It’s all getting a little serious in the Premier League title race, with Liverpool sitting a point clear of Manchester City with 11 games to go.
Up until the start of January, the Reds were almost flawless in the league, winning all but two of their opening 20 games.
However, a 2-1 defeat away to City at the turn of the year started a run of form where Jurgen Klopp’s side have now won just three of their last seven games, with a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford the latest points dropped.
Liverpool look tired, lethargic and, all in all, a little nervous as they try to secure a first league title in 29 years.
But despite all that, they’re still top. To stay there, though, there are four players who must step up and put this bad run of form behind them to finally end their domestic hurt.
At Squawka, we’ve taken a look at them.
1. Naby Keita
A smattering of brilliance here and a sensational moment there aside, Naby Keita just hasn’t made the grade so far at Anfield.
The Guinean midfielder looked like he was taking to Premier League life like a duck to water at the start of the season but as the 2018/19 campaign has gone on, the weight of that £52m price tag has weighed heavier upon his shoulders.
In fairness to Keita, he has largely been used in an unfamiliar left-sided role so far this term as Klopp uses the same integration trick that he did at Borussia Dortmund with the likes of Mario Gotze. Even so, we’re not seeing enough of the lung-busting, marauding efforts that we did from the RB Leipzig Keita last season.
In the Bundesliga, Ralph Hasenhuttl deployed Keita in a narrow 4-2-2-2 and allowed the 24-year-old freedom to lead the press and win the ball in dangerous areas, as well as being the first port of his call for his side as they transitioned to the counter-attack.
This season, though, Keita is winning very few of those battles, making just 1.95 tackles and winning 5.83 duels per 90 minutes in the Premier League so far – a very average return when compared with Liverpool’s other squad members.
The Premier League is a harsh place for newcomers and players should almost always be afforded ample time to adjust to its demands. In this case, however, with Liverpool in a title race and their midfield in desperate need for a more competitive forward-thinking edge, Keita must adapt quicker than most.
2. Roberto Firmino
Last season, Liverpool’s front three were on an almost telepathic wavelength, switching positions in tandem and giving opposition defences absolutely no chance of stopping them with their superior movement and awareness.
This season, as much as Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have all had their own individual purple patches, that cohesion hasn’t been as obvious, with Liverpool’s title challenge predicated on the excellence of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson at the back.
However, clean sheets save seasons, goals win games, clean sheets and goals wins you titles.
Last season, Firmino scored 27 goals and provided 17 assists in all competitions as the Reds charged back into the top four and the Champions League final. This season, he’s scored 11 and assisted five.
Moreover, the Brazilian created 57 chances in the Premier League during 2017/18 with only Salah (62) outperforming him there. This term, Firmino has fallen behind the likes of Andy Robertson (33) and James Milner (37) in chance creation, with 32 so far.
Firmino is the vital link between defence and attack for Liverpool, as well as being the one who selflessly provides space and creates opportunities for others. Without this, as well as a severe drop off in his goalscoring output, Mane and Salah are nowhere near as effective.
3. Daniel Sturridge
When Daniel Sturridge scored four goals in his first seven outings at the start of the season, including a stunning equaliser late on in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, everybody thought the injury-crippled England international was on his way back up.
That, however, has simply not been the case.
Since that wonder strike against Chelsea, Sturridge has scored a grand total of zero goals, providing just one late assist in a 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade in October.
In fact, the 29-year-old has managed just eight shots in the Premier League since that Chelsea goal and has looked woefully off the pace when thrown into the fray by Klopp.
Fair enough, Sturridge has had wretched luck with injuries and to expect him to have consistent, defining impact from the bench is unfair. However, with Liverpool’s front three visibly tired and in need of back-up, he simply must step up and provide adequate cover if that elusive Premier League title is to come to Merseyside.
After all, no side has ever won the Premier League with a bare XI.
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4. Mohamed Salah
Should we brace ourselves for the inevitable storm that comes our way for even suggesting Mo Salah should be on this list?
Honestly, the ‘Egyptian King’ has still been top-class this season, scoring 20 goals in all competitions and providing seven Premier League assists.
However, ‘top-class’ doesn’t quite cut it when chasing down a league title and even Klopp himself admitted Salah was below par in the recent 0-0 draw with Man Utd.
Salah has been anonymous in Liverpool’s last two games, massive ties against Man Utd and Bayern Munich, and has scored just one goal against the Premier League’s supposed ‘big six’ this season and even that was a penalty against Arsenal – doesn’t every Liverpool player score against Arsenal at some point in their career?
Just like Firmino, Salah may just need a rest (enter Sturridge). But with just 11 games to go and Manchester City in hot pursuit of the Premier League summit, that rest will have to be both swift and incredibly effective.
To put it simply, Salah must upgrade from top-class and back to the 44-goal, world-class forward he was last season, pronto.
The post The four underperforming Liverpool players who need to step up appeared first on Squawka News.
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