da dobrowin： The Jurgen Klopp honeymoon period looks to be somewhat over. Three games in and the German is still looking for his first win and the “heavy metal” football he promised has been, as Jamie Carragher said at half-time, more like the musical stylings of a “church choir”.
da bet7： Alas, there have been genuine signs of progress, with the 48-year-old clearly getting more from players such as Mamadou Sakho, Alberto Moreno and Emre Can, yet there are areas which are sure to be keeping Klopp awake at night.
With that in mind, here are THREE problems facing the new Liverpool chief…
Scoring goals
Christian Benteke’s towering header was just Liverpool’s ninth of the season in Premier League action. That averages out at less than a goal a game. Injuries to the aforementioned Belgian and Daniel Sturridge have not helped, and a raw Divock Origi up front has done little to boost hopes. Alas, the blame cannot be put entirely on the strikers’ doorstep, with Klopp’s creative players not quite firing.
It’s a hard one to work out, but Klopp may need to go with a more attack-minded set-up, perhaps sacrificing one of Lucas, James Milner or Emre Can to get more spark in the final third.
Defensive frailties
It was rather a case of déjà vu when Sadio Mane bundled in a scrappy equaliser with under five minutes left to play. Failing to hold onto a lead was an issue under Brendan Rodgers, and the achilles heal of sloppy defending from a set-piece came back as Gaston Ramirez’s header across the six yard box clattered in of Mane’s midriff.
Admittedly Klopp’s Reds have looked a little more solid at the back, but there is still plenty of work to be done. Perhaps a new centre-back to partner Mamadou Sakho in January?
How to balance the midfield
Despite being known as a 4-2-3-1 manager, Klopp has been experimenting with a 4-3-2-1, leaving him with a deep trio of Can, Lucas and, often, Milner. However, this set-up is clearly leaving the Reds a little short in the final third, which is becoming an issue. Even when Milner is shifted out wide the problems persist, and with Jordan Henderson set to return from injury at some stage, Klopp will have another body to cram in.
How can he get over this? Drop Lucas? Axe Can? Use Milner as a ‘No.10’? Tough decision to make.