Liverpool’s late season Premier League form leaves much to be desired. Jurgen Klopp’s side have failed to win any of their past three matches, drawing away to West Brom and at home to Stoke City, following that up with a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. But all things considered, that run of form is somewhat understandable.
Klopp’s side have a Champions League final against Real Madrid to look forward to at the end of the month, with the Reds looking to clinch their sixth European title after a barn-storming surge to the showpiece match in Kiev. That game has left Liverpool somewhat distracted, as demonstrated by their defeat to Chelsea at the weekend.
Of course, Liverpool have all but secured their place in the top four, so there’s nothing to worry about in that respect. Everything is about gearing up for the season-defining clash with Real Madrid, with Klopp sure to rest some of his key players for the final game of the league season against Brighton this weekend.
However, perhaps Klopp should be concerned by his team’s sliding Premier League form. Momentum has carried Liverpool to the final of the Champions League and over the past few weeks they have lost some of this. It’s possible that the Reds are playing themselves out of form at just the wrong time of the season.
This is why the final Premier League game of the season against Brighton this weekend takes on added significance. Klopp’s natural urge might be to rest some of his best players, the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, but by doing so he would be robbing his team of some much-needed rhythm.
Klopp seems aware of this, with the German agitated throughout, and after, the game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He appeared uneasy on the touchline on Sunday, pacing up and down his technical area as the hosts held his team at arm’s length. Klopp is a shrewd coach and he will recognise that Liverpool’s current lack of momentum is a problem.
The doomsday scenario is that Liverpool lose or draw to Brighton on the last day, dropping them out of the Champions League places, and then suffer defeat to Real Madrid later this month. The Reds are a very streaky side and they must build up a head of steam before facing the double defending European champions in Kiev. Having failed to win against West Brom, Stoke and Chelsea in successive matches, they might have already missed the chance to do that.
