Nothing has been the same for Liverpool since Dutch international, Virgil van Dijk, got injured against Everton in the Merseyside derby on October 17th of 2020, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
Van Dijk got injured by a reckless tackle from Everton’s goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, that surprisingly did not end in a red card.
Since the draw, Jurgen Klopp has needed to improvised a lot. This has weakened their midfield since Fabinho has played many games as a center-back, same goes for club captain Jordan Henderson.
Both players are central midfielders and are considered the club’s only “senior” center-backs following injuries to Joel Matip and Joe Gomez. The former has returned and is match fit but Matip is quite injury prone.
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The Reds has not performed the way that everyone expected them to this season. They are placed 4th in the table standings with 34 points. They have dropped points in many Premier League outings against lower-table teams while Van Dijk has been out injured.
They have shared points with Brighton, Fulham, West Brom, Newcastle and lost one game against Burnley. All of these aforementioned teams are below 15th place on the EPL table. The Reds also lost one game against Southampton and drew to Manchester United at Anfield.
Far from last season’s brilliance that saw them claim their first Premier League title in 30 years.
Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side must win every matchup from this point on
Klopp and the squad will need to get back in shape if they want to do something important this year. They are out of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup already, giving them a shot at two major trophies only.
The question that many Liverpool fans are asking themselves now is: Does the Reds have the experience and squad depth to secure a Champions League spot at the end of the EPL season?
Klopp is not going to be able to use Van Dijk until closer to the end of the season – so he needs to figure something out in order to get the Reds back to winning form. The club’s hierarchy must back him in the transfer market and do some business.
It is most likely that the Reds will qualify for next season’s Champions League but if injuries keep persisting at Anfield, it is going to be a very hard pathway for Liverpool to finish in a good position at the end of the EPL campaign.