As Kaoru Mitoma prodded home to send Brighton into the fourth round of the FA Cup at Liverpool’s expense, another nail was hammered into the coffin that is the 2022-23 season for Jurgen Klopp’s side. Now, the only chance of silverware this campaign is the Champions League, where they face defending champions Real Madrid in the last 16. The team that came so close to winning an unprecedented quadruple last season have dropped off a cliff edge.
It’s been a remarkable slump. Much has been made of Liverpool’s inability to strengthen their midfield in recent transfer windows, but this malaise gripping the club seems to go far beyond the players. There are so many of Liverpool’s stars whose form has deteriorated this season, to the point where it seems as though there must be off-field factors that are filtering down to the on-field performances.
Of course, it’s no secret that this is a turbulent time for the Reds. Owners Fenway Sports Group are seeking investors for the club, though whether they are hoping to give away the entire club or just a minority stake remains unclear. Senior figures at the club, most notable sporting director Julian Ward, who only took up the position last summer, are leaving at the end of the campaign. This turmoil will inevitably affect performances on the pitch – players can’t live in a bubble interminably.
The result is a season that is going nowhere fast. The Premiership betting odds make it unlikely that Liverpool will finish in the top four, which would be a devastating blow in terms of finances and transfer window pulling power. The last hope is the Champions League, but having lost to Real Madrid in two finals in the last five years, and also the quarter-finals in 2020, you could forgive Reds fans for not holding out much hope.
All this poses the question of whether this is a simply transition season, on and off the pitch, or if there are signs that a period of decline is in store for Liverpool. If significant investment is not found, and if results continue to stagnate on the pitch, then it could have dire consequences for a team that has been one of the leading lights in English football in recent years.
Or, there is the possibility that Liverpool could bring in one or two key recruits in midfield come the summer transfer window, and that the likes of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo will fully find their feet, and with the new renovations at the Anfield Road End complete, the club can step forward boldly into a new era.
Much of this will hinge on the ability of Klopp to arrest the on-pitch slide. If he can manage to salvage Champions League qualification from this wreckage of a season, it would be a stunning achievement, perhaps more so than the injury-ridden 2020-21 campaign, and would provide a solid platform on which to re-build. But if things were to get worse, and Liverpool were to slump to a mid-table finish, it’s hard to know what the future would hold.
Liverpool fans shouldn’t panic — indeed, they will do well to remember the years in the doldrums between the departure of Rafael Benitez and the arrival of Klopp. The German has proved his talents time and time again, now is the time to back him once more.
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