Liverpool tipped for ‘horrible end’ with Klopp now ‘flat and dejected’ and his side ‘out of energy’
Chris Sutton has tipped Liverpool for a “horrible end” to the Jurgen Klopp era, with the manager “flat and dejected” and his side “running out of energy.”
After a fifth-placed Premier League finish last season, the Reds have returned to their rightful position towards the summit of the table this campaign. What was a two-way fight for the title between Manchester City and Arsenal last season has seen Liverpool added to that group this term.
There is now an added desire to finish the season strong after Klopp revealed at the beginning of 2024 that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season.
He cited a lack of energy as one of the main reasons he’ll bring a nine-year spell at the club to a close.
Since that announcement, Liverpool have been very strong, for the most part.
Indeed, since the turn of the year, the Reds have won 16 of their 23 games in all competitions, and have only lost four.
But a couple of those losses coming in a row has put a dent in their chances of giving Klopp a happy farewell – they lost 3-0 to Atalanta in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final, and lost ground in the title race when they were beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace three days later.
Sutton feels that result was a shock, but shows the Reds are unable to hit the gas at a crucial time.
Related video: Klopp faces up to Liverpool's lack of momentum after losing to Palace at Anfield (Metro)
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Liverpool ‘running out of energy’
“I didn’t see Palace going to Anfield and rolling Liverpool over. That was a shocker. It seems like Liverpool are just running out of energy at the the wrong time,” Sutton said on It’s All Kicking Off.
“Salah since he’s come back from injury doesn’t seem the same Mo Salah, I wonder if there’s a knock-on effect. It looked like there was a hangover from the defeat against Atalanta.”
There is a chance that’s true, with the Reds clearly not at the races in both of those games.
They will hope that does not continue, as they still have a chance in both competitions if they can bounce back from the slight slump.
At the moment, Sutton feels the Klopp era will end with a whimper if something does not change fast, especially as the manager himself clearly has little energy left.
‘Horrible end’ is coming
“They huffed and they puffed and they’ve found a way this season. But listening to Klopp afterwards, normally in press conferences or when speaking to the media, he’s quite spiky,” Sutton added.
“But it sounded like he’s so flat and dejected. It’s going to be a horrible end to the season if they don’t pick up immediately.”
While Klopp cited a lack of energy as a reason for his departure, he is still trying for his team, and will surely do his all to ensure they finish the season as well as they can before he leaves.
The players will hope they can find some more energy and get themselves back into contention for the two trophies they are still playing for.
READ MORE: Next Liverpool manager’s to-do list: Five major tasks for Klopp successor, from contracts to transfers
Arsenal have quickly outgrown £30m liability; it’s time for Arteta to copy Pep again
Oleksandr Zinchenko has always divided opinion amongst the Arsenal fanbase but it looks like the vast majority of the Emirates faithful have now turned on the left-back, which is quite the turnaround in 12 months.
A large part of the Gunners’ unexpected push for Premier League glory in 2022/23 was attributed to the signings of Manchester City duo Gabriel Jesus and Zinchenko, who brought a winning mentality, experience, leadership, and know-how in a title race.
The latter had played a crucial role in City’s comeback victory at home to Aston Villa on the last day of the previous season, a win that clinched the title ahead of Liverpool. He came off the bench at half-time with the score at 0-1 and was highly influential in a dramatic conclusion to 21/22.
Zinchenko had his fair share of injury problems last season, particularly with his calf, but Mikel Arteta did not miss him too much when absent during the opening months of the campaign; he only made seven Premier League appearances for his new club before the World Cup break. There were some red flags, but not enough to think Arsenal should give up on such a talented footballer.
Zinchenko has been a lot more available this season but more games means Arsenal fans have realised just how much of a liability he is defensively.
They always knew defending was not his strong point. His incredible technical ability was almost enough to make this downside to his game ignorable. Still, with the Ukrainian international looking out-of-sorts on the ball and leaving the Gunners exposed going the other way, there is an agreement amongst the club’s supporters that Jakub Kiwior or Takehiro Tomiyasu should come in for the rest of the season, unless Jurrien Timber returns.Related video: Arsenal train before Bayern clash (Reuters)MORE ON ARSENAL FROM F365
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Kiwior had a difficult afternoon against Manchester City but ultimately did not cost Arsenal; they drew 0-0. A midweek clash against Luton Town gave Arteta the perfect opportunity to reintegrate Zinchenko after some time injured, and the Spanish manager decided to go with the ex-Man City man again for the trip to Brighton a few days later.
