Eight matches, ten points, two wins. It is Liverpool’s worst start to a Premier League season in ten years. It’s the worst start Jurgen Klopp has overseen during his successful tenure at Anfield. It’s a side that has hardly changed from the one that almost one the quadruple last term, but it is barely recognisable on the pitch.
They only dropped 22 points across the whole of last season as they finished on 92 and came within a whisker of snatching the title from Manchester City on the final day. But this campaign they have already dropped 14 points, and they haven’t even played a quarter of their games.
It’s been a drop-off that wasn’t predicted by anybody. Liverpool were only denied the clean sweep last term by a late Man City comeback and a Real Madrid team that are truly kings of Europe. That day in Paris turned into a nightmare, and the Reds haven’t been able to recover, having played every single match possible last term.
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They played a whopping 63 matches with a relatively shallow and ageing squad, and it has clearly given them a major hangover heading into this campaign. It was made clear during their 3-2 defeat to Arsenal. The Reds have the third oldest squad in the Premier League with an average age of 27, while energetic Arsenal are the youngest at 23.7.
The old saying that age is just a number doesn’t appear to be coming true this season. Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Thiago and Jordan Henderson are all now on the wrong side of 30 and past their peak. Meanwhile the fact that 36-year-old James Milner is still being given regular gametime is a sign of the lack of progress they have made in the transfer market.
In Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Trent Alexander-Arnold they have a handful of players who are not yet at the peak of their powers, but they are fringe players rather than leaders. The spine of the team has let them down on far too many occasions and their back four has been woeful so far this season.
Even their reliable key players, who have served them so well, have failed to produce. Alexander-Arnold has been a liability so far, Van Dijk has lost his aura and Salah has been almost anonymous since signing his new contract. It’s a nightmare scenario for Klopp, who can’t seem to jump-start his ageing team.
Liverpool hit the sweet spot last term but they were also incredibly fortunate with injuries. This time around though, Matip, Thiago, Andy Robertson and now Alexander-Arnold have all suffered key injuries and with a squad so thin, they have been left exposed.
FSG’s investment has been misplaced, which has led to this situation. They only spent £81m this summer but £67m of that went on Darwin Nunez, to compensate for losing Sadio Mane. They were so short in midfield that they ended up bringing in Arthur on loan, a player we are yet to see in a Liverpool shirt and one that could be out for the next three months through injury. A complete waste of time.
That leaves a combination of Milner, Henderson, Fabinho, Harvey Elliott and Thiago to play in the midfield spots. No wonder Liverpool have lost their fear factor. With a right-back out of form, a blunt attack and a weak midfield, Klopp’s side have become so easy to play against.
Brighton went to Anfield and scored three. Arsenal matched them at the Emirates. Napoli scored four in the Champions League. You can’t win titles with a defence like that. As we have seen, you can barely win a match.
Having seen Liverpool get torn apart on a weekly basis, even the lesser fancied teams have been given a blueprint on how to beat them. The fear factor that made them almost invincible last term, in every single competition, has completely evaporated. Jurgen Klopp won’t be under any immediate pressure, but something has to change. With Manchester City up next, the Reds could face another storm before the grey clouds clear.
*18+ | BeGambleAware
