Klopp's faltering farewell tour finally fizzles out

LIVERPOOL — Jurgen Klopp's nearly nine years at Liverpool have been filled with memorable milestones, but an unwanted first of his reign leaves his final few weeks at Anfield with little left to play for.

Klopp tasted defeat in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park for the first time in nine visits, as a 2-0 loss to Everton left the Reds' dream of sending their manager off with a second Premier League title in tatters.

Just a few weeks ago, Liverpool was on course for a potential quadruple, but the wheels have fallen off the farewell tour bus in spectacular fashion.

A run of four wins in nine games has seen Klopp's men crash out of the Europa League and FA Cup, as well as falling off the pace at the top of the Premier League.

Liverpool trails leader Arsenal by three points and is only a point ahead of defending champion Manchester City, which has two games in hand. Barring a miracle, it's now all but a two-horse race.

But, how did it go so wrong? What exactly derailed Klopp's hopes of glorious exit?

Slow starts

Liverpool's habit of fighting back from losing positions was lauded earlier in the campaign as a sign of the "mentality monsters" Klopp has created throughout his time at Anfield.

It has amassed 27 points after falling behind in the Premier League alone this season, but has seen its luck run out in shock defeats against Crystal Palace and Everton in the past 10 days.

In all competitions, Liverpool has conceded the opening goal 22 times this season.

It never recovered from a sluggish start at Goodison, as Everton wasted a number of chances and had a penalty overturned by VAR — even before Jarrad Branthwaite opened the scoring on 27 minutes.

Wasteful finishing

Liverpool's forward line also went off the boil as the business end of the season closed in.

It has failed to score from open play in four of its last five games.

Mohamed Salah has looked out of sorts since returning from a hamstring injury picked up at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez were again guilty of wasting huge chances against Everton.

And Diogo Jota, often heralded as the most natural finisher at the club, has been sidelined again by injury after only just returning from a two-month layoff.

"You can see we are in a rush in front of goal," said Klopp. "We create a lot, but we don't score often enough.

"You can see that, and that's the problem. You have to fight through these periods. It's not a problem of attitude, the boys want it, but it is my job to bring them into a situation where they feel confident to do it."

Fatigue

The quest for the quadruple could now be coming back to haunt Klopp, as Liverpool looks to have run out of steam.

It has played 54 games this season and will have four more before the end of the campaign.

A number of academy graduates stepped up during an injury crisis in the early months of 2024, helping to ensure Klopp did at least secure some silverware in his final season by winning the League Cup in February.

Yet, just as it is getting major players back, with Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold returning in recent weeks, those that have been relied upon the most during the winter months are fading.

Klopp admitted after the Palace match that midfield duo Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo are struggling due to the burden placed upon them earlier in the campaign.

"Players who played all the games are less fresh, but it is the same for the other teams. I don't want that to be an excuse," added Klopp.

"A lot of things come together, so it is not great timing. I would prefer to be sitting here winning 4-0 and flying, but the job is to win football games and the more you win, the more successful you are.

"At this moment, we haven't won enough games to get anything from the season."

AFP