Is it time for Jurgen to Klopp?
That’s the question on the lips of every Premier League fan as Liverpool struggle big time to get their season kickstarted.
And I’ve even seen some chatter on Twitter that Reds fans believe that the German’s time is up.
This week, 2005 Champions League winner Didi Hamann became the first voice from inside the Anfield camp to question Klopp’s future.
It didn’t go down well with Klopp, who said sarcastically that his fellow German was “a fantastic source, well respected everywhere”.
But with the team floundering 14 points off Premier League leaders Arsenal and bracing for a visit from Erling Haaland and Manchester City, things could get even uglier.
Still, if you ask me whether the Klopp era is over at Liverpool, I’d say wag ‘n bietjie langer.
Not too long ago, Klopp and his Reds were a Thibaut Coutois masterclass and Ilkay Gundogan brace away from winning every tournament they played in last season.
And even with Klopp already writing off a title challenge, a top-four finish is still there to fight for and three cups, of which two, they are current holders of.
They haven’t become useless overnight. They are just in a funk.
But there are some issues that Klopp needs to sort out as the World Cup comes into view before fit hits the shan.
So let’s look at Liverpool’s problems
Defensive disasters
Liverpool have been a mess at the back for a while now.
Last season, mense criticised their highline.
It’s a system that they have used to great effect for the last two or three seasons.
Because of the way Liverpool press from the front with the goal to keep the opposition in their own half so they can do the damage, the backline must come up to compress the space their rivals can play in.
Even when teams did break through the press, the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson had the space behind them to scramble back.
At the moment, however, it's not working.
It’s easy to blame the defence and injuries, but because the trigger for their press is higher the pitch, we’ll have to look further forward for the cause of the problem.
Many have said that the loss of Sadio Mane has been a blow. And when you consider that Mane was the busiest player up front, you can see the impact the Senegalese ace had.
Klopp has said they will have to defend in a different way.
He has to figure it out soon.
The space behind Trent Alexander-Arnold was there last season too, teams just have less pressure on them to play through the lines and attack that area.
Solve that problem and the Reds will be a threat again.
Evolve with Darwin
With Mane gone, the Reds will have to evolve their defence and attack with Darwin Nunez.
While the Uruguayan has the energy to press and harass defenders, he just hasn't settled yet.
Obviously it will take time, but perhaps Klopp can take a leaf out of his rival Pep Guardiola’s book here.
Last season, Pep had no regular striker and this term he has Haaland.
City have adapted to the Norwegian’s game better than he has to Pep’s style.
All City have to do is put the ball into areas where their goalvraat can hurt the opposition.
At the moment, Darwin is swopping positions with his front-three partners.
They have to keep him in the danger zone.
There has been a formation switch toyed with over the past three games, with Klopp playing a double pivot in the midfield and three attackers behind Nunez.
That offers Klopp a potential solution to two of his problems – getting the best out of Nunez and providing cover for the defence.
First, this should, in theory, keep Nunez at the tip of the attack with the rotating attackers in support.
And secondly, the right-sided No.6 in midfield can cover the space of the advancing rightback.
It’s work in progress. And with injuries also pinching now, we’ve see what Klopp comes up with against City this weekend.
For the last 17 games, including Wednesday night’s Champions League 7-1 win over Rangers, they have conceded the first goal on 14 occasions.
That’s incredibly bad.
They need to settle earlier, set the tone and make their chances count. Or at the very least, they have to stay in the game for longer to give themselves a chance.
This season, in 12 matches, they have drawn first blood three times. And that has brought them just two Premier League wins and three in Europe
It’s costing them big time, because once they have to chase games, they are just more open at the back.
matthew.marcus@inl.co.za