Liverpool in doubt.
With nine points in six Premier League days, or 50% of the maximum possible, the worst start of the Jürgen Klopp era, the vice-champions of England and Europe are groping.
It's not quite the start to the season that was expected from a club which had been in a frantic chase behind Manchester City last year, despite falling by a point in the league and a goal in the C1 final, against Real Madrid (1-0), a historic quadruple.
Sadio Mané's departure from Bayern Munich certainly marked the end of an era, as the Senegalese's six years at the club had known glorious pages.
But the recruitment, eight days earlier, of Darwin Nunez at Benfica, the biggest transfer (100 million euros) in the history of Liverpool,
seemed like everything was under control.
But control is precisely what seems to have been missing from the Reds since the start of the season.
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The "
machine
“Liverpool, which takes its opponent by the throat and never releases it, seems to be seized up and it is particularly visible in front.
Nunez had however started on high bases, scoring a goal in 31 minutes during the Community Shield won (3-1) against Manchester City, before scoring and scoring for the first day, against Fulham (2-2), in 39 minutes only.
But his expulsion on the second day, against Crystal Palace, wasted precious time for his adaptation.
Liverpool have won two of the three matches played without him and his return to the field on Saturday at Everton (0-0) confirmed that adjustments are necessary.
The Reds have however created many chances and without a great Jordan Pickford in the Toffees cages, they might have left with more than a point.
He had a fit and spurt integration.
Jurgen Klopp
"
He had a fitful integration
," argued Jürgen Klopp after the match.
“
We play all the time and that means we can't train constantly.
In sessions he is very good, but he still needs to be integrated
“, he added.
The new presence of Nunez in the axis seems to particularly affect the performance of Mohamed Salah, author of only two goals in six days, against six and five during the last two seasons.
At Goodison Park he looked very peripheral, both in play and positioning.
He did create a huge opportunity in the box – deflected, once again, by Pickford on the post – but it was in added time, when Nunez was out in the 80th.
Axial and advanced striker, Nunez has nothing to do with Roberto Firmino or Diogo Jota who evolve more in the register of nine and a half, even false-nine.
Salah's positioning
Already last season, when the outbreak of Luis Diaz, who arrived in the winter transfer window, had led Klopp to put Mané back in the center, the less systematic or less rapid stalls of the Senegalese had seemed to disrupt the efficiency of the Egyptian .
Salah has thus found the net only 10 times, including seven in the game, since January 23.
His shots per game have dropped from an average of 4.3 per 90 minutes last season to 2.8, and he's averaged 47.7 balls per game compared to 56 last year.
Klopp assured him that he had not asked Salah to play more on the side.
“
We want Mo to be in this position (on the wing), but we also want him to come in a central position
“, he assured.
A Champions League match may not be the best time to tweak your automatisms, especially in Naples.
But time is running out for Liverpool and the fairly high draw, also with Ajax Amsterdam and Glasgow Rangers, leaves them little other solution.
