Liverpool have four players totally letting Klopp down after humiliating Wolves defeat
Liverpool was defeated 3-0 by Wolves in their recent Premier League game, leaving them in mid-table with no wins in 2023. The team, led by Jurgen Klopp, has lost its dominant form from last year and struggled during the game with four specific players underperforming.
The loss was due to a own goal by Joel Matip and two goals from Craig Dawson and Ruben Neves.
SportsDias highlights four players who particularly struggled against the opposing team led by Julen Lopetegui.
Mohamed Salah
Last season, Mohamed Salah finished as the league’s leading scorer, but he has struggled to find the back of the net this season, particularly in recent weeks.
Against Wolves, he was able to find opportunities that the Egyptian would have buried in previous seasons, but he lacks a cutting edge at the moment.
Cody Gakpo intercepted a pass and played Mohamed Salah through on goal when he was able to cut inside onto his preferred left foot. However, Salah’s finish lacked conviction, and Dawson was absolved of responsibility for his misplaced pass.
The 30-year-old must return to his former self to justify his hefty new contract, and there have been recent rumors that the Reds may consider offloading their star player for a reasonable fee if his struggles in front of goal persist.
Thiago
Thiago has been tasked with keeping the ball moving and advancing play to the forwards, and while his quality has been evident since his move to Anfield in 2020, the Reds struggled to build momentum through the Spaniard against Wolves as his teammates were put under pressure.
In recent weeks, Klopp has maintained his faith in the starting midfield trio of Thiago, Naby Keita, and Stefan Bajcetic. However, with each passing game, it becomes clearer that even if the Reds sign Jude Bellingham in the summer, additional recruitment is required in that position.
Thiago’s poor performance was compounded by Wolves’ third goal, scored when he lost track of Neves while defending, allowing the Portuguese midfielder an easy finish past Alisson.
Joel Matip
Klopp would have hoped to get off to a good start away from home and give the home fans nothing to cheer about early on, but within five minutes Matip scored an own goal to put the ball past Alisson in the Liverpool goal.
The goal itself was an unfortunate deflection off the Cameroonian, but his hesitation to either cut off the pass or close down Hwang Hee-chan allowed him to play the ball off Matip and give his team the lead.
Naby Keita
Keita once again failed to make an impact against Wolves, and despite Klopp’s desire to keep the same lineup and recent praise for his team’s compactness, it was no surprise that he was the first player to be replaced by Jordan Henderson.
His contract expires at the end of the season, and with a renewal unlikely, his underwhelming time at the club could be coming to an end soon, though his performance against Wolves will not have summer suitors knocking down the club’s door.
Liverpool have four players totally letting Klopp down after humiliating Wolves defeat
