I still don't believe top 4 is in that much jeopardy but winning the title is definitely gone and I'd say being comfortably 2nd probably is as well without a massive turn around. The problem is that based on the season so far why would anyone believe there is any turn around coming?
It's looking more and more likely that last season was the last hurrah for this group as is. You never know when a teams window to win things begins or ends, it's only clear once it's finally started or over. Nobody ever thinks they'll stop winning until they actually do unless the owners make a conscious decision to tear it down like the 98 Bulls or the Marlins whatever year they first won the World Series. So on the back of almost winning everything there is to win then I think it's fair to think that will just continue until it's proven otherwise. I think though we're getting pretty close to
We're broken as a tactical unit, just broken. 6 shots by Brighton, all 6 on goal and all 6 considered a "Big Chance" by Opta. I'm pretty sure we'll get clarification at some point this week but I'd be money that the other times such an event has occurred are pretty rare at best. Brighton played the same way Potter have them play, they just targeted Trent the same as everyone else has this season.The Napoli game wasn't an aberration but possibly just a sign of really how far the levels have dropped.
When Klopp initially signed his extension to 2024 it was so that he would turn over a new squad to the next manager. This was clearly stated and almost everyones contract aligned to the summer of 2023, it was a clear plan. But our success was so great that the plan was torn up, Klopp extended to 2026 and in the short term would keep the core group together as long as possible. We've extended Salah and Henderson on big money, we kept Milner around, we didn't try to force Keita or Ox out the door, we signed Thiago to play with the core and not a midfielder to be the core of the next team. Everything was done to keep the team together while they were winning and Klopp still wanted them here.
So now that it looks like it's going to blow up in our face by taking it a year too long on when this team would finally be done, well thems the brakes. We made choices, spent the money and here we are. Al and the rest of the sycophants can rant and rave all they want about not reinforcing because FSG just wants to fuck Klopp over for shits and giggles but that's just horseshit, the club made conscious decisions to double down instead of drawing a new hand so to say.
The only real issue though with the above statements is it's one thing to say Hendo, Virgil, Thiago, etc etc were kept around too long but that sure as shit doesn't explain what's going on with Trent. Blame having to play with no midfield cover all you want but his defensive effort all season screams "I don't want to be here doing this." As there's really only two answers here to the question of what's wrong with Trent. Either the manager and his staff are asking Trent to do more than is possible and are completely blind to that by sending him out there over and over to continue to do it or Trent is choosing not to do what he is instructed to do for whatever reason. There's no other plausible explanation and maybe it wouldn't matter in the end as far as us winning any trophies but it better make the manager and his staff reassess what is best for the club vs. what is best for Trent as something is wildly off here.
