Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are showing a different side this season
Things haven’t been as easy as they were last year for Liverpool, but Jugren Klopp’s squad is adaptable.
There is a train of thought that the unique circumstances of this Premier League season will suit Tottenham Hotspur more than any other team. It’s a belief grounded in considerable logic. The shortened schedule means this season’s title race will likely be a war of attrition, not necessarily won by the best side, but the group of players that can absorb the most punches.
Attrition is a currency Jose Mourinho knows how to deal in and with Spurs making a strong start to the season many think this could be their time. Yet Liverpool have so far shown they can absorb just as many punches as their North London counterparts, as demonstrated by their 3-0 win over Leicester City.
Whether as a consequence of the unique circumstances of this season or not, Jurgen Klopp has faced more adversity than most Premier League managers over the past few weeks and months. He is without his first-choice centre back pairing for the foreseeable future, with both Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk potentially sidelined through injury for the rest of the season.
On top of this, Alisson Becker missed a series of games, with injuries to Fabinho and Joel Matip pushing Liverpool’s defence to breaking point. Thiago Alcantara is still out having endured a staggered start to his Anfield career, while the sight of Naby Keita hobbling off against Leicester only added to Klopp’s woes.
Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have been forced to self-isolate for spells due to testing positive for Covid-19, all the while Liverpool have kept winning. If the Reds’ injury troubles truly started in the Merseyside Derby draw against Everton, when van Dijk was crocked, their form has only improved since then, winning three of their Premier League fixtures and drawing the other one away to Manchester City.
As a stylish, modern side, the temptation is to write Liverpool off as having a soft centre, but this is a long way from the reality. Klopp has forged a group of hardened winners who aren’t just content with making it to the top of the pile, but are determined to stay there as long as possible. This is the hallmark of not just a good team, or even a great team, but a legendary one. This is the trajectory this Liverpool side is on.
It says a lot for the standard of Klopp’s coaching, and the clarity of his vision, that fringe figures and youngsters can be drafted into the first team at short notice with no significant drop-off in performance observed. The German has created a culture at Anfield that emboldens all at the club in their belief they have a role to play, no matter how small.
Compare this to the troubles Pep Guardiola is currently experiencing at City, where the Catalan appears to have lost a grip on his own ideology. While City still boast one of the strongest squads in the Premier League, in terms of individual quality, it’s not uncommon for their players to appear confused by what is being asked of them on the pitch.
Liverpool are fighters. They showed this trait at times last season, winning games through countless late goals. What they are demonstrating now, however, is true resistance. A weaker group would have allowed self pity to creep into their mindset. This would be a natural reaction to the series of blows suffered by Liverpool this season.
The Premier League champions are stronger than that, though. Their mentality is just as fortified, if not more so, than that of Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur. If this season’s title race comes down to who can keep walking forwards despite the elements pushing them back, Liverpool have already proved they are likely to get to the finishing line before anyone else.