The Liverpool manager who had to play with no senior centre-halves for most of the season says none of the other teams in the league could’ve lifted the trophy after so many injuries in a single season, citing the Manchester counterparts as examples.
Fourth-placed have 66 points from 37 games this season. Their clash against Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday decides their fate of European Football next season. From being Champions of the Premier League and now struggling to qualify for the Champions League, the Reds have come a long way, and so has Klopp.
After losing one of the most influential players on the field-Virgil Van Dijk, Klopp had to deal with many injuries that followed. He lost Joe Gomez after getting himself injured in the training field during the international break and Joel Matip, another senior centre back, known for his injury-prone nature.
“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,”
he said.
This forced Liverpool to invest in the transfer market after losing games by playing midfielders in the centre-halves positions. The German said the following, when asked about his decision to play Fabinho and Henderson in defensive positions:
“Then we had to – and we had to at that time – make midfielders into centre-halves and it broke our spine. Then the whole setup was gone. The young boys were not ready to play at centre-half, the midfielders had to at times play at centre-half.”
He also added that no other team in the league could’ve won the title after simultaneously dealing with an injury crisis throughout the season.
“It is how I said before this year, with the amount 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 centre-halves out, no [they don’t win the league]. Three centre-halves of United, no.
“For the whole season pretty much too, that is how it is“
the German stated.
However, Liverpool are criticized because they have failed to convert easy goal-scoring opportunities and have been poor in the final third. Nevertheless, they would be hopeful of winning their final game of the season and qualifying for next season’s Champions League, and by doing so, they can start the grind all over again.
