It's surprising how quickly things can change in football and Liverpool is the latest culprit as far as dwindling of fortunes are concerned. It was barely during the festive season where they had a 4 point lead at the top of the table despite an injury ravaged season, and now they are fighting for a place in the top four within no time. A winless run of 5 games against minnows like Newcastle Burnley, Fulham and Southampton has turned their season upside down in just a matter of weeks leaving many people wondering what the hell happened to Klopp and his boys. From the usual jovial positive touchline mannerisms , he has cut a frustrated figure in recent games as he helplessly watched his side score just one goal or less in as many games and the 4-1 thrashing at the hands of red-hot Manchester City showed how far they have regressed this season. Their reliance on the formidable front three of Mane, Firmino and Salah has come back to haunt them as the trio are all out of form with Salah the only player who is trying his very best to drag the team forward. Mane has not scored in more than 10 games while Firmino has scored a mere 5 goals in 17 appearances but in all fairness to them, they have had a pretty much non-existent midfield to offer the much-needed service. Fabinho who was influential to Liverpool's dynamic play has been relegated to the defense alongside Jordan Henderson leaving a huge hole at the middle of the park. Thiago recently returned from injury, but has so far looked the shadow of a player who marshalled Bayern Munich to the Champions League victory last season. That has left Liverpool to rely on a 19 old Curtis Jones and defensive minded Gigi Winaldum to lead the midfield. It's been a sorry state for the Reds since the ill-fated Merseyside derby that saw them lose their player of the year in Virgil Van Dirk and subsequently Joe Gomez and the injury prone Joel Matip to long term injuries. Alexander Arnold has lost his spark as a magnificent attacking fullback and has also become a liability at the back where he lost the ball for a record 38 times in a single game against Southampton, not to mention only finding a team player just once from 22 crosses in the defeat to Burnley. It remains to be seen what magic Jurgen Klopp will come up with to save their faltering season considering the fact that other teams have found a way to frustrate Liverpool's game play and even knick in crucial victories at their fortress Anfield where they previously had boasted a 68 game unbeaten run! Both Manchester clubs have gathered momentum at just the wrong time for Liverpool while resurgent Chelsea are hovering in the horizon, never mind dark horses Leicester City who have somehow managed to consistently thwart the status quo of the top six clubs in recent seasons. Liverpool looked invincible and set to retain their title successfully at the start of the season, but now with so many players out form at the same time, they are in danger of missing out of the top four. That has become the nature of today's football especially in the Corona era!
