'We wanted a fresh start in 2023 - but we've been worse'

1 year ago 66

Liverpool players and manager applaud the fans aft the FA Cup decision astatine Brighton

Liverpool fans were dreaming of witnessing past this clip past year, with the Reds successful the hunt for a quadruple of trophy wins that is unprecedented successful the English game.

It is simply a precise antithetic communicative now, with Jurgen Klopp's broadside down to 1 accidental of silverware this play - and facing an uphill conflict to marque the apical four.

They are ninth successful the Premier League - 21 points down leaders Arsenal and 10 disconnected the Champions League places - portion their FA Cup defence was ended successful melodramatic manner by Brighton's 92nd-minute winner.

It was the 2nd clip successful arsenic galore weeks they had mislaid astatine Brighton, who are 3 places supra them successful the league.

"This play has been obscurity adjacent bully enough," stand-in skipper Andy Robertson told ITV Sport aft Kaoru Mitoma's superb added-time winner.

"At the commencement of the year, we wanted a caller commencement but that hasn't happened. We've been worse. In the league, we haven't been bully capable and present we're retired of some cups."

What's gone incorrect for Liverpool?

The exhausting docket successful pursuit of the quadruple past play has surely played its portion successful the struggle. A 63-game play - with each crippled with truthful overmuch riding connected it - would instrumentality its toll connected immoderate team.

The interaction appears to person been intelligence arsenic good arsenic physical, with Reds midfielder Thiago admitting recently that coming truthful adjacent to winning each 4 trophies - they won the League Cup and FA Cup but mislaid the Premier League connected the last time and were beaten successful the Champions League last - was hard to take.

Injuries person besides played their portion with Klopp seldom capable to tract his strongest XI; the defence that faced Real Madrid successful the showpiece Paris last has played unneurotic erstwhile this term.

Mohamed Salah has not had the menace oregon effectiveness of erstwhile seasons - and besides had a quieter 2nd fractional to past play - portion his erstwhile beforehand 3 colleagues Roberto Firmino has seldom had a tally of games and Sadio Mane was sold to Bayern Munich.

The injured Luis Diaz, truthful unsafe since signing past January from Porto, is simply a large miss and £85m summertime signing Darwin Nunez has yet to wholly convince.

The manufacture of the midfield that astir drove the Reds to the historical quadruple looks laborious and one-paced and the younger midfielders - Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - person ne'er consistently impressed astatine Anfield.

Still, the squad and the manager surely person capable prime to person won lone 1 of their six games truthful acold successful 2023.

"You can't enactment your digit connected 1 thing, it's much than that," added Robertson. "You tin archer we're not arsenic assured successful beforehand of extremity and successful defence we are a wee spot open. We had 2 cleanable sheets coming into contiguous but past spell and concede 2 goals.

"We request to get the assurance back, it's easier said than done, and that's however we volition get results."

Liverpool volition request that assurance backmost rapidly arsenic they caput into a large month.

In February they look rivals Everton, Champions League-chasing Newcastle United and holders Real Madrid successful the Champions League.

"It doesn't consciousness great," Klopp said aft the Brighton loss.

"In clip we mightiness spot the positives but we wanted to get the adjacent round. Congratulations to Brighton."

Prior to Sunday's game, Klopp defended himself amid Liverpool's struggles, insisting helium hasn't go a atrocious manager overnight, but it volition instrumentality each of his managerial nous to forestall the play aft 1 of the club's top ever campaigns from being a immense disappointment.

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