January can be one of the busiest months in Football, with the New Year and the second half the season underway; clubs also have the transfer deadlines to contend with. Any final squad additions or departures need to be finalized before the 1st of February.
The most dominant football team in Europe continue their domineering Premier League campaign, European cup ties and have remained undefeated in domestic competition but the boys in red couldn’t put away 16th place league one side Shrewsbury this past week.
Unexpected frustrations for Klopp
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has given the club and fans alike the perfect season they’ve always dreamt off.
Currently undefeated across 23 league matches, Liverpool is not just undefeated but they’ve only dropped one point and fifteen goals. Star striker of the 18/19 season has even had contention for his spotlight with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino putting in world-class performances.
It’s not often you’d see Klopp express his distress with the squad but Liverpool’s FA Cup tie with League One side Shrewsbury has caused the Liverpool boss to give a strong opinion on the situation. In all honesty, the last thing Liverpool need is extra fixtures added to their heavy schedule; especially when the opposition is light years behind in talent.
Peripheral players who played in the 11 men starting squad would’ve surely put on a more aspiring performance if their manager was present. How much does Jurgen Klopp care about the FA Cup is the question that remains. The squad put up against Shrewsbury has been shown disrespect; the excuse from Klopp that a rest/break was needed is nothing more than a cop-out. Klopp’s absence could be the key reason why the Liverpool youngsters didn’t hold onto their 2 nil lead; the youth are always looking to impress their boss more than anybody else.
So, with the tie ended in 2-2 draw you’d think Klopp would avoid the same mistakes he made in the first leg… nope. He’s gone on record to say that he’ll be absent in the replay and the exact same youth squad will be chosen for the replay. Does Klopp care? Considering his substitutions made in the final 10 minutes of the Shrewsbury game, I’d say so. Salah and Firmino were on the bench for a reason, backup. Liverpool will need more than a 10-minute appearance from Salah or Firmino to secure their advancement in the FA Cup.
Transfer window and the road ahead
The January transfer window has been a stressful encounter for a lot of Football clubs throughout Europe but Liverpool does not fall into that category. Their position in the league and current form doesn’t give Jurgen Klopp a desperate need to make additional squad changes, which makes life stress free as a Liverpool manager and fan.
The odds have been favouring Liverpool week after week, and with good reason. The road for Liverpool also looks like an easy one, other than their Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid the domestic schedule for Liverpool seems to be a breeze. West Ham, Southampton, Norwich, West Ham again, Watford and Bournemouth must have the North English side rubbing their hands together. It also gives manager Jurgen Klopp the opportunity to rotate his squad during the Champions League weeks ahead.
As mentioned previously, Liverpool is without the added stress during the transfer window as their rivals race for new signings in order to compete with the league leaders. There would be no surprise at all if Klopp were to ignore the transfer deadline and continue with his star-studded team until the end of the season. With a 16 point gap separating Liverpool from 2nd place Manchester City, the urgency for fresh blood doesn’t exist at Anfield. The squad at hand are more than capable of lifting the Champions League trophy without any additions, injuries haven’t plagued the Reds and all this Liverpool side and fans have to worry about is maintaining the current form that they’ve withheld for the past 5 months. Liverpool’s rivals on the other hand, have a lot of work to do if they want any hope in playing catch-up with the current best team in the world.
