Liverpool are facing another injury crisis in a promising season…
The Reds were declined a certain penalty when Erik Pieters handled Wijnaldum’s cross late on in the game against Stoke City. Injustice played an enormous role as Liverpool had to balance the odds against a team truly heading towards the EFL Championship. Besides this, pointing fingers on the blundering match referee, Andre Marriner, can draw attention away from the fact that this was cravenly plotted by Jurgen Klopp’s men. Liverpool are about to reach the Champions League final for the first time since 2007, and their minds may have been preoccupied with the thought of doing so.
Liverpool had half their team missing, which significantly reduced their performance. Mental and physical fatigue were at their peak and the players couldn’t provide the spark that they were desperately searching for. Klopp’s side enjoyed 72% possession, but didn’t pose much of a threat as they only mustered two attempts on target. Perhaps more important things were at stake as Liverpool are on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League back-to-back for the first time in a decade.
The competition can prove much stronger than Stoke City, but the most crucial step was evidently avoiding injures for Wednesday night’s encounter at the Stadio Olimpico. Klopp declared that Sadio Mane will be fit for the second leg as The Reds aim to pave their path to Kiev.
Despite all that, lessons need to be learned in order mount a Premier League title challenge next season. Liverpool drew for the 12th time this season and seven of those were at home. On some days, the team has performed outrageously well – proving they can beat anyone. However, sustaining a high level of performance requires strength in depth. Klopp has developed a great team but lacks cover for the front-three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino. It’s a similar story in midfield where injuries to Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, and Emre Can have stripped the squad down to its bare bones. Naby Keita’s arrival may help – but Liverpool yearns for a greater creative force.
Mohamed Salah has played 18 games for Liverpool in 2018, scoring 20 goals in that time.
He has failed to score in just three of those 18 games; Liverpool lost two of them and drew the other.
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— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 25, 2018
Salah is returning to Rome on the back of a rare off day as his team lacked flair without his inspirational play at the fore. Klopp’s Egyptian King couldn’t add to his 43 goals this weekend and remains four behind Ian Rush’s club record of 47 with a maximum of four matches to spare. This was the first time since boxing day that Salah started a game and failed to find the net.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was given the responsibilities in midfield, where he used to play for the club’s academy before being pushed into the right-back role. Liverpool’s passing wasn’t up to its usual standard either with Joe Gomez’s distribution letting him down on multiple occasions, but the youngster deserved to be cut some slack as he regains his strength after an ankle injury.
In short, it is almost certain that Liverpool need to hold on to their key players and add extra depth to the squad because they can only compete with Europe’s best if they have players capable of rising up to the occasion and offering an invaluable extra dimension. It’s how the top clubs operate, and Klopp must ensure his side follow the trend.