Keep a clean sheet and earn 1 point. That is the assessment of coach Jurgen Klopp after Liverpool held Chelsea 0-0 – a result that the German strategist considers a small step forward.
However, even with progress, it is too late for The Kop to save this season. After 28 matches played in the Premier League, Liverpool were 23 points behind themselves last season and dropped 6 places.
The indiscretion in the defense constantly made The Kop lose points, typically the 1-4 loss to Manchester City. That prompted Klopp to make a series of changes at Stamford Bridge.
In fɑct, Chelsea could not find the Liverpool net. But the main cause comes from the grace of the Blues strikers instead of the excellent performance of the Liverpool defense.
Klopp made many changes in the match against Liverpool but to no avail.
However, after the match, the German strategist was still satisfied with the performance of his students.
“We won the big thing, a point from the away game. Liverpool and Chelsea met in two finals last season so this is not a match at the right level of the two.
I saw the fιghting spirit of the players today and I always look forward to that. This is the basis for the rest of the season,” Klopp said.
Klopp believes that the spirit is the positive point of Liverpool in the last series of disappointing matches
The 55-year-old coach can find positives from Liverpool’s failure to concede a goal. But the more important problem is that their ɑttack is performing very badly.
Since the 7-0 victory over Manchester United at Anfield, the “Red Brigade” has played 4 more matches. In that period, 360 minutes, they only scored 1 goal against Man City.
The problem is not only the finishing but also Klopp’s army can not create opportunities. The most obvious proof is the defeat against Bournemouth in round 26. In the lead, Liverpool only made 1 shot on target in the second half.
Darwin Nunez and the players in Liverpool’s ɑttack are in decline.
The same scenario also happened when The Kop was knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid. They did not show a reaction after being led.
Mohamed Salah – the brightest star in Liverpool’s ɑttack, has averaged more than 3 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. But in the last 4 matches, he only had a total of 4 shots, 2 times on target and could not score against Chelsea.
The defense has been in decline since the beginning of the season, so far, Liverpool’s attack has also shown signs of instability.
It is difficult to predict Liverpool’s resurgence when they are not capable of scoring. However, Klopp still has to focus on solving problems in defense, then improving his ability to hold the ball, and finally scoring.
“We have 10 games left to play and the next one is Arsenal. I don’t care about the other nine games. If we show a hard-to-beat face against Arsenal then we can win. Otherwise, Arsenal will pass us easily,” Klopp said.
Liverpool will have to face a very variable ɑttacking rival – Arsenal in the next match
Whether or not the squad changes, the chance for Liverpool to win points against Arsenal is very low when Klopp’s students are not ready to show consistency at both ends of the field.
