Liverpool… What’s Going Wrong?!?

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It’s safe to say things are not looking good right now for The Reds; they are seventh in the EPL and got trashed 4-1 by Napoli in the first game of the Champions League. The fans who once had the faith of the world in Jurgen Klopp are now starting whispers of the club giving him the sack.

Throw in the fact that they are in a very tough group for the Champions League, and if you’re a Liverpool fan, it’s easy to see why this year might not be as good as everyone had hoped. However, how is everything going wrong? A team that once looked rock solid is now falling apart.

Here are three of the primary reasons why Liverpool is sinking in the early half of the 22/23 Season.

Injuries 

In any professional sport, it’s nearly impossible for every one of your players to remain healthy all year long. Some teams are blessed with few injuries, while others have seasons where they can’t catch a break. Liverpool just so happens to have one of those years where they have a lot of players out at the same time, and most of them are valuable names to their starting XI.

Out of the full first team, nine different individuals are out with injury. Some names and faces include; Konate, Henderson, Keita, Jones, and Robertson (most recently). A team that once had depth at midfield and in the back is now looking like a slice of Swiss cheese with valuable names missing from huge games, like against Manchester United and Napoli.

To try and combat this problem, Liverpool has loaned Arthur Melo from Juventus, but he was nothing short of mediocre for the Old Lady, mainly due to being very injury prone. With little depth in midfield, Klopp is starting Milner, who is 35 years old and not fit enough to be a day-to-day starter.

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Darwin Núñez

Núñez is only 23 and has a long career in front of him. However, Liverpool spent a club record €85 million on the Uruguayan. All of this was set up and completed after he had one good year for Portuguese side Benfica, which is insane to pay for a man that has not proven that he can play at a high level. He has too little experience, and Liverpool paid too much for him, adding pressure to the situation. 

Núñez also does not speak much English and has a nasty attitude, evidenced by the red card he received during the game against Crystal Palace. So you’re left with a man proving all the doubters right and being paid 140,000 euros a week to sit on the bench, playing backup to aging striker Roberto Firmino. Sadio Mane is very much missed right now at Anfield. 

Van Dijk’s Struggles

Van Dijk is nothing short of incredible. The Dutch defender almost single-handedly transformed The Reds’ defense from decent to world-class since he joined in the winter of January 2018. He was once third in the Ballon d’Or voting, but now it looks like he lost as forwards run laps around him. However, it’s sad that he is playing at half his capacity this year. He has not been the same player since he tore his ACL during the 2020/21 season, but it might also be because he is now 31 years old and is getting up in age. 

It’s a bitter pill to swallow that maybe their reliable defender might not be as much of a rock in the backfield as they once thought. It’s unfortunate to think this, but perhaps it’s time to cash in on their prized defender before he gets worse. Either that or get a new defender that can support him better in January that can one day surpass him as Liverpool’s new starting center back.