Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp needs urgent changes to spark his team back to life

Liverpool have fell off a cliff in 2017 compared to 2016. At first, that was just a neat stat. Now, it’s in danger of derailing Liverpool’s entire season.

Liverpool were blown away by a rejuvenated Leicester City on Monday. It was a new Leicester that showed up after the sacking of Claudio Ranieri. Unfortunately, it was not a new Liverpool. It was an increasingly familiar Liverpool that showed up at the King Power Stadium.

The Reds have been shambolic since the turn of the year. In seven Premier League games, Jurgen Klopp’s team have won just one game. That game was a couple of weeks ago at home to Tottenham.

At the time, it hinted at Liverpool’s re-emergence. Potentially, the end of their poor run of form. As it turns out, however, that game just looks like a blip now. A one-off. The game against Leicester showed Liverpool back to their worst.

Are the team tired from all the aggressive pressing Klopp demands? Is it simply a loss of form? Has Klopp’s style been figured out? It’s hard to pinpoint the true problem yet. But the one thing that can be ascertained is that the team are not playing anywhere near well enough.

Nobody is really performing to their level. This isn’t just one or two players, this is the team as a whole. Liverpool have gone from being the team everybody wanted to avoid, to now being a team that nobody fears. Not playing like this.

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The Reds were in the title race not so long ago, but now they’re in a race just to get into the top four. Sitting in 5th place at present, one point behind Arsenal, and with Manchester United just one point behind in 6th and with a game in hand.

Momentum plays a big role in any season, and Liverpool’s momentum is building, but in the wrong direction. Klopp needs to stop the rot. Not with one win, but with a decisive change that can alter the path the club’s season is currently on.

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You can’t wait another five or six games and risk the situation being irretrievable. No player is really in any kind of form right now. So why not drastically change the team? Temporarily, of course. Change the formation? Do something.

The defense clearly needs help – play a midfield that will help protect the back line more. Don’t play Lucas at center-back, that would be a good start. Also, the attack is lacking the energy and work rate that contributed so much to the club’s early-season success.

So the team can’t really play the way they are doing with such a high defensive line. There’s too much space in behind to be allowing the opposition to play without pressure. So perhaps don’t press so high and change the personnel in the front line.

Jurgen Klopp has a very specific way of playing, but if one part breaks down, then it all breaks down. Right now, it’s all breaking down. Liverpool’s season is heading the same way. Arsenal are next up for the Reds on Saturday.

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That’s the kind of big game, like the Spurs match, that may result in a Liverpool win. But what about Burnley the week after? That’s the problem. Generally, the team is only heading in one direction right now, and thing’s need to be halted before they get out of hand.

The team need to get off the path they are currently on. To do that, the man steering the ship needs to take them in a new direction.

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