This felt harsh on Kiwior, who did not really deserve to be dropped at all. For the Luton game, it is understandable because rotation is important, but not for Brighton away. Despite a clean sheet at the Amex, the Polish defender returned to the starting XI for the home match against Bayern Munich but was the fall guy at half-time with Arsenal all over the place defensively. Zinchenko was brought on not to solidify things, but to help the Gunners salvage at least a draw from 2-1 down.
Zinchenko was poor in that second half against Bayern, over-hitting a bunch of passes and looking unconvincing in possession, which is…weird for him. Arsenal did at least draw 2-2.
Kiwior’s first-half showing in the Champions League quarter-final was enough for Arteta to decide Zinchenko would start against Aston Villa on Sunday. Another pretty harsh decision but it would have been fully justified had the Arsenal manager not changed so much, especially in an attacking sense.
Declan Rice playing as the deepest midfielder with Kai Havertz in the left-eight and Gabriel Jesus left Arsenal a little more vulnerable defensively. Starting Jorginho over Jesus with Havertz up front would not have raised so many eyebrows, but completely changing from the fundamentals of a team that has seen the Gunners be so successful this year was a mistake from Arteta.
TO THE COMMENTS! Have Arsenal already outgrown Oleksandr Zinchenko? Join the debate here
Arteta, in his first job in management, has done an outstanding job at the Emirates but this does not mean he is exempt from criticism. He got it wrong, which is far from ideal given the incredibly small margin for error in this Premier League title race. However, managers make mistakes all the time, from tactics to team selection. The knives are hardly out.
Zinchenko was once again found wanting against Villa and when the momentum shifted to Arsenal being under the cosh amidst sustained Villa possession, Arteta probably should have realised it was no longer the game for him. Nor was it the game for Havertz to be in a midfield three.
Not only are there big question marks over Arsenal’s title credentials after losing a fixture we deemed their third-easiest from their last eight fixtures (admittedly, we got that wrong and were blinded by Villa’s record away to Liverpool and Manchester City this season), but there are also massive question marks hanging over Zinchenko’s ability, and thus, his future at the club.
Patience is wearing thin and it looks like Zinchenko’s race is run less than two years after joining, and less than a year after being deemed undroppable.
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This is not the start of a weird petition to bring Kiwior back in, because he also still has a lot to prove and does not appear to be the long-term answer at left-back. Tomiyasu is another player with injury problems and has been far from his best since returning to the team. Thankfully, Timber is returning soon and looks like being the answer to Arteta’s left-back dilemma.
A huge part of said dilemma is what to do with Zinchenko.
The Arsenal manager has replicated a lot of Pep Guardiola – who he assisted at City for three-and-a-half years – during his four years in management and it looks like the next thing to tick off is getting rid of Zinchenko for a proper defender. And if that doesn’t work, Arteta should shave off those luscious locks and go full Pep.
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Arsenal sound out former Manchester United player of the year as Mikel Arteta fears key departures
Mikel Arteta wants to bring former Manchester United and Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze to the Emirates Stadium to serve on his backroom staff.
The Mirror write that the Arsenal gaffer is wary that his current assistants might do an Arteta and look to fly the nest for managerial posts this summer.
Arsenal could lose key personnel to Ajax and Norwich City
Former Manchester United and Wales assistant Albert Stuivenberg is reportedly of interest to Ajax, who are currently under the interim management of John van’t Schip after a disappointing start to the season under Maurice Steijn. Van’t Schip is set to take a technical role upstairs this summer, leaving the head coach role vacant.
Carlos Cuesta is meanwhile said to be on the radar of Championship outfit Norwich City, currently managed by David Wagner.
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The former promotion-winning Huddersfield Town gaffer was under heavy pressure earlier this season after overseeing a run of just one win in nine games, but has been able to turn the ship around and now has Norwich in the play-off places with three games to go and a six-point advantage over seventh-placed Hull City (who have a game in hand).Related video: Arsenal train before Bayern clash (Reuters)
If either assistant were to depart, Arteta would naturally need to find a replacement, with ESPN Argentina reporting that he has ‘already held talks’ with Heinze about the possibility of coming back to England in that capacity.
