How Liverpool changed a year after the Napoli defeat
September 7 will be one year since Liverpool lost 1-4 to Napoli in the Champions League. The heavy defeat made Klopp admit that the home team needed a reform if they wanted to compete for titles. This statement marks the end of an era for Liverpool, just a few months after they pursued a quadruple in the 2021-2022 season.
"We need to reform ourselves," said Klopp. "The fundamentals are gone. This is a difficult period, but if you can't play at a great level, you can still play well enough. We need to do that. That is Liverpool's job. We don't need to discover new ways of playing, but we have to improve. People would be happier if Liverpool played like we did."
Klopp's statement is like a prediction for Liverpool's poor form last season. Ending the season in fifth place in the Premier League, the club with the richest tradition in English football in Europe could not participate in the Champions League. Instead it is the Europa League playground this season.
Klopp understands it's time for Liverpool to clean up the squad and bring in new recruits. The German coach started in midfield. Two veterans, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, moved to Saudi Arabia, while James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also left.
Liverpool spent $181 million to bring in replacements, including Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch. Two early signings - Szoboszlai and Mac Allister - quickly showed their integration. Both played with seemingly endless energy and contributed to Liverpool's attacking ability. In the 3-0 win over Aston Villa on September 3, the Hungarian midfielder scored the first goal for the Anfield owner with a left volley from outside the penalty area, opening the score in the 3rd minute. Liverpool fans call him "the new Steven Gerrard".
Endo also played with great effort even though in two of the three matches he played, Liverpool was in a position of lacking players. Gravenberch is yet to make his debut after moving in on transfer deadline day. Although not playing regularly at Bayern, Gravenberch is expected to flourish under Klopp's guidance. The Dutch midfielder is considered one of the most promising young talents in world football.
Liverpool won three of the first four rounds. Last season, they needed nine rounds to win the same number of wins. In fact, optimistic results came to Klopp's team at the end of last season, when they began to adjust their tactics. The most important change is probably Trent Alexander-Arnold being pulled into the middle when the team has possession of the ball. Liverpool is currently unbeaten in the last 15 matches in the Premier League - the best performance among teams participating in the tournament.
They overwhelmed Aston Villa last weekend and easily beat Bournemouth 3-1 even though Mac Allister was sent off. The 2-1 win over Newcastle is perhaps the best example of reform underway at Liverpool. Last season, Liverpool probably would have lost if they were 0-1 down after 30 minutes and lost key midfielder Virgil Van Dijk to a red card. However, Klopp's army still played resiliently, with a spirit that made Klopp proudly call them "psychological monsters" two years ago. The match turned in their favor after Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott were sent onto the field, before Darwin Nunez appeared, scoring two goals to complete the comeback for the Anfield team on the away field.
The win is a strong statement of Liverpool's ambitions this season, making opponents intending to compete for the championship to be wary of them. Liverpool's midfield has the ability to score better than last season, when Henderson, Fabinho and Milner failed to score despite playing a total of 135 matches. Previously, Liverpool midfielders played the role of providing balance and protection for the defense. Klopp of course wants the new recruits to do the same.
Klopp completed a new look for Liverpool's attack in January, when he brought in Cody Gakpo. Previously, Liverpool had recruited Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Nunez. Despite losing Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool is probably the team with the most in-depth attack in the Premier League, next to Man City.
Nunez and Gakpo are improving after a difficult start at Anfield while Jota and Diaz hope to avoid injuries, which limited their contributions last season. The fear of losing Mohamed Salah to Saudi Pro League defending champion Al Ittihad was also relieved after the Saudi Arabian club abandoned this idea. This could be an important factor leading to Liverpool's success this season. At the age of 31, Salah is still the number one star at Anfield and plays stably.
No player has scored more goals in the Premier League than Salah (139 goals) since he moved to Liverpool in 2017. The Egyptian striker scored an average of 31 goals in all competitions in six seasons with Liverpool. Salah is not only important in that respect. He is also an inspiration in gameplay, who plays a creative role. Salah has made his mark in Liverpool's goals in 10 consecutive Premier League matches. Liverpool's possession of a true striker like Nunez can help Salah's number of assists increase, as the Uruguay striker gradually gets into rhythm with the team's playing style in his second season.
However, Liverpool still has positions that need improvement. Klopp's reform will probably continue in defense. Joel Matip's contract will expire next summer and captain Van Dijk is 32 years old. Joe Gomez played impressively against Newcastle and Aston Villa and is expected to become the mainstay of the club after many turbulent years. However, Gomez and Ibrahima Konate are both often injured. This is the reason why Klopp needs to think about strengthening the defense.
Liverpool looked younger after Klopp made a personnel restructuring. The German military leader described Liverpool as being like a gun that has been reloaded. This reform is not necessarily enough for them to compete for the Premier League championship with Man City this season, but it will be a premise for Liverpool to become a force in European football in the coming years.
