Liverpool: How 'football week of all football weeks' will define Reds' season

Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

Liverpool faces three games in a little over a week that will shape their season – starting with Saturday’s trip to champions Man City – but they have an assortment of problems to solve if they want to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

The Reds’ last Premier League outing before the international break was their 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Bournemouth, an anemic performance coming against a team they had beaten 9-0 earlier in the season. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

That surprise loss also came on the back of a five-game unbeaten league run, including a record-breaking 7-0 home thrashing of Man Utd the week before, which appeared to breathe new life into their faltering season, leaving fans and manager Jurgen Klopp scratching their collective heads as to just how the same set of players could produce two such contrasting displays. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

But that setback on the south coast sums up Liverpool’s disjointed campaign so far, one that sees them out of every cup competition and hanging on to hopes of a top-four finish – and with it a place back in next season’s Champions League – by their fingernails. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

The problem for Klopp is his side now face “the football week of all football weeks”, as he put it, beginning with a Saturday lunchtime rendezvous with City at a venue where Liverpool has only won once in the top flight under the German, and that was back in 2015, while they have also failed to win any of their 12.30 pm kick-offs this season. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

Chelsea
Liverpool

Tuesday 4th April 7:00pmKick off 8:00pm

That is then followed by an equally tricky-looking visit to a revitalized Chelsea team on Tuesday night before they finish up by hosting league leaders Arsenal a week on Sunday – with both games live on Sky Sports – as the Reds look to keep pace with Tottenham and Newcastle in the race for the top four. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

Ironically then, a year on from going head to head with City for the league, Liverpool will once again play a key role in the title race with games coming up against the champions and the leaders, just not quite how their fans imagined it at the start of the season. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

It’s going to be very defining and that’s something we all know.Virgil van Dijk on Liverpool’s next three fixtures

And when asked to describe their next three fixtures, be it the manager, players, fans, or anyone associated with the club, they have all used one word and that is “defining”. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

One real concern for Liverpool is the looming challenge from a revitalized Newcastle, who has recovered from a recent sticky patch to win their last two league matches. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

Liverpool has picked up fewer Premier League away points than bottom-of-the-table Southampton this season

If the Magpies, who lead the Reds by five points, were to beat Man Utd, West Ham, and Brentford in their next three outings, then that would put massive pressure on Klopp’s team to get results against City, Chelsea, and Arsenal or face the very real prospect of being out of the top-four race come April 9. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

Then there is the undeniable issue of Liverpool’s away form this campaign, with the ‘Mentality Monsters’ that lost just twice on their travels in the whole of last season having already suffered seven away league defeats – incredibly, they have picked up fewer points on the road than bottom-of-the-table Southampton. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

It is something Klopp is only too aware of.

Klopp calls on Liverpool to ‘squeeze everything out of this season Jurgen Klopp says his Liverpool team will chase and challenge everybody as they try to finish in the Premier League top four

“Concerned, yeah,” he said after their latest away defeat at the Vitality. “I see it. With the home games, I think we are top four. With away games, we are not even in Europe. There’s always a reason for the situation we are in. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

“We could have had more points at home as well, and maybe should have, but away. That was a big strength of us in the last years, it made a big difference, but that’s how it is when you are successful. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

“When you do things consistently, in the right way, with the quality we have, you have a good chance to get away results as well, but this is not happening often enough. It’s a clear point, to be honest, yes.” Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

With the home games, I think we are top four. With away games, we are not even in Europe. There’s always a reason for the situation we are in.Jurgen Klopp

For Liverpool to close the gap on Spurs and Newcastle and grab the fourth spot, they will need to produce the sort of finish they managed two seasons ago when they were in a similar hole to now.

On that occasion, Klopp’s side won eight of their last 10 league matches to claim an unlikely third place in the table, but whether this team has the confidence to produce such a winning run is open to question. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

Consistency has been a real issue for them this season, with the team managing to follow up impressive home wins over Man City and Man Utd with morale-sapping defeats at struggling Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth.Share

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The video you are trying to watch cannot be viewed from your current country or location free TO WATCH: Highlights from Bournemouth’s win against Liverpool

So much so that, to date, their longest unbeaten league run is just the five games they managed in February and March, with former Reds defender Stephen Warnock observing: “This is not the Liverpool of last year or two years ago where the mentality was so strong that if they went a goal up, you thought no other team is going to score against them, they were that strong.” Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

A lot of comparisons have been made this campaign with Liverpool’s 2020-21 struggles when heading into April they were also outside the top four and in danger of missing out on Europe’s premier club competition. Liverpool: How ‘football week of all football weeks’ will define Reds’ season

That season, the Reds could not win at Anfield while also struggling against the ‘big’ teams, whereas it is the opposite this time around with Klopp’s side having the third-best home record, where they have lost just once all season, including impressive wins over City, United, and Newcastle.

Liverpool
Arsenal

Sunday 9th April 4:00pmKick off 4:30pm

In contrast, they have lost to Leeds, Forest, Bournemouth, Brighton, Brentford, and Wolves, while it is also the first time since 2010/11 they have not beaten any of the three promoted teams on the road.

“Arsenal and Man City, those are the games that do not worry me as a Liverpool fan,” said Warnock.

Did you know?

This season is the first time since 2010/11 that Liverpool has not beaten any of the three promoted teams on the road.

“I know they got thumped by Real Madrid (5-2 at Anfield), but I still fancy them as it is almost as if they realize what they are going up against so the concentration levels go up and there is not that complacency against teams like that.

Arsenal and Man City, those are the games that do not worry me as a Liverpool fan.Stephen Warnock, former Liverpool defender

“Against Arsenal and City, you would not go into that thinking, they are not going to win that game. They can easily win those games and that is the big problem they are currently having.”

The concern for Reds supporters, and Klopp, then is which Liverpool will we see in the next three games?

However, it is not all doom and gloom for the Merseysiders, who have virtually a fully-fit squad to pick from for the trip to the Etihad, including Colombia forward Luis Diaz, who has finally made his long-awaited return from a knee injury and could even now feature on the bench on Saturday.

https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.566.2_en.html#goog_899683347Play Video – ‘I hope to be back soon’ | Diaz edging closer to return from injury Luis Diaz is hoping to be available for Liverpool again after four months out with a knee injury

If Liverpool can get results in these next three fixtures, then they face a favorable nine-game run, on paper at least, with which to finish the campaign, including a potentially decisive home encounter with Spurs on April 30, live on Sky Sports.

Equally, though, if a week is a long time in politics, then the next few days will seem like an eternity for Klopp and his players should they slip up against City, Chelsea and then Arsenal.