Liverpool’s decline has caught many by surprise, but none more so than Jurgen Klopp and his players.
The ‘mentality monsters’ of Merseyside look a shadow of their former selves and, even eight games into the season, have probably conceded too much ground in the Premier League title race to truly push Manchester City like they have so astutely in recent seasons.
What will be of more concern to Liverpool is that their problems are myriad. They affect the core principles of their sustained success under Klopp and solutions look in short supply.
With the champions travelling to Anfield on Super Sunday looking to effectively end their main rivals’ title hopes, we take a closer look at what has gone wrong for Liverpool this season, and whether there is anything to suggest a much-needed upturn is imminent.
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What’s going wrong for Liverpool?
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Fatigue taking its toll on ageing team?
Last season was Liverpool’s most taxing yet under Klopp; a season in which they contested every fixture they could have, cramming 63 games into a period of nine months and fighting on four fronts right until the final week of the campaign.