Premier League midseason report card: Liverpool

Liverpool are in fourth place in the Premier League at the halfway mark. What grade did they get for their performances over the first half of the season?

The Good

Mohamed Salah wasn’t bad, was he? In a summer where transfer fees became truly absurd, signing the Egyptian international for under £40 million was daylight robbery. Roma have probably filed a police report.

Salah had become the Reds’ top scorer in one season for any of the past four years before November was out. It will now be a genuine shock if he doesn’t bag at least 30 goals in this campaign. He may even win the Golden Boot.

Salah aside, perhaps the highlight of the opening half of 2017-18 was qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League. The club have spent almost a decade in the European doldrums. To make the knockout stage for the first time since 2009 is a feather in Jürgen Klopp’s cap.

The league form was generally good, too. Liverpool’s best domestic campaigns in recent times haven’t been weighed down by continental commitments. Having run the squad into the ground in the first half of 2016-17, Klopp seems to now have a better handle on rotating his prized assets.

The Reds were never likely to replicate their impressive form against the rest of the top six from last season. It was therefore imperative they improved their record against the remainder of the division.

Having won 17 and lost six of those 28 matches in 2016-17, Liverpool won eight and lost none of their first 13 this term. Recent draws with Everton and West Brom were disappointing, but it’s another tick for the boss here.

The Bad

While it’s right to praise Liverpool for procuring Salah, their failure to sign a center-back looks increasingly costly. It reached a point where Klopp had to field a back three including Emre Can and Gini Wijnaldum for an away trip to Brighton earlier this month.

The Reds got away with that by putting five goals past the Seagulls, but such a system will be severely tested by superior teams. Perhaps Virgil van Dijk will join in January and it won’t be an issue going forward. As it stands though, one or two serious injuries to the defense could be hugely problematic for Liverpool.

Another issue, and it’s not a new one, has been a propensity to concede late goals and throw wins away. Watford, Sevilla and Chelsea all rescued a point with a goal in the last 10 minutes. As much as Liverpool have done well so far in 2017-18, they could easily have done even better.

Meltdowns against Manchester City, Tottenham and (to a lesser extent) Sevilla didn’t help either. For the first time in Klopp’s time at Liverpool, serious questions were asked about whether he was the right man for the job. The Reds have tended to bounce back well from setbacks under Klopp, but another heavy defeat will no doubt see fan unrest rear its ugly head on social media once again.

The problems all seem rooted in the club’s inability to sign a new first choice center-back, though.

Next: Ranking every Premier League season

What’s next?

The Premier League title has obviously gone, with Manchester City in record-setting form. The Reds will need to battle hard throughout the rest of the season to secure another campaign in the Champions League.

Can they win Europe’s biggest prize? The season to date suggests their defense will undermine their challenge once they face one of the continent’s elite sides. Their attack is the envy of all but the very best sides in Europe, though, so they have a chance.

A quarterfinal berth would represent a good first crack at the Champions League for Klopp’s Liverpool. Having been drawn to face Porto in the round of 16, it’s certainly a distinct possibility.

It’s hard to say too much needs to change when the team is in fine form and still in Europe. Without wishing to really hammer the point home, a top defensive acquisition in January could see the Reds fly high for the rest of the season, and then who knows what they might achieve?

The Grade

B+: Liverpool achieved their main goals of Champions League progression and being competitive for the top four, but occasional meltdowns have prevented it from being a stellar season so far.