Slow start gives Liverpool and Klopp cause for concern – Sport – The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

Three months ago, Liverpool were on the verge of an unprecedented quadrupling of trophies. Three games into the new season they have yet to win a game.

A 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford on Monday saw Jurgen Klopp’s men overtaken in the fledgling English Premier League table by a Manchester United side who had been sidelined in the previous week due to the 4-0 defeat had been mocked at Brentford.

Liverpool’s worst start in a decade already leaves the Reds five points behind holders Manchester City and seven behind early leaders Arsenal.

“It’s not exactly nice to look at, that’s clear,” said Klopp on his side, which slipped to 16th place after three games.

Of even more concern to the German, there is no quick fix to the problems that caused such a slow start.

An injury crisis early in the season meant Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip and Diogo Jota were among those unavailable for the trip to Old Trafford.

Darwin Nunez was also absent after Liverpool’s new €75m (£64m, $77m) striker served the first of his three-game ban for a red card he received last week for headbutting the Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen.

Nunez’s arrival from Benfica accounts for the bulk of Liverpool’s spending in the transfer window and the decision not to update Klopp’s midfield options is a growing source of frustration in the Reds’ support.

Without Thiago and Keita on Monday, James Milner, 36, and Harvey Elliott, 19, stood in midfield on either side of captain Jordan Henderson.

Klopp admitted before the game it would be “cool” to have another midfield option.

Alexander Arnold targeted
That’s not the only area Klopp is worried about.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive positioning is increasingly being targeted by the opposition.

After Real Madrid’s winners in last year’s Champions League final and Fulham’s delight in the season’s opening weekend, an attack from Liverpool’s right flank was the source of United’s first goal.

Virgil van Dijk has also looked far from the best centre-back in the world in recent weeks and has been criticized by Milner for his role in giving Jadon Sancho the space to score the opening goal.

Up front, Sadio Mane’s loss to Bayern Munich hits hard as Roberto Firmino looks like an exhausted force as Nunez’s replacement.

Slow starts are also a common theme in Liverpool’s recent struggles.

They have now conceded their first goal in their last seven Premier League games, dating back to the end of last season.

“We give each team a target start, we can’t keep fighting each other hard,” said Andy Robertson.

“In the warm up it was the quietest thing I’ve ever heard in that stadium and they wanted something that would lift them and we gave it to them.

“Two points out of nine is not the start we wanted. We have to collect our services individually and collectively.

“It’s easy to talk about it in the dressing room, but we have to go out and do it. We can’t keep conceding goals. They started better than us today. It has to change.”

A first loss in 31 domestic football games dating back to December is no time to panic.

But City and Liverpool have raised the bar in the fight for the title over the past five years, with more than 90 points usually required to be crowned champions.

To reach those heights again, Klopp’s men have no time to lose in waking up from their early summer slumber.