Liverpool suffered a month like last month.
In the space of a few weeks, the Reds moved from the top of the Premier League table to fifth place. It could have been worse if more results from his rivals had not gone against Jurgen Klopp’s men before his own rebirth with victories against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
For three years as dominant on the pitch, Liverpool’s recent loss of form and shyness was a shriek from the mental monsters who were crowned English, European and world champions in less than 18 months.
Before returning to wins against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night, the Reds have won just one of their last seven matches, and it was against the under-18s forced by Aston Villa in the FA Cup, and had not scored in the last four matches. of the Premier League.
Such a failure caused Manchester City to emerge from the depths to overtake Liverpool and build a four-point advantage with a game-in-hand over them at the top of the table, ensuring that the Reds would already face a difficult task to retain the title while we get into the second half of the season.
What’s worse is Liverpool’s inability to score, which came out of nowhere, after beating Crystal Palace 7-0 in their last Premier League win before defeating Spurs.
The only change on the Reds’ frontline was the absence of Diogo Jota, with the Portuguese in great shape after the transfer from Wolves in the summer, only to be shot down by a knee injury against FC Midtjylland in early December.
Even without the striker, Liverpool still have the talents of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino as their infamous front three, with names like Xherdan Shaqiri, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino in supporting roles.
But for some reason, it was not a click. However, despite such a flaw, the Reds are still the Premier League’s top scorers and boast the division’s top scorer in Salah.
It is no accident that the return of the Egyptian to the marker alongside Mane and Firmino coincided with the return of the club to victory.
Instead, the club’s defensive injury crisis cannot be overlooked, with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez suffering long-term injuries in October and November, with Klopp reduced to skeleton when it comes to central defense options.
Although his decision to use Fabinho in the position proved to be quite perceptive, while Jordan Henderson’s adaptation to the role was admirable, not signing a replacement for Dejan Lovren in the summer turned out to be quite expensive.
And it was even easier to point the finger the last time Liverpool endured such a race.
After beating Manchester City on New Year’s Eve 2016, Klopp’s team came second in the Premier League table behind Chelsea, thanks in part to four consecutive wins, and looked better placed for rival leader Chelsea.
They even led the table earlier that month, after defeating Watford 6-1 at Anfield, but Mane’s departure for the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal hampered his efforts.
They won just one of their next 10 matches, and it was a repeat of the FA Cup against Plymouth Argyle in the lower league, when they left both national cup competitions and fell to fourth place on the table, 13 points behind Chelsea, before Mane’s return to inspire his next championship victory, ironically against Tottenham, in early February.
But Klopp was warned. Liverpool knew they would lose the Senegalese to the national teams in January and, with Salah enjoying his football in Rome and not yet publicly on the Reds’ radar, he was urged to strengthen his attacking ranks.
However, the club stood firm, determined not to sign a short-term deal and instead wait until summer to strengthen its hand.
To be fair, that decision worked perfectly for Liverpool and the FSG, even though it cost them any chance to dispute the title that year.
Securing fourth place on the final day of the season to qualify for the Champions League, the Reds brought Salah in that summer, with Van Dijk entering in January and haven’t looked back since.
Klopp found himself in a similar position this time, although his time is much more drastic and this caused some delayed action in the transfer window, as FSG learned from his Mane faux pas.
It seemed likely that his desired signing would have to wait until the summer, but with Joel Matip discarded for the season after suffering an ankle ligament injury against Spurs and Fabinho missing the match due to a muscle injury, FSG was forced to reluctantly act and change your posture after mixed news of injuries.
Van Dijk hopes to return to action in April, but Klopp admitted that he does not expect to see the Dutchman or Gomez again this season.
Meanwhile, the German also hopes to have Fabinho back for next week’s clash with Manchester City.
In response, Liverpool brought Ben Davies into a £ 1.6 million deal on the Preston North End championship side on the transfer deadline and long-term goal Ozan Kabak borrowed from Schalke, with the pair offering additional options alongside from Brazilian Henderson, Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams.
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Although the Turkish international attracted admiring glances from Anfield for several months, the FSG’s financial limitations amid the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with Klopp’s desire to reevaluate his options in the summer, prompted the Reds to take a shot before buy an approach with the quarterback.
The victory over Tottenham and West Ham seems to rekindle the Reds’ fortunes, even before the arrival of new defenders, and the FSG can now look to summer when it comes to their next big-name recruit, regardless of Kabak’s luck in Merseyside.
With Liverpool’s hopes of defending the Premier League title in balance before the weekend’s clash with league leader Manchester City, Kabak and Davies will have a case of sinking or swimming as the pair try to solve the Reds’ defensive problems.
But his arrival may come half way too late due to Liverpool’s unprecedented defensive circumstances, with the controversial FSG decision not to hire a defender to replace Lovren in the summer, potentially costing them consecutive titles.
However, as Salah’s eventual signing proved in the summer of 2017, patience can be the stepping stone that the Reds need for future success.