Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has recently confirmed that he will leave the club at the end of the season and take a break from management.
A special send-off could be in store for the charismatic Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season. Liverpool are currently fighting on all fronts, and they have a very real chance of winning the quadruple.
The Reds have reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, the final of the Carabao Cup, the knockout rounds of the UEFA Europa League, and they are on top of the Premier League standings as well. Liverpool will be hoping to give Klopp his perfect farewell and win multiple trophies this season. The German has won every domestic trophy with the Reds as well as the Champions League.
But winning a quadruple would be an unbelievable achievement. While there is no doubt that they have a world-class manager and a terrific squad at their disposal, their hopes of a quadruple have been dented by multiple injury problems recently.
Injury crisis could not have come at a worse time
Liverpool are now missing a number of key players for the business end of the season, and it will be interesting to see how they cope without some of their best players. In the midfield, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic remain long-term absentees, and they might not play again this season. Dominik Szoboszlai is sidelined for a few weeks, while Curtis Jones picked up a knock against Brentford in his last outing.
As far as the attack is concerned, Mohamed Salah has only just returned from an injury, and there are rumours that he might have picked up another knock. Diogo Jota will be sidelined for a couple of months with a knee injury he picked up the issue against Brentford this past weekend.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker seems to have aggravated his hamstring injury, and he is sidelined as well. Joel Matip is ruled out for the rest of the season with a long-term knee issue, while Trent Alexander-Arnold is injured as well.
Fighting on all four fronts can be a massive challenge for the best of squads, and Liverpool’s task has just become exponentially harder because of their depleted squad. While the return of Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo will certainly help, competing against Manchester City and Arsenal without some of their best players could prove to be very difficult. Both Manchester City and Arsenal have formidable squads at their disposal.
In addition to that, Klopp will be forced to rotate his squad for multiple competitions and due to the injury crisis, the drop-off in quality can be significant. At this stage of the season, even a draw could prove to be catastrophic, and the Reds will need a major slice of luck to get through this.
Clubs like Manchester City have tremendous experience when it comes to run-ins. They know how to handle the pressure in these situations and grind out results consistently. Liverpool are certainly up against the odds now, and it is fair to assume that their quadruple hopes are probably up in smoke.
While there is no doubt that they could still end the season on a high and win trophies, doing well in all four competitions seems highly unlikely. It will be interesting to see if Klopp decides to prioritise certain competitions ahead of others so that he can manage his shallow squad better.
Easier run-in compared to Arsenal, Manchester City
Liverpool are winning the Premier League, aren’t they? pic.twitter.com/gV5dfuVW1c
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) February 19, 2024
In the Premier league, Liverpool have a more favourable fixture list compared to Manchester City and Arsenal. The only difficult away game for the Merseyside outfit is the visit to Old Trafford. But they have a fair chance of beating the Red Devils this season. They will need to host Manchester City and Tottenham, though.
Meanwhile, Manchester City will have to visit Liverpool and Tottenham. They will face Manchester United at home as well. Arsenal will have to travel away to Manchester City, Tottenham, and Manchester United. The Gunners will host Chelsea as well. Despite the easier run-in, the odds are completely stacked against Klopp and his men due to the injury woes, and it remains to be seen how they navigate the situation over the next few weeks.