Mikel Arteta would not stand in way of assistants’ managerial dreams
Arteta himself left Pep Guardiola’s side at Manchester City to make the move to Arsenal in 2019, and has made clear he would not stand in the way of either of his deputies pursuing that path for themselves.
Speaking about the possibility that either of his number twos (numbers two?) might depart for managerial jobs, Arteta had said: “If that’s their will, you cannot [stop them]. I wouldn’t, no.
“It’s very important, and with the staff as well. I think everybody needs to feel that there is a path, there is a development plan for everyone.
“People don’t want to do the same thing for three, four, five years you know, and there is a way to incentivise people, to inspire other people, and then to explore, because you don’t really know the limit of a person unless you expose him to certain things.
“I think curiosity is a really important quality that we have within our young staff, and that thrives. We all need opportunities. I got an opportunity when I didn’t have any experience in coaching, first of all at Man City and then here, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Heinze spent three years at Old Trafford from 2004-2007, winning the club’s player of the year award in his debut season and winning the Premier League title in his last.
Raphael Varane tipped to join two Man Utd team-mates by making Chelsea transfer
Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson has followed ex-colleague William Gallas in urging the Blues to raid Manchester United during the summer transfer window.
Gallas, who played for Arsenal and Tottenham after leaving Stamford Bridge in 2006, called on his former club to test United's resolve over high earners Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford. Now, Johnson also wants the London side to add experience, identifying Raphael Varane as a transfer option.
United opted against triggering an extension in Varane's contract midway through the current season. The centre-back, who joined from Real Madrid in 2024, could leave Old Trafford as a free agent in the summer.
The 30-year-old, who is currently sidelined through injury, has been linked with a summer return to Madrid. Johnson, however, wants Chelsea to pounce after a challenging season at the back.
"Good players like that don’t come around often and they certainly come around less often on a free transfer," Johnson told Betfred. "I know he’s not the Varane he was three or four years ago but he’s still a bloody good player.
"Yes, he’s had his injury problems but that’s what outweighs the transfer fee – if you’re buying him on a free and he’s only playing 40% of the games, then that’s still a good deal to do," he added. Varane has started just 16 league games this season amid various setbacks, but Johnson argued the French international's experience could still prove valuable.Related video: Pochettino lays down the law after Chelsea's 'unacceptable' penalty antics in 6-0 win (Metro)
Yeah, but the first question I know,
“As we saw with Thiago Silva, those sort of players who have done everything, played for top teams and clubs, they get the attention of the dressing room and they’re the big names that the younger players want to look up to and obviously they’re great to have around,” he continued. “If you have got a chance with Varane on a free transfer and he’s only going to play 50% of the games, I still think it’s a good deal.”
Would Raphael Varane be a good signing for Chelsea? Have your say in the comments section
© Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Unlike Varane, Fernandes and Rashford wouldn't come cheap. Despite Chelsea potentially needing to lower their spending in the summer, though, Gallas pointed to the United pair as good fits.
“Both Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes could be good options for Chelsea," the Frenchman told Gambling Zone. "Both are quality players. Bruno could definitely be the kind of midfielder who has the quality to play in the number ten role where Chelsea lack strength.
“Chelsea are a team of young players and Bruno Fernandes has the leadership qualities to get through certain periods. He’d be a good signing if the rumours are true.”
Chelsea and United are both battling it out for a Europa League spot, with Mauricio Pochettino's team keeping their hopes alive by beating Everton on Monday night. Victory for the Blues in their game in hand would see them leapfrog seventh-placed United on goal difference, while drawing level on points with sixth-placed Newcastle.
Pochettino has indicated a need to add experience to his young squad over the summer after dropped points all but ended any hopes of Champions League qualification. The Blues conceded late goals in 2-2 draws with strugglers Burnley and Sheffield United when victories could have put them in better shape for the run-in.
"We need to bring more young players, we need to bring in some experienced players. But that is all about talking," Pochettino said ahead of the Everton game. "It's about agreeing with the club, analysing and designing the strategy for the next season and to go and fight for big things. That is really important."
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