The week which could define Liverpool’s – and Jurgen Klopp’s – future
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Jurgen Klopp will have headed into last night’s game with Southampton knowing that this is perhaps his most crucial seven days in charge of the club.
A place in the EFL Cup final up for grabs, a potential spot in the last 16 of the Emirates FA Cup, and a make-or-break Premier League clash with leaders Chelsea. These are the definitive assignments, and in short, he couldn’t have got off to a worse start.
Last night’s defeat to Southampton meant Liverpool have won just one of their last seven games in all competitions – that being against Plymouth Argyle in an Emirates FA Cup Replay.
In fact, they’ve actually lost more games in their last five (3) than they managed in their previous 25 (2).
And this time next week, their season could be all but over.
That’s because they face a tricky Emirates FA Cup tie against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side who’ll be feeling confident of kicking Liverpool while they’re down. Lose and they’ll exit the competition.
Following that, they’ll welcome Chelsea to Anfield. Lose and they’ll find themselves not only 13 points off the Blues, but also potentially outside of the top four for the first time since early September.
It was clear for all to see that crashing out of the EFL Cup at the semi-final stage hurt Reds boss Jurgen Klopp. Had he have progressed, it would have been the third final the Merseyside outfit have reached since the German took over in October 2015.
That wasn’t to be the case though, and while fans are far from calling for Klopp’s head, the boss himself must be growing frustrated at his apparent inability to turn this side into genuine contenders for trophies.
Even at 10/1 we certainly won’t be ruling out a Wolves win at Anfield this weekend – especially given how Liverpool have been performing of late.
And our traders seem confident Liverpool’s trophy cabinet won’t need rearranging to make room for the Emirates FA Cup or the Premier League this season, making it a 1/5 shot the Reds DON’T win any silverware between now and May.
They’ve spent the season relying on a we’ll score more than you approach, but the goals have dried up in recent weeks.
Finding the net at a rate of 2.5 times per game in their opening 24 fixtures, they’ve managed just four strikes in their last six outings.
In short, Sadio Mane’s return from AFCON can’t come soon enough.
But where do think think things are going wrong for Liverpool? And what does Klopp need to do in order to be able to call this a good season?
Have your say in the comments section below!
All odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
