Liverpool loss in Belgrade raises alarm bells for Jurgen Klopp but foundations for successful season remain

After seeing Liverpool produce their poorest performance of the season in Belgrade, Jurgen Klopp was forced to provide an important clarification.

In the opening exchanges of his post-match press conference after their defeat to Red Star, the German had commented: “I saw, unfortunately, a few games like this already and it is really difficult to find your mojo back.”

When asked later to expand on that declaration, Klopp insisted it was made solely in reference to his side’s performance in Belgrade rather than their recent form as a whole.

That said, it felt telling that it was at all possible for confusion to arise over the breadth of his assessment.

Liverpool have now claimed just three wins from their last eight games in all competitions, including two defeats in the Champions League which have dented their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages.

Decisive clashes with Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli now await. These fixtures representing a daunting test of the credentials behind Liverpool’s bid to at least match last season’s incredible run to the final.

Still, as he flew back from Belgrade with a demoralised squad on Tuesday evening, Klopp could at least take solace from memories of the now-forgotten travails preceding that journey to Kiev.

Whenever judgements on Liverpool’s performances so far this season are offered by fans, it can at times feel like a form of collective amnesia has descended.

But hopefully the manager remembers that even in 2017-18, with their Champions League final appearance and second consecutive qualification for the tournament, was punctuated by several crushing lows.

Take, for example, the run of just two victories in 10 matches sandwiched by thrashings at the hands of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in September and October.

Or recall that the Reds somehow managed to take qualification from a European group featuring Spartak Moscow, Maribor and Sevilla down to the final matchday.

While frustrating, there would be no disgrace in that happening again considering the difficulty of this season’s draw, particularly given the significant improvements made elsewhere.

With 11 games of the last Premier League season gone, the fifth-placed Reds were already 12 points short of top spot; this time, they find themselves two points behind leaders Manchester City in third.

Yet, despite that indisputable leap forward, evidence that we are indeed doomed to repeat history continues to pile up in the discussions soundtracking this most recent run of mixed form.

Last season, only an incredible contribution from autumn onwards ended conversations regarding Roberto Firmino’s suitability for the role of centre-forward, but the Brazilian is once again under the microscope after a run of one goal from 11 games.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, whose finishing was the subject of much debate in the early stages of his Anfield career, has only recently overcome a fresh bout of criticism centred on his goal return.

Thankfully, it seems the players possess the sufficient composure to acknowledge that they have come back from much worse than this far-from-terminal defeat in Serbia.

As Adam Lallana told LFCTV on Tuesday: “Of course there’ll be a reaction. It’s not the first time we’ve lost games, it’s about how you react and bounce back.”

With little room for manoeuvre available in either the Premier League or Champions League, the Reds cannot afford to wait much longer before truly picking up momentum.

But, if last night’s result produces a worthy reaction, the foundations for a successful season are there to be built on.