Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he’s finding it hard to pinpoint exactly why Liverpool have dropped off so drastically from the highs of last season.
Twelve months ago, the Reds were fighting on four fronts, with realistic ambitions of an unprecedented quadruple. Both domestic cups were won, with their Premier League charge falling one point short and Thibaut Courtois’ incredible performance thwarting them in the Champions League final.
The picture now could hardly be more different, with the Merseysiders out of every knockout competition and a lowly eighth domestically, with only 11 matches remaining to bridge an eight-point gap to the top four.
Ahead of tonight’s trip to Chelsea, Klopp was at a loss to explain the specific reasons for Liverpool’s slump in recent months.
In a clip shared by Football Daily on Twitter, he said: “We played last year for four trophies and nearly won them. The other one is that you constantly have to explain yourself to the outside world. That makes it really difficult because you cannot invent explanations for things on the pitch.
“I don’t know 100% how to explain, it’s like ‘wow’. It’s just humankind. We are like this. These things happen. Confidence drops and everything looks completely different. You on your best day and on your worst day are two different people. That’s how it is in football as well.”
After the highs of last season, and the years prior, it would’ve been near-impossible last summer to envisage Liverpool struggling as badly as they have ever since.
Even Klopp seems it difficult to pinpoint the reasons as to why that’s happened, but performances like the 7-0 drubbing of Manchester United and 2-0 win at Newcastle in recent weeks highlight that the Reds still have a kick in them when at their best.
You can see the manager’s comments below, courtesy of @footballdaily on Twitter:
🗣️ “There are a couple of things that make life more difficult. We played last year for all four trophies and we nearly won them, the other one is you constantly have to explain it to the outside world.”
Jürgen Klopp says he can’t pinpoint why his side has dropped off. 📉 pic.twitter.com/wRpv4gu9ZZ
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 4, 2023