Liverpool made the worst possible start to the new year with the loss to West Ham. The 2-0 defeat was made more painful for their fans as the side showed no fight and were totally outplayed by the Hammers. With just 18 games left to play in the league, Klopp surely has a huge task at hand to land a European spot with a squad as mediocre as this.
Mignolet needs upgrading
Mignolet did not actually make a howler in the game and yet we are asking for an upgrade. Well, the fact that we measure his performances as good or bad in the terms of howlers committed during the course of the 90 minutes tells a story. He is a decent shot stopper but his deficiencies in the air, on the ground and as the leader of the defence have been too evident to miss for a long time now. While he did save Liverpool the blushes with an excellent save, we believe he was at fault for not collecting the crosses that led to the West Ham goals.
For us, Mignolet is at best a back-up Liverpool keeper and it’s time Klopp dipped into the transfer market to bring in a true leader.
Depth in the defense is an issue for the Reds
Martin Skrtel’s injury has meant that Dejan Lovren has had to play as the right centre-back over the last 2 games. Many Liverpool fans have gone gaga over Lovren’s performances, not us. He has been decent, we agree, but playing out of his comfort zone, he has definitely made mistakes that do not often come across as one. Go back to the West Ham goals and have a look. Should he not be a bit away from Sakho to cover his box on both the occasions? Add to the Croatian’s inabilities, the shaky performances of Sakho over short periods during the last few games and you have a recipe for disaster.
Is this a midfield that can propel a side into the Top 4?
Watching Liverpool play made us wonder if the side has a midfield capable enough of landing a European spot. The answer was a simple no. The side lacks a solid defensive midfielder and the likes of Can and Henderson are the only ones who look up to the mark on certain occasion. If the side needs to win something considerable, they need to add more meat to their midfield.
The side’s midfield has been shut out by opposition with an alarming ease and it’s only time before Klopp ships out the underperformers and brings in better, hungrier players.
Reds’ inefficiency in front of goal continues
51st minute of the game, Moreno gets behind the West Ham defence and presents Benteke with a goal scoring opportunity only for the Belgian to miss. With the lead just 1-0 at that time, had Benteke scored, Liverpool could have possibly salvaged a better result.
The Belgian has way too wasteful with his finishing and his static positioning in and around the box has not helped the situation either. While Daniel Sturridge is definitely a goal scoring machine, his injury record leaves the Reds with a replacement who has found life tough at the Merseyside. It is only obvious that the side will be linked to numerous strikers from across Europe and we hope Klopp brings in some exciting names to Anfield in the window to come.
Reds lack a leader on the pitch
Steven Gerrard’s departure from Anfield has not only created a gap in terms of a world-class midfielder but also a leader. The side lacks a leader on the pitch, someone who can drive their side forward even during troubled times and that the Liverpool hierarchy needs to attend to the issue at hand on top priority. The side lacks a bite and bringing in a proven leader could well be the beginning of solving all the concerns of the side.
