellingham transfer needed, Moises Caicedo update
Hello and welcome to our Monday live blog dedicated to all things Liverpool FC. The main story is that the Reds are fully focused on Jude Bellingham ahead of a summer move.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp admitted their involvement was over. According to Florian Plettenberg, the 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund star tops the list at the end of the season.
Moises Caicedo is another midfielder linked to Liverpool and despite being granted time off from Brighton, manager Roberto De Zerbi has made his hopes clear. The Ecuadorian midfielder has released a statement on his future amid reports Premier League leaders Arsenal have made an offer. The Reds should also be interested.
With the window set to expire, that hasn’t stopped Sander Berge from being once again linked with a move to Anfield, as Fulham are said to have embraced a £20m move.
And in terms of spending, reports suggest Nat Phillips’ future remains uncertain, with Galatasaray leading the race to sign him.
Also read…
Liverpool analysis – Cody Gakpo shows Darwin Nunez problem as transfer reality becomes clear
Ian Doyle’s analysis after Liverpool’s FA Cup fourth round defeat by Brighton
Gakpo improves when Nunez’s problem is solved
Thus continues the gradual revelation of Cody Gakpo as a Liverpool player.
The Dutchman has so far failed to make the immediate impact that made Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez all instant favorites with the fan base.
To mitigate, none of them joined a squad that was quite in a state of flux, as the Reds are currently experiencing. And Gakpo, who is playing here for the fifth consecutive time since joining from PSV Eindhoven earlier this month, has been affected.
However, there were some clear hints as to why Liverpool made a move for the 23-year-old, even though he clearly crashed during the closing stages. Gakpo again played in a central position, improving his hold-up game and the Dutchman was more than willing to dive deep and help the midfield defence, mirroring the contribution of Roberto Firmino whose initial small problem the has now sidelined for nine games.
And from such positions, Gakpo could run towards the Brighton defense and create the greatest danger, inserting Harvey Elliott with a pass and drawing a warning from Lewis Dunk after a powerful and clean run.
However, it is curious that after the introduction of Darwin Nunez, he remained in the middle, especially when he passed out late. Nunez wasn’t close enough to threaten and Klopp admitted the Uruguayan still had to carry out his defensive duties. Perhaps a refocusing of the attack will be needed if Nunez is recalled. This is not how a proud afternoon should end for Andy Robertson.
The left-back became the 22nd captain to lead Liverpool off the pitch after receiving the armband from Jordan Henderson and James Milner in the absence of Virgil van Dijk and the bench.
As for the squad’s ‘top group’, it has been revealed that the Scotland international is next ahead of Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Robertson frustration but Trent suffers
Robertson’s usual forays forward were limited until the second half as he instead focused on nabbing Solly March, who netted twice against the Reds two weeks ago. But a decent performance was marred by the hastily challenged Alexis Mac Allister, who called on referee David Coote to award the free-kick from which Brighton scored their late winner. On the other hand, Alexander-Arnold struggled again with Kaoru Mitoma, but not as damaging as earlier this month.
However, the right-back was unimpressed to be hooked before the hour mark, shaking his head as he trotted past Klopp and showing a face of thunder as he sat on the bench.
With James Milner taking a decent half-hour stint as a substitute, Alexander-Arnold now finds himself in a real fight for a regular starting spot. How he reacts determines what happens next.
The reality of transfers hits the reds
Liverpool are now struggling to hold on to even the vaguest positive statistics of an increasingly torturous season. Having won all 12 games this season by scoring the opener, the Reds collapsed to defeat for the first time since their 3-1 Premier League defeat at Leicester City in February 2021.
That leaves only one concern for Klopp and his players this season – the Champions League, both winning this year and securing qualification for next season. Current form suggests either would require a Herculean effort, beating 2020/21 third place.
And despite the constant rumors swirling long before the January window opened, Klopp reiterated shortly after the final whistle that there would be no more arrivals this month. No new midfielder, no one. The trials and tribulations of Liverpool during this period and the myriad reasons are well documented. Now the players themselves and the coaching staff will have to roll up their sleeves, bang their heads together and find a way out of the ongoing malaise. No one else comes to help.