Phil Thompson believes that Liverpool’s shortened pre-season has been a contributing factor to the Reds’ drop-off during 2022/23.
Having come within two games of winning an unprecedented quadruple less than a year ago, playing every match possible along the way, Jurgen Klopp’s team now sit seventh in the Premier League and exited each cup competition before the quarter-final stage.
The Anfield legend insists that the pursuit of four trophies last term has had a knock-on effect into the current campaign, particularly given the manager’s intense style of play.
Speaking to Herald Scotland, Thompson said: “We have maybe suffered because last season we played every game that could be played. And everything was dependent on Trent and Andy getting up and down the pitch.
“The close season was then too short and the pre-season came too soon and was shortened because of the World Cup. They didn’t get enough rest. That has to be taken into account.
“Jurgen’s teams always play at a high intensity. If you play every game like that last season you need your required rest more than ever. It is one of a few reasons for our fall from form.”
The shortened pre-season doesn’t fully explain why Liverpool have dropped off so drastically from the heights of 2021/22, although Thompson may have some valid points in what he’s saying.
The Reds’ marathon 63-match campaign ended on 28 May with the defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final, having battled through 16 games in eight weeks and needed to play at 100% in each one given the trophies which were at stake.
There was then a gap of just 45 days to our first pre-season friendly, which necessitated a trip to Bangkok to take on Manchester United, with the Community Shield also part of LFC’s July schedule.
Even aside from the comparatively short summer downtime, the physical and psychological toll that 2021/22 must’ve taken on the Liverpool players may well have affected them at the start of the current campaign.
At least the break between this season and next should offer greater scope for the Reds to recharge and go again to hopefully enjoy better fortune in 2023/24.