Liverpool’s participation in the knockout stages of the Champions League is hanging precariously in the balance following back-to-back defeats to Red Star Belgrade and PSG.
The Reds sunk to a 2-1 reverse in Paris on Wednesday night, a result that saw Jurgen Klopp’s men drop to third Group C, three points behind leaders Napoli, and two adrift of PSG. However, Liverpool’s progress in the competition is still in their own hands - they must beat Napoli 1-0, or by two clear goals, when the duo lorn horns at Anfield next month.
Liverpool’s defence has been rock solid this season, conceding a joint-low five goals in 13 Premier League goals, which is surprisingly fewer than in Europe, where they've let in seven goals in five games.
In contrast, it’s fair to say that the club’s previously rip-roaring attack has lacked a certain razzmatazz this term. The Reds have scored only eight Champions League goals so far, last season they hammered home 23 goals in the group stages.
The famed front-three have yet to hit the dizzying heights of 2017/18. Mo Salah has hit form of late, but while Sadio Mane opened the season with four goals in four games, he’s since scraped three in 14, firing blanks in his last five appearances. Whereas Roberto Firmino only has two goals to his name from his last 16 matches for club and country.
With this in mind, Klopp could well be tempted to bolster his attacking options in the New Year, and if he’s after a player in red-hot goalscoring form then he should look no further than World Cup winner Florian Thauvin.
If the name rings a bell, that’s because the winger has played in the Premier League before, making 13 appearances for Newcastle before moving on-loan to Marseille six months later, a deal which was made permanent in 2017.
His spell at Newcastle may not have gone to plan under good old Steve McClaren, but the Frenchman has since thrived back in his homeland, swatting away the critics in stupendous style, and now the man himself has said he’s ready to prove himself back in the Premier League.
“I’ve changed, I’ve grown, I’ve matured. I know myself more and I’ve progressed.
“Today, I know that I’m capable of imposing myself in England”.
Thauvin has bagged 24 league goals so far in 2018, that’s two more than Salah, double the tally of Mane, and a whopping 15 better off than Firmino. In fact, only superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have accumulated more goals in the league this year.
In his last outing Thauvin bagged a hat-trick to propel this season’s tally to 10 league goals, and given the 25-year-old’s immense form, there’s likely to be a scramble for his signature in January, with Tottenham also believed to be keen on his services.
