Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are leading the table after 11 round of games with 27 points to their name. One can sense the red side of Merseyside oozing with confidence and hope that they might, finally, win the league after over two decades.
And why shouldn’t they be? Klopp’s men are not only winning but are doing so by playing a fascinating brand of football. It seems as though the Reds have found the perfect manager in the former Borussia Dortmund.
However, there are still some issues that Liverpool have to iron out—issues that will be their biggest hurdles in their surge for the Premiership title. And here are five reasons why Liverpool won’t win the Premiership.
#1 Burning out
Whenever one watches the Reds play, they get the impression that the players are a bunch of hungry animals that see the ball as their food. The relentlessness when it comes to pressing and attacking is perhaps what makes this Liverpool team so beautiful to watch.
However, there is always a problem with the hounding approach that Jurgen Klopp prefers.
With so much running around in every game—fun fact: Liverpool are the team that have covered the most distance and made the most sprints in the Premier League so far this season—it is only a matter of time when the players start getting fatigued.
Normally, the business end of the season is when the players start feeling the heat, and it reflects on their performance. This could mean that Klopp will have to rely on rotation to keep his players fresh. And that’s where the second problem is as Liverpool have a…
#2 Lack of true quality on the bench
Liverpool have some talented first-team players. The Brazilian duo of Roberto Firmino and Coutinho has teamed up amazingly against Sadio Mane to give the Merseyside club an early lead in the Premiership.
At this point, it seems as though nothing can stop Liverpool from scoring more goals than their opponents and win games with sheer attacking brilliance. However, at some point, a dip in form or, God forbid, injuries could hamper the flow that the first-team players ooze right now.
It is during that phase when Jurgen Klopp’s mettle will be tested. However, the lack of quality backups means that the German tactician could be left reeling with regret of not investing more on better squad players. After all, as great as the former Dortmund manager might be, he is not a magician who could weave wins out of thin air with average backup players.
And this is the onset of the third problem as a weak bench means that Liverpool have…
#3 No apparent plan B
It is only when there is diversity within the squad can a team have a proper plan B. Liverpool have some superb players; footballers who could very well go on to be the best players in their respective positions. However, the lack of diversity all over the pitch makes them susceptible to a downward spiral during the crunch part of the season.
Jurgen Klopp does have versatile players in his squad, but the problem lies in the fact that if he changes their position to suit his rotation policy, Liverpool will lose the bite that has made them a force to be reckoned.
While Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum can play in advance positions, moving them further forward would further expose Liverpool’s other problem…
#4 A leaky defence
As vaguely suggested in the earlier slide, the cover that Wijnaldum and Lallana provide the backline with their tenacity is something that provides the attacking trio of Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino the perfect base to display their attacking skillset.
Right now, the Merseyside outfit is winning by outscoring their opponents. However, it doesn’t seem plausible that they will always be bailed out by their attack.
As the saying goes, attack wins you matches while defence wins you trophies. With Liverpool, that is where the problem lies as apart from Joel Matip, there is not another defender who could be labelled as great.
Finally, Liverpool’s Achilles heel is their inability to defend set-pieces. This alone could be a major blow to their title aspirations, just ask any Real Madrid fan and they will attest to this claim.
#5 Other teams improving
Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal have better squads than the Reds – and they are clawing their way to the title race. While Antonio Conte has given life to Chelsea by shifting to a 3-4-3 formation, Arsenal look like they have finally found what they always lacked post-invincibles era: a strong mentality.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City might have faded after a bright start, but are right back on track. All these three clubs have a better and more diverse squad than that of Liverpool’s, and it is on this basis that one could make an assumption about them coping better to the fixture congestion than Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Liverpool could yet use the January transfer window and strengthen their team to stay up with the clubs as mentioned earlier, but it is unlikely for top players to in January.
