A year ago, Liverpool came closer to statistical perfection than virtually any other team in history.
They were European and world champions, on a run of 35 wins in 36 games. Now, in more troubled times, when Liverpool’s only victory in 2021 came against Aston Villa’s youth team, when they have lost their place in the top four and gone 438 minutes without a league goal, Jurgen Klopp is experiencing very different fortunes.
But, he stressed, he did not expect perfection. He did not get too excited by Liverpool’s rise and is not too despondent about their subsequent fall.
Knee-jerk reactions and over-reactions, a tendency to pronounce everything brilliant or terrible, frustrate a manager with an emphasis on the bigger picture.
“I am not the person who sits here and thinks my life should always be perfect and my team should always win games,” he said.
It has been imperfect of late for both him and Jose Mourinho. Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-1 six weeks ago. They reconvene on Thursday night with the circumstances having changed.
“We met in December first and second,” Klopp said. “Obviously that is not the situation any more. I know it is easier in the high-flying times to believe in what you do but I was never only a good-weather coach.”
Not that Liverpool’s run of three points from a possible 15 and the loss of an unbeaten home league record that lasted almost four years has convinced him it is a crisis.
“In this world we are losing trust and faith much too quickly, everywhere,” he explained. “Everything is great or the opposite. There are so many stages in between them. It is a complex game and I love that. It is never about one person. That is the main reason I love it as a kid.”
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Liverpool 2-1 Spurs – a different story in December
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LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6: The Brazilian’ s distribution was unusually poor. He was almost caught out by Kane after rushing from his area and misdirecting a clearance. Getty -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6: Got stranded in no-man’s land for Son’s equaliser but looked to be getting back to his best after returning from injury. Reuters -
Rhys Williams - 7: The 19-year-old got caught under the ball to allow Bergwijn an opportunity but otherwise did well against Kane. Stood tall to clear a late Spurs corner when nerves were jangling in the defence. Getty -
Fabinho - 8: There are no lingering suggestions that the Brazilian could be a weak link. He uses space and positioning as well as any central defender in the league, as Kane and Son found out. Reuters -
Andrew Robertson - 7: After a couple of sluggish performances the Scot is returning to form. He raided up the line dangerously and delivered a perfect corner for Firmino’s late winner . PA -
Jordan Henderson - 7: The captain set the tempo during Liverpool's dominant passages of play and helped the defence when needed. He never stopped running. AFP -
Georginio Wijnaldum - 7: The Dutchman was roughly treated by Tottenham early on but the fouls did not slow him down. A huge influence, driving the team forward and tracking back to stop danger. PA -
Curtis Jones - 8: The 19-year-old gets better with every game. Despite his inexperience he demanded the ball and was never scared to threaten the Tottenham defence. Reuters -
Mohamed Salah - 7: Menaced the defence all night and deserved his deflected goal. The Egyptian failed to get a good strike on the ball in a one-on-one situation in the second half but this was another fine display. EPA -
Roberto Firmino - 9: The Brazilian knitted the attack together as he so often does but he also exuded danger, something that has been missing from his game recently. A splendid headed winning goal capped a scintillating performance. Reuters -
Sadio Mane - 6: Hit the bar in the second half after a superb turn. The Senegalese was always involved in the action but was slightly below his normal levels of excellence. EPA -
TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris - 7: The Frenchman made two fine saves from Firmino and could do nothing about either Liverpool goal. His solid performance kept the defence from being overrun. Reuters -
Serge Aurier - 6: The full back found it difficult to subdue Mane and Robertson. He gifted Jones a good opportunity in a troubled first half but got better after the break. EPA -
Toby Alderweireld - 5: The Dutchman was unfortunate to deflect Salah’s shot into the net but could have done much better at blocking off Firmino before the winner. A good performance undermined by two crucial moments. AFP -
Eric Dier - 6: The Englishman was good in the air and strong with his blocks and tackles. His passing was substandard considering how often he has been deployed as a midfielder. AFP -
Ben Davies - 5: The Welshman is a solid defender but the downside is he provides little as an attacking outlet. He was pinned back by Salah. AP -
Moussa Sissoko - 4: Tried to slow Wijnaldum down by kicking the Dutchman twice in the same incident early on. It did not work. The Frenchman’s lack of mobility was exposed by Liverpool’s swift passing game. AP -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 5: The Dane needed to be more dynamic to challenge the Liverpool midfield. His passing was poor and he was rarely quick enough to the ball. AP -
Steven Bergwijn - 3: Carved out a good chance early in the second half and was unable to hit the target. The Dutchman later hit the post. With better finishing he could have won the game for Spurs. Withdrawn for Lucas Moura with 14 minutes left. AP -
Giovani Lo Celso - 5: The Argentinian produced a beautiful ball to set Son free for the equaliser but did not enjoy it when his team were under the cosh. He was less influential than expected and was replaced by Moura just before the hour. AFP -
Son Heung-min - 8: Fantastic pace and finish for the goal. The South Korean’s intelligent running and quickness were impressive and he set up the chance when Bergwijn hit the post. Replaced by Alli with three minutes left. AFP -
Harry Kane - 5: Not a night the England captain will remember. He fluffed one of the best chances of the game with a misplaced header and slipped when in a position to score late on. EPA -
SUBS: Lucas Moura - 4: Replaced Lo Celso just before the hour. The Brazilian appeared unsure about his role, especially when Liverpool camped out around the Tottenham area in the closing minutes. EPA -
Sergio Reguilon - 6: Joined the game in the 76th minute for Bergwijn when Spurs had one eye on protecting the draw. Doubled up with Davies to ensure Salah did not get a late chance. Reuters -
Dele Alli - 5: On for Son in the 87th minute. Committed a foul and was then fouled himself, stopping a potentially dangerous run. Given no time to influence the action. AFP
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If criticism can be exaggerated, he believes praise has been as well. “All of a sudden people told us we were the best team in the world which we never were,” he said. “We could beat the best team in the world and we can again.”
Liverpool produced an improved performance in losing 3-2 to Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday. Klopp rejected the notion it was a turning point, arguing instead that Liverpool had already begun to plot the right path.
“We can’t consistently start anew,” he said. “We started already and we will stay on track. We will be really annoying and fight hard. We will be positive with the positive things and critical with the not positive things. We will be ready for a fight and where it will lead us, I don’t know.”
With West Ham, Manchester City, Leicester and Everton also among their next six opponents, Liverpool could be out of the title race within four weeks but Klopp added: “This team has the potential to fight for the title. We will see if we can this year. If not, we will try next year.”
It forms part of a greater quest. That eschewal of short-termism explains Liverpool’s reluctance to buy a centre-back in the extended absence of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez. Joel Matip could return tonight, along with captain Jordan Henderson. “We make all our decisions for the long term so the club has a benefit in the long term,” said Klopp, though it risks short-term pain.
Part of his task is to regain the momentum Liverpool had a year ago and which they seemed to possess a few weeks back. It was propelled in part by the Liverpool support, who are now exiled from grounds. “I really hope we can create that common fighting spirit again,” he said.
