Klopp’s Liverpool draws flak
Print Edition
JUERGEN Klopp’s spluttering Liverpool team faced a barrage of criticism in the British media after Sunday’s 1-4 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur which one observer predicted would be the worst defensive display of the season by any top-tier side.
The normally assured German has seldom had to deal with such negativity in his two years at Anfield but with the club languishing in ninth place, 12 points adrift of leader Manchester City, the pressure is cranking up.
Such is the roller-coaster of modern football that reflections on Liverpool’s 7-0 trouncing of Maribor in the UEFA Champions League last week have been crowded out by talk of its defensive frailties.
The statistics are damning.
Liverpool has conceded more goals, 16 in nine games, than in any campaign since 1964-65 and shipped more away from home than bottom side Crystal Palace.
Writing in the normally supportive Liverpool Echo, James Pearce said Sunday’s display was the worst by a Liverpool side since the 1-6 hiding at Stoke in May 2015 when the regime of Klopp’s predecessor Brendan Rodgers started to unravel.
The Reds’ defensive problems have been well documented, with doubts regularly aired about goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and whichever combination of defenders Klopp settles on.
Each of Sunday’s four goals stemmed from individual errors, some comically bad.
“The first (goal) would not happen if I was on the pitch but I am in the middle of the technical area in my trainers,” said Klopp. “It is unbelievably easy to defend, to close the space, we only have to clear the ball, shoe it, we don’t do it.”
Six months ago Liverpool gave center half Dejan Lovren a new four-year deal, worth 100,000 pounds (US$132,000) a week. If you include the 20 million pounds it spent on buying him from Southampton, and his wages to date, that represents a 50-million pound investment on a player who on Sunday was so poor that he was substituted after 30 minutes.
“It was Dejan Lovren who took the walk of shame, but Juergen Klopp could have taken his whole defense off after 31 minutes and returned them to the manufacturer as faulty goods,” wrote Paul Hayward in the Telegraph.
Four of the back five on show predated Klopp’s arrival, with Joel Matip, who arrived on a free from Schalke, his only signing. Andy Robertson, the one defender Klopp did pay money for, has seldom played since his 10-million pound move from Hull City.
Michael Edwards, Liverpool’s sporting director, in charge of player recruitment, is widely blamed for the botched attempt to sign Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk in the last transfer window, and Liverpool’s inability to identify alternative targets.
Klopp may yet return for Van Dijk in January although, with Southampton still firm on not selling, he may have to agree to look elsewhere or come up with a different tactical plan.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
