Despite a trio of excellent strikers, the English champions have scored a lone league goal in the last month • It could cost them the championship title, but Hardes are sure the crisis will pass • Tonight Burnley awaits them
Salah and Firmino in a typical pose for the last month.
Will intentions be reset soon?
Photography:
Reuters
The Liverpool of recent weeks is an oxymoron on an oxymoron.
On the one hand it has no brakes, but it hardly absorbs.
On the other hand, it has the most prolific offense in the league, but it hardly conquers.
In numbers it's like this - in the last four Premier League games the champion has improvised defensive squads and absorbed only twice, while in attack it held its heaviest tools but scored only one.
For the first time since March 2005 the team recorded three consecutive league games without a goal, in a derby against United earlier this week finishing 90 minutes at Anfield without a goal for the first time since October 2018. "There is no easy explanation for this situation," Jürgen Klopp told Sky Sport;
"We always missed, but there were always more opportunities we knew we could take advantage of."
Klopp is right.
Liverpool are a team to miss this season.
Lots.
She kicked more goals than any other team in the Premier League (279 times) and is ranked second in misses of dangerous situations (27).
At the same time it is also conquering, and quite a bit.
In the last two months she has given a three to Leicester, a four to Wolves, two to Tottenham's stubborn defense and about a month ago exploded at the expense of Crystal Palace with 0: 7 away, something it has not done since 1991. Against Palace the champions provided a historic offensive display that included seven goals from eight threats per goal and seven different cooks .
At the end of the game, her goal balance was 36 conquests in 14 games - an average of 2.6 goals (the best in the league) - so it was hard to imagine that after this flood she would reach a drought.
"Keep working hard"
Naturally, everyone is trying to figure out what happened all of a sudden.
"Muhammad Salah is back to being selfish and that's very worrying," Michael Owen analyzed, while Jamie Krager thinks "Salah and Mana will be fine, but Firmino is the one bothering me."
And really, there seems to be a lot of cause for concern right now.
Firmino does show a decrease in the number of goals each season, Salah does look less focused in recent games and Mana is not as sharp as ever.
In fact, it was conceivable that this would happen.
An investigation by Sky revealed that historic attacking trio in the Premier League did not last more than three years due to a decline, and that Liverpool's attacking trio entered its fourth season.
Given that apart from this trio and the injured Diego Jote there is no player in Liverpool who has scored more than one goal this season, there is a direct relationship between their output and the team's results.
For evidence - after the seven against Palace Liverpool was first, after the drought it comes tonight to the meeting against Burnley from fourth place.
Klopp. Trying to convey confidence and calm // Photo: Reuters
And yet, despite all the analyzes, interpretations and tables, Liverpool believe it is only a matter of time.
"We need to keep working hard and keep our confidence," Ginny and Inldom said.
"We have to win to win games and I'm not just talking about the front three," added captain Jordan Henderson.
According to the players, the team just lost for a moment the sharpness, focus and accuracy - and according to the numbers there is something in it.
Liverpool have kicked goal 63 times in the last four games, but only 11 attempts have gone into the frame and only one inside.
She gets into situations - and with a qualified Thiago is expected to get more - only now she's suffering as a team from Stuck Pioneer Syndrome.
"We will continue to create situations and also conquer," Klopp tried to reassure this week. "I am 100% sure, and everyone knows that."
It is difficult not to be convinced by the words of the German, it is clear that his team suffers from a checkpoint, but it is also clear that some more games without a goal and it will be very difficult for them to defend the title.
Maybe tonight against Burnley she will release the guard.
