What is going wrong at Liverpool?

Following a 10 minute implosion at the King Power Stadium, Liverpool have now lost their last three matches - something seemingly unfathomable at the start of the season. This article aims to examine why Liverpool have found themselves struggling.

I'd like to delve a little deeper than just blaming Liverpool's poor form on injuries, but their impact is undeniable and must be acknowledged. Losing all three first-choice central defenders has forced Klopp's hand on the pitch and in the transfer window - most notably pushing Fabinho and Henderson into the heart of Liverpool's defence.

Jurgen Klopp admitted that his side were out of the title race, and should be aiming for a top-four finish.

However, whilst I am sympathetic on the injury front, I must also point out that this is the Premier League, and these things happen. I won't quite take the stance of Roy Keane and claim that Liverpool are bad champions, but simply blaming injuries won't cut it for justifying this heavy dip in from for last years winners, at least in my eyes.

Some things are bigger than football, and I would also like to acknowledge and sympathise heavily with Jurgen Klopp, with what must have been a terrible week following the passing of his mother. Thoughts are of course with his family.

Lack of intensity in midfield

With today's defeat to Leicester City condemning Klopp's side to another defeat, one must take a look at where the game was lost - I believe it to be in midfield. Liverpool rely on high intensity in the middle of the park, which was stalwartly marshalled and maintained by Jordan Henderson last season.

One thing that the pandemic has proved is that Henderson is an exceptional leader. Without added crowd-noise, one can only hear a constant stream of noise coming from the vague direction of the Red's captain.

Henderson constantly barrages his teammates with praise or motivation, most notably however, he calls for intensity - "keep it moving" is by far his most common bellow.

It isn't difficult to see why Klopp employs him to wear the armband - he embodies everything he wants from Liverpool's midfield - high intensity running in transition and relentless pressing.

However, with the former Sunderland man taking over defensive duties following the injury crisis, the midfield intensity is gone. The arrival of Thiago promised much for Liverpool fans, but he hasn't been able to play his game yet, without much in the way of cover in midfield.

Thiago has never been an intense presser of the ball, instead liking to drop off into deep pockets and spray outrageous passes when his side are in possession. The defensive side of his game didn't need a huge amount of development at Bayern, given the wealth of talented defensive midfielders that played behind the Spaniard during his lengthy tenure there.

Should Henderson and Fabinho (when he returns of course) line up alongside Thiago, I would expect that he would be able to showcase his brilliant best. However, while the defensive injury crisis at Anfield continues, he will carry on lining up with Wijnaldum and Curtis Jones.

Thiago arrived from Champions League holders Bayern Munich in the summer, but has not been able to live up to expectations as of yet.

Wijnaldum has not looked the same player that he was last season, perhaps with one eye on his contract and the other on the upcoming Barcelona presidential elections, with the winner likely to choose whether his proposed transfer to the Nou Camp goes ahead or not. His frustrations seem to get the better of him, with a lot of sloppy passing and consistent poor positioning costing Liverpool on counter-attacks and transitions.

On a more positive note, Curtis Jones has really impressed. Despite having made his way through the youth teams as a wide player, Jones has shown that he can match the work rate and passing ability required to play in central midfield in Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool. I think he has a really bright future, and perhaps, as I mentioned yesterday when discussing Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood, we should be talking more about his contributions to his team now (although perhaps I should wait until Liverpool hit a richer vein of form).

Curtis Jones has been a rare shining light in what has been a dark season for Liverpool.

I feel like I am repeating myself here - but I strongly feel that when Henderson and Fabinho are permitted to return to that Liverpool midfield, we can expect a lot more consistency from the engine of this Liverpool team. Without the intensity of that midfield, this team won't go very far.

Unpreparedness in the transfer market

It is easy to look back in hindsight, but questions must be asked at the decision to not replace Lovren in the summer transfer window. My eyebrows were raised for certain - Joel Matip and particularly Joe Gomez have well documented injury histories, and Lovren was called upon 10 times in the Premier League alone last season - that's a lot of games for a fourth choice option, and goes some way to illustrate the need to replace him.

Dejan Lovren was allowed to leave for Zenit in the summer without a replacement.

Reacting in the January market was essential, and whilst I like the signing of Davies from Preston and Kabak from Schalke, Liverpool left it late. Klopp takes his time with players to adapt to his system - think of Fabinho taking four months to settle in properly; an established international player took considerable time to settle, so imagine what kind of fast-track project will be required to get these somewhat unproven youngsters up to speed.

