The unprecedented situation of Covid-19 pandemic has halted the world economy on an unimaginable scale, robbing millions of lives across the world, and it could have possibly impacted football players as well along the way.
Well, as a die-hard Liverpool, I am not trying to look for an excuse to describe my team's worst start to the EPL campaign ever since Klopp took over, but I strongly believe the pandemic has a mitigating effect on the players performances.
After enjoying a couple of spectacular seasons under Klopp, winning the Champions League after 14 years and Super Cup in 2019, and ending the 30-year drought of winning the English Premier League title in 2020, Liverpool, who seemingly got off to a great start this campaign (2020/2021), now find themselves in fourth place and six points behind, well I hate to say this, current league leaders Manchester United.
Well, what's funny is that, just a run of few poor games in the start of 2021, many have described Klopp as a 'one season wonder', not realising it was this man who brought immeasurable happiness when he lifted the EPL title after almost three decades. It was this man who lifted the Champions League trophy for the club after almost 14 years of wait.
The criticism and illogical remarks by haters, never for a second, can deny the type of professionalism and caliber this man carries, and of course, the much-needed depth the team had been longing for all these years.
I mean, come on, Klopp has seen it all, When he first took over the Reds in 2015, he had already lost several major cup finals such as the clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League final in 2018, Europa League final to Sevilla in 2017 and a few more.
What's unbelievably amazing about Klopp is that, despite downfalls, he doesn't lose the spirit and only gets hungrier each time, and it clearly mirrors his relationship with the players.
Look guys, the season is far from over, we're just midway through, but yes, it won't be as easy as how it was last season, where we took off in top gear and went clear more than 10 points of second placed Manchester City. There is still hope, Klopp will slowly but surely bounce back.
Separately, it is notable that Mo Salah has clearly lost his scoring ability, most of the time kicking the ball at players instead of behind the net. As a player who lacks creativity, at least he should be making extra efforts to contain the ball and make quick passes when needed, and not fry too long, which eventually opens the gate for the opponent team defenders to intervene.
Salah's other drawback, which is something that is quite unacceptable for a very long time now, his failure to look for his fellow teammates when they would actually be in a clear goal-scoring scene than him.
Previously, we have seen Mane who reacted angrily in one of the league matches when Salah did not pass him the ball, in which he could scored before being substituted.
Mo is a great player, can be considered as a lethal finisher, but once you start eating the entire meal all by yourself, you are only leaving room for hatred and bad impression among your teammates.
Mane, meanwhile, is probably one of the few players at Liverpool that has retained a good form this season, despite making goals count. His ability of controlling the ball and tireless efforts are some of the key elements that makes him one of the best forwards in the world now.
Firmino, on the other hand, has been firing blanks more frequently between the other two, but he still remains one of Klopp's favourite for obvious reasons (outrageous skills at times and vision).
After losing Virgil Van Dijk who suffered a horrific injury through a clash with Pickford in the Merseyside Derby last year, Fabinho stepped in and has proven to be instrumental while the big Dutchman is absent. Van Dijk is currently going through rehabilitation, and the signs are very encouraging as he could potentially make an early return than scheduled.
It has been a season filled with ups and downs so far, especially losing some key players through injuries, but what's more important is that, we need to stay intact and in no time, our team will bounce back.
We've gone through greater storms, and am sure we can go through this too!
YNWA
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