The joy came by surprise, but the ending was also cruel. The first leg of the Champions League 1/8 final was brutal for Liverpool fans. Not only did they experience the extreme ups and downs of heaven to hell, but they also had to face the reality that the home team was about to end all four and be dismal. Just halfway through the season, Liverpool have no title to contend for, not even qualifying for next season's Champions League. Failed recruitment, rigid tactics, aging core, a series of blows, Klopp's Red Army dynasty was once again stormy.
[Both feet step on the air, naturally pull the egg]
If the time goes back to the summer of 2022, will Liverpool give up the title of Mane and bet heavily on Darwin Núñez? Although the cost of one transfer for Núñez is comparable to the total price of the deal involved in Mane's entire career. But there is no doubt that the Uruguayans today are far from the "Fire Kong" in terms of ability and contribution. In the final in Paris half a year ago, Mane made Real Madrid in front of the door more than once as a striker; But half a year later, Nunez only flashed when he opened the scoring and then disappeared.
In the past, when the war in Liverpool was unfavorable, fans would angrily accuse the owner of Fenway Group for overly cautious investment strategy. But this year it seems that the pot cannot be completely dumped on the capital, in addition to the summer window heavy money to smash Nunez, Liverpool also raised in the winter, and snatched Eredivisie rising star Gakepo for 42 million euros. However, the Dutchman's performance was not as good as that of the Uruguayan senior, who reported six months earlier than himself, and it was not until mid-February that he finally found shooting boots.
It is true that Nunez and Gakpo are all players who have achieved small success in the "second tier league" such as the Portuguese Premier League and the Eredivisie, and part of their high price is linked to talent, which needs to be developed slowly with patience. But this kind of development must also come with costs and risks, not only Núñez and Gakpo can not be called to reach the height of their predecessors, Chelsea's Enzo, Mudrick and others have not yet tasted winning. The same is true for continental Europe, where Milan spends most of its budget on summer and Maldini has only recorded one assist so far in De Ketrare, who was hired by Belgium.
What's more deadly is that the two new signings not only have a gap with their predecessors in terms of strength, but also do not have similar characteristics. In the era of Salah, Roberto Firmino and Mane, the two hallmarks of Liverpool's forward line are speed and oppression. But today, Nunez and Gakpo are not doing well on both fronts. Both players are over 1.9 meters tall, making it difficult to rush left and right like Mane, repeatedly torturing defenders at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. The newcomers stepped on the air at both ends, neither the strength nor the characteristics were up to standard, and the strength of the Red Army naturally declined.
[Each with his own thoughts, unable to hold back leads to a total collapse]
However, the failure to attract is only part of the reason for Liverpool's predicament. In fact, any team is always facing the problem of "new peach for old charm", no player can escape the curse of time, even self-respecting and self-disciplined superstars such as Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic will say goodbye to the peak sooner or later. Iterating the lineup and developing players is the homework that every coach and director must do, it is not the end of the world for a certain position of the team to decline because of iteration, football is a team sport, as long as the rest can be "held".
But the problem facing Liverpool is precisely "can't hold on" - if Liverpool's current problem is only that they can't enter and win, then they can torture the strikers to be soft; But Liverpool are not only weak in attack, but also leaking in defense - they scored five goals like butter by Real Madrid, basically handing over the suspense of the second leg, and obviously cannot only be held accountable to the striker.
Before the season reached 2/3, Klopp's side had already lost seven league games. Losing three more games in the remaining 16 league games would break Klopp's league record since he managed the Reds. Uncle Scumbag had lost up to nine league games in a single season, and even in 2015-16, which was taken over midway and in ruins, the Reds lost six league games when Rodgers was early in charge.
The reason why Liverpool can win the Champions League and the Premier League in a row is because of the joining of several heavyweight defenders such as Alisson and Van Dijk. However, this steel defense line, which is both offensive and defensive, is now leaking everywhere. "World First Guard" Van Dijk is no longer as brave as he was once because of his serious injuries and the influence of age. The Dutch captain's pace has become heavier and slower, and sometimes it has even become a weakness of the team, becoming a "food and hospitality" in the eyes of opponents.
Others began self-indulgence and exile early, such as "Prince" Arnold. The self-academy who once staged a brilliant appearance in the "Anfield miracle" is now showing a clever side. Walking defense and eye defense are not uncommon in games. The "Highway 66", which used to be able to penetrate directly into the hinterland of opponents, has now become Liverpool's own weakness and weak link.
[Fish are easy to become smelly after a long time, can Klopp still turn over?] 】
The team's record has eroded to this point, and manager Jurgen Klopp cannot escape the problem. The decline in the overall strength of the squad is bound to make any manager feel bad, but in the context of the drastic changes in the strength and characteristics of his players, the Germans have not come up with any suitable changes.
At the beginning, Uncle Slag relied on high-intensity oppression "heavy metal flow" to conquer the top of Europe, but time has changed, the "Red Arrows Three" with both attack and defense has disintegrated, Fabinho and Henderson have gradually bid farewell to the peak, and it is unrealistic to expect tall players like Gakpo and Nunez to run crazy throughout the game. When veteran Modric easily breaks through Fabinho's interception, and when Van Dijk can only follow behind Vinicius, Klopp should know that Liverpool will not be able to play the high-cost, high-paced football of the past, both in attack and defense.
After the World Cup off-season, he focused on promoting youth graduate Bajčetić, hoping that the tall, hard-working Spanish youth international could replenish the vitality of the midfield. However, although the young general has the spirit of blood bravery, it is difficult to meet the standard in technology and experience for a while. Against Real Madrid, the Spaniard was quickly targeted by a seasoned opponent.
"When the fish is left for a long time, it is easy to smell"; A coach who stays in one position for a long time is also prone to falling into an endless cycle. Now Klopp himself seems to have entered a period of confusion, and after the match, he took the rare initiative to "confess", believing that there was no suspense in the second round. Failed recruitments, rigid tactics, and an aging core, Klopp seems to have become a.