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Liverpool are challenging for the Premier League title for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. And for the first half of the season, they looked like the team to beat.
After a Champions League final last season and the signings of Alisson and Keita, Liverpool seemed ready to challenge for the Premier League and the Champions League. But things have not been as smooth as they thought.
The first half of the season saw Liverpool dominating the Premier League teams by getting to New Year's Eve as leaders and unbeaten. They beat Arsenal 5-1 at Anfield with Salah, Mane and Firmino scoring. This saw Jurgen Klopp men taking a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League, ahead of Manchester City.
But after new year's, Liverpool have been through a rough patch. Here we take a look at why Liverpool could fall short of winning the Premier League title yet again:
#3 Champions League
The Champions League schedule and the results that Liverpool are getting in the tournament could well hamper their league chances.
If Liverpool go through the next stage, it is possible that they might face Tottenham, Chelsea and the Champions League opponent in quick succession. That's not easy at all for Klopp's men.
We know that Liverpool faced Tottenham before their first group match against PSG, and the team had a good run of form then so they could escape unharmed. But at this stage of the season, fatigue and many others factor might change the Champions League race for Liverpool, and also hamper their domestic chances.
#2: Squad Depth
Klopp has done a very good job of assembling this team that only needed a little boost from last season to really challenge for titles. But at the moment Liverpool has 5 injured players: Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joe Gomez, Andrew Robertson, and Dejan Lovren.
Virgil van Dijk formed a formidable partnership with Gomez but the latter went out injured at the end of last year. Since then, Liverpool have rotated the defense between Lovren, Matip and even Fabinho but have been getting mixed results.
Lovren got injured at the beginning of February but had inconsistent games until the injury. Chamberlain is on his way back from a long-term injury he got playing in the Champions League last year.
Bobby Firmino got injured in the last game against Manchester United, getting substituted in the first half. All of this calls into question whether Liverpool have enough replacements to make up the numbers.
The team does not have any backup striker either as Daniel Sturridge has just 2 goals in the league, and Divock Origi one less than Sturridge. Yes Mane and Salah score goals, but the team's offensive work should not depend only on them.
Firmino was a creator besides scoring and without him, Liverpool are not that dangerous.
Other strange movements have also taken place like Nathaniel Clyne going on loan to Bournemouth, in what might be a mistake that could haunt Klopp and his team.
#3 Mentality
We have seen it during many games this season and even during the last Champions League final against Real Madrid: Liverpool haven't yet discovered a championship-winning mentality.
When Liverpool were gunning for the Premier League crown during the 2013-2014 season, after that slip the team crumbled and eventually lost to Manchester City in the title race.
This season the pressure is on again because of the team quality, the way they play and the last Champions League final that set the bar really high. The recent signings, including Alisson and Keita, have given them a boost too. But it remains to be seen whether they can actually get the job done.
If Liverpool get to the end of the season with no title, the question will be raised again: Is it worth it to keep Klopp considering he hasn't won a single trophy since the team hired him?
