Goals galore
A year following his replacement of Brendan Rodgers at the heart of Anfield, Jurgen Klopp seemed to have finally discovered the fuse that starts the fireworks with impressive performances that saw them blitz past their opponents.
For the better half of the ongoing season, the Reds played with effortless elan, exhibiting free-scoring performances that warranted a Premiership winning side.
None came more convincing than their evisceration of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Jurgen Klopp’s charges firmly dispatched Chelsea, winning 2-1 in a performance that created a ripple effect which almost dented Antonio Conte’s hopes of bagging a Premier League title on his maiden season.
Poor run of form
Looking at it now, that historic victory at the Bridge seems light years away from what Liverpool have become.
The Merseyside club are currently struggling to cling onto relevance this season, having been knocked out of two cup competitions in a span of four days.
After getting knocked out of the EFL Cup semi-final by Southampton during the past week, matters worsened in improbable fashion as they most recently got knocked out in the fourth round of the FA Cup by Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It was painful to watch how the charming, once highly recommended manager from Borussia Dortmund was at pains to stress their deplorable run of form, and unexpected exits from the domestic cup competitions- all of which they could have won.
Liverpool fans too were left hapless and incensed after the losses, strongly demanding for an immediate change of results which quite frankly has no magic wand for fixing.
Klopp has recently appeared stodgy and out of ideas, flustered at the state of things despite being aware of the massive overhaul needed in the squad.
The Reds have been barely at it after losing Sadio Mane to the Africa Cup of Nations, but their star striker has since returned to England following Senegal’s exit in the quarterfinals stage of the continental showdown.
Blessing in disguise?
Although Klopp is currently walking a high wire with no safety net, exit from the cup competitions may come as a blessing in disguise, as all the other title challengers are still competing in either the FA Cup, the Champions League or both.
At this point he should endeavor to bring the best out of Mane and just let the cards fall as they may: seeing as Chelsea are still the frontrunners to win the Premier League.
Written by Brian Humphrey
Follow Brian on Twitter @brihum
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