The manager of Liverpool football club, Jurgen Klopp, has stressed that the current champions of the Premier League, Manchester City, would not have won the league if they had experienced the injury crisis Liverpool encountered this season.
Recall that Manchester City were confirmed champions of the Premier League for the third time in four years with three league games to go. While Liverpool who won the league title for the first time in 30 years last season, struggled to return to the league’s top four.
The major issue that is blamed for Liverpool’s struggle in the league is the injury woes that confronted the club especially in the first part of the 2020-2021 season. Jurgen Klopp had to find a way to manage the club when he lost over 6 of his first eleven players to injuries.
The worst-hit department of the team was the club’s central defense that saw the club’s influential center-back Virgil van Dijk sustained a season-ending injury. Later on, his defense partner, Joe Gomez was sidelined for weeks.
As Jurgen Klopp was trying to cope with that, another defender, Joel Matip was injured leaving the coach with no choice but to covert his midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson into emergency defenders. They both paired with less experienced Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams.
Due to the injury woes at the club, Jurgen Klopp had to sign two new defenders – Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies who also tested injuries when they got to the club. Things became harder when the club’s captain, Henderson joined the long list of injured players.
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Due to the instability in the team, Liverpool struggled until they hit the 8th spot on the league table in March 2021. But they didn’t last long there, coach Jurgen Klopp found a way to make the team play their way back into the top four.
Currently, Liverpool are occupying the 4th spot on the league table with 66 points in 37 games. If they beat Crystal Palace in their last game of the season on Sunday, May 23, Liverpool will finish the tough season in the league’s top four; if they don’t, they might settle for the 5th spot which is a Europa League spot.
Unlike Liverpool that were left with no choice but to struggle to finish in the top four, Manchester City had a smooth ride in the league, Champions League, and won the Carabao Cup. Jurgen Klopp believes that it would not have been possible for Man City if coach Pep Guardiola had to deal with the injury crisis he dealt with at Liverpool.
“So a football team is like an orchestra where plenty of people work together and if you lose one piece you might be able to still do it, but if you lose two then it becomes difficult,” Klopp said.
“It is how I said before this year, with the number of injuries we have had it was not the year to become champions. No chance. For nobody.
“As good as they are, if City have their three center-halves out, no [they don’t win the league]. Three center-halves of United, no.
“For the whole season pretty much too, that is how it is.
“We have fought back a bit, accepted the difficulties, and made the best of it, and if we win on Sunday, and if we qualify for the Champions League, then we made the best of it. That is it.
“Ask Manchester United now if at the moment they like the Europa League (they are in the final) and they would say ‘yes’. They love to play the final and have the chance to win.
“So we already did kind of a job but not the one we wanted to do.”
On the mental strength of Liverpool’s players, Jurgen Klopp said: “It is clear we wouldn’t come to this situation if the boys wouldn’t have shown this kind of character. They have a very special character,” he added.
“Sometimes we suffer things, we don’t have a lot of influence on that. That’s why things go the wrong way, but I never question the character or the mentality of this team.
“If you ever questioned the character of the players in a not-so-good period, you have to ask yourself why you did that.
“The boys proved it now millions of times, it’s not about their mentality or character if something has gone wrong.
“Going through tough periods makes you stronger as a unit and in that time we didn’t get distracted. Nothing came between us.
“Yes we had our moments, players were not in the best shape or the best mood. I was not in the best mood, but we always found a way to stick together.
“We never blamed each other or pointed a finger at each other and said, ‘It is because of you or you’.
“So whatever happens on Sunday, we found our way out to bring us to this situation.”
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