[ad_1]
The Champions League finalists just six months ago, Liverpool hoped that a summer of heavy investment would allow them to go even further in a sixth European Cup, but a defeat 2 -0 against Red Star Belgrade leaves them struggling to qualify for the group stage.
While Anfield remains a fortress on European nights for the Reds, Jurgen Klopp is worrying about the road, especially with a visit to Paris Saint-Germain in three weeks.
Liverpool did not manage a single shot in the 1-0 defeat at Napoli last month and was also opened in a 4-2 defeat to Roma in the return match of last season's semifinal , only progressing thanks to a 5- 2 win go.
"Unfortunately, I've already seen some games of this type and it's very hard to find your mojo," Klopp said as Belgrade achieved Red Star's first victory in the competition for 26 years.
Everything is far from being lost. Liverpool remains tied with Napoli atop Group C with six points. Four points in their last two games would be enough to guarantee the Reds' progress in the last 16 games.
However, losing to what should have been the group's flagellants made their task much more difficult.
"We have to make sure that it will not happen again, otherwise it will be difficult because the next match will be played again and the last match will be very difficult at home against Napoli," added Klopp.
"We have to make sure that we do better in Paris, there have been many times when we have been able to control the game and we have not done it, we have made the wrong decisions."
– New recruits left unused –
The start of the Liverpool season in the Premier League was another story. Still unbeaten after 11 games, the only points they lost were draws against other top-five teams in Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal.
However, even though Liverpool's results have remained positive, they have rarely been matched by the level of performance achieved in last season's Champions League final.
The three prolific fronts of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, who scored 91 goals last season, have all suffered a decline in fitness at different stages during the first three months of the campaign.
Firmino has scored a goal in his last 11 games for the club and the country, but even one night when Klopp tried to give the Brazilian a rare rest, he was sent off at halftime in Belgrade after his replacement Daniel Sturridge missed the match. glorious chance to advance Liverpool.
"We had our first chance – Daniel with a big one – every goal in a game like this leads the game in a specific direction," said Klopp.
The Liverpool options in reserve were supposed to ensure a stronger challenge both in national and European competition this season.
More than 160 million euros ($ 210.5 million) were spent on new recruits, but only goalkeeper Alisson Becker became a regular on the first team, midfielders Fabinho, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri having been largely left out.
Once again at the time of crisis in the Serbian capital in Liverpool, Fabinho and Keita were left on the bench for 90 minutes, while Shaqiri did not even make the trip for reasons of sensitivity political after the controversial celebration of the goal of the Swiss international born in Kosovo against Serbia at the World Cup.
Klopp needs to find a way to use his new resources and quickly rediscover the Liverpool mojo in order to avoid an embarrbading European exit.
Headache: Mohamed Salah (left) did not shoot, Liverpool was beaten 2-0 in front of Belgrade's red star
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that his team has lost its "mojo"
Source link
