Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has delivered a withering verdict on Liverpool's 1-0 home defeat to Southampton.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Carra slated Daniel Sturridge for having a 'really poor night in front of goal', and laid into Jurgen Klopp for tiring out his players after only five months of the season:
"Liverpool look like they’ve ran out of legs and energy. Is that down to the intensity of training? There's no zip in the team, and you have to look at Jurgen Klopp. The squad isn’t big enough or strong enough, and the changes from the bench have been far too slow".
I've made the same point for over a year, and as usual, some in-denial fans refused to accept it: Klopp's relentless style of football is exhausting, and cannot be sustained for an entire season. Klopp should've learned that from his time at Dortmund, where - in his final season - the constant physical rinsing of BVB's players finally came home to roost in a perfect storm of injuries, physical/mental fatigue, and damaging under-performance.
Quite simply, Klopp has not grown as a manager since his time at Dortmund; he has basically transplanted his Dortmund approach into Anfield, and the Reds are unsurprisingly suffering some of the same issues. The 'heavy-metal' approach may work for half a season (whilst most players are comparatively fresh) but it will inevitably start to grind players down at some point, and that is (arguably) part of what's happening now.
And, let's not forget, the team looks dead on its feet *despite* not having the physically draining distraction of European football. Imagine if Liverpool were actually in Europe this season - the tiredness might've set in much earlier.
Overall, it's a disappointing night for Liverpool, but to be honest, I'm not that bothered about going out of the League Cup, and if the Reds go out of the FA Cup on Saturday, then so be it. Finishing in the top four is the only concrete goal this season, and despite the current poor run, that is still eminently achievable.
* Carra's comments transcribed whilst watching live. Sturridge: £30m-rated
Speaking to Sky Sports, Carra slated Daniel Sturridge for having a 'really poor night in front of goal', and laid into Jurgen Klopp for tiring out his players after only five months of the season:
"Liverpool look like they’ve ran out of legs and energy. Is that down to the intensity of training? There's no zip in the team, and you have to look at Jurgen Klopp. The squad isn’t big enough or strong enough, and the changes from the bench have been far too slow".
I've made the same point for over a year, and as usual, some in-denial fans refused to accept it: Klopp's relentless style of football is exhausting, and cannot be sustained for an entire season. Klopp should've learned that from his time at Dortmund, where - in his final season - the constant physical rinsing of BVB's players finally came home to roost in a perfect storm of injuries, physical/mental fatigue, and damaging under-performance.
Quite simply, Klopp has not grown as a manager since his time at Dortmund; he has basically transplanted his Dortmund approach into Anfield, and the Reds are unsurprisingly suffering some of the same issues. The 'heavy-metal' approach may work for half a season (whilst most players are comparatively fresh) but it will inevitably start to grind players down at some point, and that is (arguably) part of what's happening now.
And, let's not forget, the team looks dead on its feet *despite* not having the physically draining distraction of European football. Imagine if Liverpool were actually in Europe this season - the tiredness might've set in much earlier.
Overall, it's a disappointing night for Liverpool, but to be honest, I'm not that bothered about going out of the League Cup, and if the Reds go out of the FA Cup on Saturday, then so be it. Finishing in the top four is the only concrete goal this season, and despite the current poor run, that is still eminently achievable.
* Carra's comments transcribed whilst watching live. Sturridge: £30m-rated
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