The last four Premier League games have been 3-3 and draw, 2 of which have been lost 3-0, only against Chelsea without conceding a goal. Liverpool, who finished 10th in the league, are already 11 points away from the Champions League.
Is the biggest problem of the team really because the owner Fenway doesn't cost money to cut the door? This may only be part of the reason, but the departure of Edwards and the disappearance of the "magic ball system" are the biggest problems.
01. "Magic Ball Manager" leaves: Liverpool without "Plan B"
a. 3 losses and 1 draw in the last 4 Premier League matches: 10th in the league
The 3-0 defeat to Wolves, who were in the relegation zone before the match, was the second time Liverpool had suffered such an embarrassing score in their last four Premier League matches.
If the 3-0 defeat to Brighton, who performed well this season, is understandable, then the 3-0 defeat to the relegation team is really difficult to blame all the problems on "the boss does not buy people".
After this game, Liverpool's current Premier League ranking has fallen to 10th, 21 points behind Arsenal at the top.
Even if they just want a ticket to next season's Champions League, the harsh reality of being thrown out by Newcastle by 11 points makes Liverpool, who have only 18 games left, feel a lot of pressure.
b. Magic Ball manager's departure: Liverpool have no 'Plan B' to recruit
From 2019 to date, net investment figures in the transfer market show that Liverpool can only be ranked 11th among all Premier League teams, spending £200 million less than fourth-placed Arsenal.
Liverpool's low spending is still related to the team's excellent performance in selling people. Former Liverpool director Edwards, famous for his big data model selection, was once known as the "Magic Ball Director".
He once sold the fringes of the first team such as Solanke, Abby and Brewster for a sky-high price of nearly 60 million pounds, giving the team a "self-hematopoietic ability" in the transfer market.
After Liverpool won the Champions League and Premier League, more and more people recognized the help Edwards brings.
Although the director does not like to deal with the media, he is perhaps second only to Klopp in the perception of Liverpool at the inside.
On the road to Liverpool's rise, the team had a long time, and the market often did not get its own "plan A", and the final entry into the team was the "B candidate".
Most famously, Klopp's pursuit of Gotze culminated in Mane's legendary chapter at Anfield. Edwards' big data introduction made up for Kloop's small flaws in the selection of people.
02. It's Edwards' Existence: Making Fenway and Klopp a "match made in heaven"
More than self-sufficiency: Big data makes Liverpool more efficient
Edwards' recruitment is based on the results of big data models, so he is also known as the "magic ball manager". One of his most successful signings in the market was spending $8.1 million on relegation left-back Robertson.
The Scottish star has captained the national team at Liverpool and is one of the best left-backs in the world.
From Roberto Firmino to Mane to Salah, the red trident is Liverpool's core competency on the road to the title, and they have spent less than £100 million in exchange for a lot of titles.
Selling people bring self-sufficient funds, buying people can maximize the effect at the most affordable price, Edwards' ingenuity, so that Fenway, which has a low total investment, can be "logical and self-consistent" in the transfer market, but the team's combat effectiveness can explode.
b. Behind Edwards' departure: differences in the distribution of rights and management philosophies
Edwards' departure is related to some disagreements between him and Klooper over the arrangement of recruits. The German boss is hungry for more decision-making power, and Edwards' abdication is also a necessity.
After losing the magic of Edwards, Liverpool's recent large signings are more like pursuing "popular" sky-high players.
Núñez, who scored consecutive goals in the Champions League, and Gakpo, who scored in three consecutive games in the World Cup, are bound to be worth a relatively high point, and once they do not score after joining the team, the pressure of public opinion will be greater.
The contradiction between Edwards and Klopp (not a personal feud, the relationship between the two should still be good, that is, the difference in management philosophy and decision-making), not only in the introduction, including the extension and retention of veteran players in the team (Klopp wants to renew the contract of multiple veterans, so that Edwards can not bear it), but also has a certain conflict.
Klopp wants to retain the championship team that knows him better because of the peculiarities of his tactical play. However, Edwards hopes to regain the momentum of the team through a major change.
Wijnaldum failed to renew his contract (although in the end it was because Paris offered too high a price, but the previous renewal was slow to progress and not completed ahead of schedule was a problem), as well as Salah's stay, but there was a fundamental clash of ideas between Klcap and Edwards.
The situation is similar not only in the area of access to aid, but also in areas such as medical care and training rehabilitation.
Jacobson, whom Edwards supported and Klopp hand-picked by Cohenmeier, sparked irreconcilable tensions between the medical team and the sports science team.
At the end of 2020, when Jacobson took a "paid leave" (resigned from Liverpool but continued to receive his salary and was not allowed to work for another team) and Cohenmeier received more support, Edwards' departure may not be so surprising.
03. Klopp needs to adjust his tactics: otherwise it will be difficult for new signings to integrate
A. Klopp's tactics are "old": if you don't change, you have to spend a lot of money
From Liverpool's statistics in the game, it can be seen that the decline in the advantage on the field is clear at a glance.
When Klopp's tactics lack changes, it will require stronger individual players and more passion for the game, which is difficult for the team to obtain as the meritorious players get older.
The game against Wolves should not only see Liverpool complete 22 shots, but note that in the expected goal statistics (only counting the chances created, regardless of whether the striker is on target), Wolves lead 2.11 to 1.78.
In terms of the chances created, the home team is the more dominant side. Liverpool's lack of creativity in attack may be the fundamental problem.
b. Create the right tactics for new signings: to facilitate their integration
Too often, Liverpool fans only notice that Núñez missed a great scoring opportunity without seeing the new tactical value he brings.
Klopp's use of Núñez was not particularly successful. Of course, this is also due to the fact that the creativity of the current midfield is too poor, which makes Núñez's characteristics unable to be used.
Núñez's ability to sprint and run chances is so strong that as long as the midfielder can hold the ball, he can rush into the heart of his opponent almost instantly.
However, Thiago's direct ball is still too few in the game. Núñez needs more accumulation to give the team back.
After all, his playing time and goals this season, in fact, is not far behind Vlahovic (considering Juve's price tag for Vlahovic and the tactical support they give to the striker, which is much higher than Liverpool's to Nunez).
The game against Manchester City after the World Cup showed that as long as the midfielder can hold the ball, Núñez can find opportunities, but Liverpool's midfield lacks such players.
Klopp was reluctant to give up the old minister who had seriously declined in physical condition, so he created a dead knot. You don't have old people to go, how to leave room for new signings to join.
In the last 2 summer windows and 2 winter windows, Liverpool spent almost 250 million euros to bring in signings (which is neither much nor too little), buying central defenders and strikers. The midfielder keeps wanting to renew the veteran's contract, is this really not saving a sum of money to buy the midfielder?
Núñez missed another chance to go singular against Wolves. But such a ball, except for Núñez, may not be able to turn into a great opportunity.
The attack is launched by Alexander-Arnold's long pass, and the defensive end has to spit on Arnold as a colander, Liverpool has too much logic and inconsistency in tactics, really want to rely on buying people to solve, maybe only the Chelsea boss can meet such requirements.
Conclusion:
At present, the speed of tactical change in football is extremely fast, and Pioli has not upgraded the tactical board in 1 year, and has changed from a champion coach to a "passerby".
Klopp's achievements are much higher than those of the Rossoneri's boss, but the problems are similar. Either the owner will completely change the team at any cost, or the coach needs to tailor the style of play. Which one is easier? I believe that everyone will have their own answer from their own point of view.