The two centre-backs look the business for the future, with rumours stating that they were identified as long-term targets for Liverpool for future windows, but that certainly does not make them a quick fix of any description.

An injury to Fabinho forced Kabak into the side against Leicester, perhaps earlier than Klopp would have liked.

Kabak was unfortunate today, with a piece of poor decision-making from his goalkeeper costing his side a goal and I hope he can bounce back from it. Both he and Davies have remarkable talent, and Liverpool did very well to secure them both in the little time they left themselves, but their signings don't solve much for the remainder of this season unless Klopp can get them up to speed quickly.

Unchartered Waters

Liverpool won their first league title in 30 years last season, and whilst that dreaded run is over for Liverpool fans, it does place this particular group of players in unchartered waters. Of the entire registered Premier League squad last season, only James Milner had lifted the trophy previously.

James Milner represents the only Liverpool player to have lifted the Premier League trophy on multiple occasions, having won it twice previously with Manchester City.

This should not be underestimated - this squad lacks serial Premier League winners. Most teams that go to form a domestic dynasty and defend their titles have access to any number of multiple-champions.

Now, do not confuse that statement with me saying that Liverpool will not win the league for another 30 years. Quite the opposite - the point I am trying to make is that Liverpool lack the necessary experience to kick on and defend their title immediately. I actually fully expect this squad to bounce back with venom next season when they get a few of their best back.

Liverpool's leaders in the dressing room will learn from this season, particularly Henderson, who has seen first hand how brutal and unforgiving the Premier League can be when you aren't mentally and physically 100% week-in, week-out.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will learn from this seasons failings.

Whilst I do think that Roy Keane goes too far on many occasions in his punditry (possibly his Manchester United biases coming through a bit too much), I do agree that Liverpool are living in the glory of last season a little too much.

It sounds obvious, but when the new season starts it starts on 0 points - last season means nothing. Keane knew all about that mental reset, and I think much of this Liverpool squad could do with re-evaluating their approach.

I may be assuming too much, and it is difficult to attest as to the mental state of the Liverpool dressing room, but based on what I've seen in the sides performances (particularly that drubbing by Aston Villa when Van Dijk was fit) Liverpool haven't aimed to out-work or even match their high standards from last season.

Under-confident forwards

Another obvious area to address is the lack of goals. I'm not sure I've ever seen Mo Salah throw his arms up in frustration as much in the past month than I have in his entire Liverpool career. For a front three famed for its chemistry, Salah, Mane and particularly Firmino look out of sync.

Despite a wonderful assist for Salah against Leicester, Firmino has failed to provide the link play between midfield and the forwards that earned him the adornment of the Liverpool faithful.

Mo Salah and the rest of Liverpool forwards have not been able to replicate their form of last season.

I must also admit, the signing of Jota really surprised me, and I'd be blatantly lying if I said I expected him to be half as successful as he was before his unfortunate injury. Keeping that front three fresh and on their toes with a bit of competition will have been Klopp's overwhelming priority come the end of last season.

This was so he could avoid exactly the dry spell his forwards have been through recently (although they have appeared to be showing signs of life in more recent fixtures). I also expect much more from the full-backs, with Trent Alexander-Arnold coming under fire particularly recently, although I believe Robertson to be just as guilty of lacking that quality final product.

The goals will come back for Liverpool, again however, I think having their usual midfield would help them out to no end.

What is the fix?

In all honesty, Liverpool should aim for top four this season. The re-grouping process in the summer will be key, and the German manager will be keen to avoid his dressing room implosion at Dortmund a few years back.

As far as a fix goes for this season, I'm not too sure where to start. Getting these young centre-backs starting is key - getting Henderson back into that midfield and forcing the work rate up in the powerhouse of the side is essential. A boost in midfield is a boost for the whole team.

The Champions League ties against RB Leipzig could provide a spring-board and a return to confidence, or equally as a marker of how far the standards have slipped should they lose. Expect those games to define the season.

---

If you enjoyed this article, please follow us on Twitter and feel free to subscribe to our blog TOTALLY FOR FREE by scrolling to the bottom of our home page. Every follow, subscription or piece of feedback goes a really long way, so please help us out!