Liverpool at Serious Risk of Missing Champions League Money That Underpins All They Do
It is Liverpool’s main target before a ball is kicked every season.
The importance of achieving it is always recognized by Fenway Sports Group owners Jurgen Klopp and his staff, regardless of the highest prizes sought.
The riches of Champions League football have helped Klopp assemble a winning machine. It also allowed Liverpool to pay the kind of wages needed to retain their elite talent and invest heavily in the club’s infrastructure.
Prior to Klopp’s first full campaign in charge, Liverpool had secured just one place in the Premier League’s top four in the space of seven turbulent seasons. They’ve been a fixture among Europe’s top flight ever since – finishing fourth, fourth, second, first, third and second.
In addition to fame along the way, there has been financial stability. A club with a self-sustaining business model was able to capitalize on this important source of revenue. Last season’s run to the final in Paris alone was worth more than £100m ($116m).
Yet this coveted status is now being seriously questioned. Liverpool have fallen so far so fast that in the space of three months the bullish talk of initiating a title challenge has been replaced by the grim reality that they face an uphill battle just to be part of it. of the first four.
“That’s actually not my main worry at the moment because there are a lot of other worries but yeah of course I’m not that dumb I don’t know the distances and I know who’s up there “, says Klopp. “You can’t qualify for the Champions League if you play as inconsistently as we do at the moment. We need to fix that.
Klopp’s Liverpool have now lost in successive Premier League games against sides battling at the bottom (Picture: Getty Images)
Liverpool took just 16 points from a possible 36 – the same number they had after 12 games during Roy Hodgson’s disastrous reign in 2010-11. For context, Klopp’s men have dropped just 22 points over the whole of last season. They currently sit closer to the bottom three than the top four.
Home form was previously a comfort blanket for supporters to cling to amid punishing setbacks on the road. Not anymore. Liverpool’s unbeaten league record of 29 games at Anfield dating back to March 2021 has been brought to an end by Leeds United’s struggles. It was their first home defeat in front of fans since April 2017.
After beating Manchester City a fortnight ago, Liverpool have managed to suffer back-to-back defeats against two sides battling for survival in the Premier League. Nottingham Forest hadn’t won for 10 games, Leeds hadn’t won for eight.
What is most alarming is that you could not challenge the result every time. Liverpool have become a soft touch. Even mediocre opposition exposes glaring weaknesses.
They shot themselves in the foot again on Saturday. The state of that first goal when Joe Gomez’s wayward backpass, accompanied by Alisson’s slip, put one on a plate for Rodrigo. It was the eighth time in 12 league games that Liverpool had conceded first this season – four of them in the first 16 minutes.
The last winner of Crysencio Summerville was arguably even worse. First, the failure of substitutes James Milner and Curtis Jones to stop the cross from distance, then the hesitation of Virgil van Dijk, Thiago and Gomez as Leeds cashed in. No one took responsibility. It exemplified the collective malaise – legs looking tired and minds clouded.
“My main problem with this game is how we defended the second goal,” Klopp explained. “Everyone has to defend and we weren’t all there.”
What was most telling was the manager talking about Liverpool’s current inability to control games. Yes, Illan Meslier had some fine saves after Mohamed Salah restored parity but it was never convincing from the hosts.
They are so vulnerable to counterattacks when moves fail. The protection just isn’t there. The midfield is so porous. They continue to overwork themselves.
Klopp has tried personnel and system changes, but the same problems persist. There is a lack of energy, cohesion and conviction. The howls of exasperation from the stands as possession continued to be wasted on Saturday grew louder and louder. The frustration is growing and it is understandable. They are wronged.
Yes, injuries played a role. It’s ridiculous how many problems there have been on that front. We sorely miss Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, but it goes deeper than that.
Klopp admitted in August that he would ideally like to take “more risk” in the transfer market and that the owners’ failure to invest enough in the team is hurting Liverpool. It needed to be refreshed to a greater extent to keep things from getting stale.
Perhaps FSG have done it too well for too long, too reliant on Klopp’s ability to balance the books and drain every last drop of talent at his disposal. Complacency has set in.
Klopp should have been backed more, but he’s not immune to criticism himself. There are players in the squad who haven’t contributed anything so far this season who really should have been moved on last summer. He wasn’t ruthless enough.
Is it really any surprise that midfield is such a problem when Thiago is the only senior midfielder Liverpool have signed since buying Naby Keita in 2018?
Klopp’s hope is that the World Cup will act as a much-needed reset. Players who have not traveled to Qatar will enjoy an extended break before Liverpool regroup for a December training camp in Dubai. Diaz will be fine by then, but Jota’s rehab will continue until 2023.
Two seasons ago Klopp clawed back Champions League qualification after a miserable spell, but that stance of adversity was easier to explain given the crippling defensive injury crisis and the soulless nature of football behind closed doors. .
This time the problems are more widespread and the challenge is greater. When you lose to two of the worst teams in the league over successive weekends, morale is sapped and every game feels dangerous.
Forget the silverware, Liverpool’s proud and lucrative status in the top four is in real jeopardy. That should focus minds in Boston in particular. Missing out would have serious ramifications in terms of the balance sheet. When January arrives, FSG must repair the mistakes of the summer.
This article was originally published on The Athletic.
