As we enter the November international break, our series of 2015-16 team progress reports continues with an examination of Liverpool’s season so far.
Liverpool started the new English Premier League season with plenty of promise with a couple of early victories over Stoke City, Bournemouth and a positive draw against Arsenal. However an unexpected defeat to West Ham United caused the Reds’ form to dip as they went on to drop points versus arch-rivals Manchester United and Norwich City which ultimately led to Brendan Rodgers’ Merseyside bubble bursting.
Jurgen Klopp was the tactician many Liverpool supporters prayed for and after a couple of weeks the German was announced as the new boss at Anfield. It took a while for the former Borussia Dortmund manager to make an impact as he endured draws against Tottenham and Southampton, however it all seemed to turn around in their cup tie versus Bournemouth and their dominant 3-1 league victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
What has gone right?
There is not much that has gone right at Anfield. Whenever the club seemed to be getting on a roll, it would cop an injury to a key player or a shock loss, meaning a reset. Despite this, the Reds are still within touching distance of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League ladder.
This is perhaps what has gone right. As it stands, Liverpool are 10th on 17 points with four wins, five draws and three losses. The leaders, City, are on 26 points, nine points ahead, while Manchester United lock out the top four on 24 points. Just above the Reds are a gaggle of ‘overachieving’ clubs, including West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
The individual performances of new signings James Milner and Nathaniel Clyne have also been impressive, while Christian Benteke has managed to score four goals after missing a few matches through injury. Unfortunately these displays have been too inconsistent, which further highlights that a not a lot has gone to plan for Liverpool, but in saying that it has not been detrimental.
What has gone wrong?
The biggest problem with the Reds’ start to this Premier League campaign is their wastefulness in front of goal. Under both Rodgers and Klopp, Liverpool have been able to create a magnitude of goalscoring opportunities, but they are yet to really show a clinical edge or have an individual grab the role by the scruff of the neck. Their victory at Chelsea and the performance of Philippe Coutinho is the only exception.
From their opening day fixture at the Britannia Stadium against Stoke City to their 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, Liverpool have had a total of 179 shots, but only 54 of those have been on target which is less than half and simply not good enough. To give a comparison, Manchester City have had 221 shots at goal and 112 of those were on target, clearly more than half.
Best player so far?
There are a few players who have had their hot streaks this season. Coutinho was superb versus Chelsea, Alberto Moreno and Mamadou Sakho have thrived under Klopp, while Emre Can has also taken his game to another level in absence of Jordan Henderson. However, none of the players listed have found consistent form.
Liverpool’s best performer so far has been Nathaniel Clyne. The former Southampton full-back has not been amazing, but he has put in some impressive defensive performances and is growing into a more attacking player week in, week out with the guidance of the German tactician.
In total, Clyne has been involved in 104 challenges which break down into tackles, aerial duels and take-ons. The defensive side of his game reads the most positive as the Englishman has won 31 of 42, however the picture is pretty grim in regards to aerial bouts, which is understandable given his height; Clyne has only been victorious 33% of the time. Finally, he has taken on the opposition 11 times and won seven.
What’s next?
It can only be upwards from here for Liverpool as Klopp’s philosophy continues to develop and the players begin to unlock the depths of the German’s mind. Daniel Sturridge and Reds captain Henderson are still to return and the fixture list eases up compared to the tough start.
The Merseysiders are slowing building and are beginning to look like more and more of a threat. If they can start to take the majority of their chances and weed out some silly mistakes at the back, there is no reason why the Reds cannot reel in the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal and make the Champions League places.
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