A season that started so brightly for Liverpool seems to have hit a bit of a roadblock, the same problems for the club resurfaced as they meekly lost out to Burnley in only their second Premier League game of the season and further went on to play a 1-1 draw at the White Hart Lane.
Liverpool might have had 80% possession but that was not enough for the Reds as they conceded two sloppy goals and more questions were raised about the level of commitment from the players but also about the quality of the new signings in the club.
Talking specifically, their star man Philippe Coutinho went missing, Sadio Mane was out injured (against Burnley) and no one even knew that Georginio Wijnaldum was even playing for the Merseyside club.
Many predictions from Liverpool blogs have stated that the Reds would be lucky to actually finish above 6th this season. In fact, there are just a few who have mentioned that the Reds could break into the top four, even though they do not have European football this season and should be fresh to play Klopp’s Gegenpressing style of football.
Even the Guardian has predicted Liverpool to finish in sixth place, this isn’t just because of the other teams actually getting better but Liverpool’s signings aren’t on the same level as that of a Manchester United or even a Manchester City (especially after seeing the two Manchester clubs do well in the first two games)
Liverpool at the start of the season were 9/1 favourites to win the Premier League, yes, we all know how Leicester bucked the trend last season but that was an anomaly in the history of football and probably will not be repeated again, ever.
The Reds are 6th favourites to win the title based on a number of odd makers and this seems to be a running theme for the club it seems.
Liverpool certainly have decent players but the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and even Tottenham seem better prepared for the season. Maybe that loss to Burnley actually came at the right time and Jurgen Klopp would be thinking of ways to ensure similar results do not happen again.
The Reds have a long way to go, 35 games more in the Premier League and so do the other clubs as well but with no European football and a manager who will be working extra hard to ensure such repeats do not take place again, the Reds have a chance of actually doing well and break into the top four this season.
If Klopp can get them playing the same attacking brand of football that they displayed at the Emirates for the rest of the season, they will actually end up in the top three as Arsenal could fade away and even Manchester City could struggle as Pep learns about the new country and the toughness of the Premier League.
The German might not get to see Champions League football next season as well and the Reds should finish sixth, as stated by many of the other pundits with Manchester United, City, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Arsenal above them, in no particular order.
