Peter Crouch backs Liverpool & Jurgen Klopp to halt current slump
Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has insisted that Jurgen Klopp shouldn’t be under any pressure at Anfield despite a poor recent run of results, claiming that all of his achievements at the club deserve patience to get back to winning ways.
A difficult 2020/21 schedule has taken its toll on a Liverpool squad that has been hit badly by two major injuries at the heart of the defence. The Reds haven’t won a Premier League game this side of Christmas, nor have they even scored a goal in the league in 2021.
Klopp is missing Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, both nursing long-term knee injuries, from his strongest XI and a lack of depth at the back has had a knock-on effect on the rest of the team because of a forced re-shuffle to plug the holes.
Whether or not the work of real Liverpool fans, #KloppOut was trending on Twitter in the wake of the defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup, but Crouch is adamant there is any reason to think that the coach who delivered the club’s first league title in 30 years is in any danger.
“I don't think he's under pressure at all. I think he's got grace there for two or three years, even if he doesn't win another game, for what he's achieved,” Crouch told 90min's Ben Haines.
“They've been magnificent over the last two or three years, especially. Running one of the best Man City sides we've ever seen so close [in 2018/19], and then winning the Champions League, winning the Premier League,” the 39-year-old added.
“Yes, they're going through a dip. I've been at a lot of games this season and they haven't been up to the usual standards and have definitely dropped off. But, having said that, they’re top players, world class players, and I think they'll get back to their best very soon.”
Crouch thinks there is no single reason for Liverpool’s poor results of late, but one of the more important problems is the loss of Van Dijk and not just as an isolated absence.
“I don't think there's a huge problem at the club at all,” Crouch, who is a regular pundit on BT Sport, explained.
“I think one of the big factors, obviously, was Van Dijk, but then having to rip up the midfield to cope with that. With [Jordan] Henderson and Fabinho ripped out of that midfield, you then lose something in midfield and I think that sort of swarms through the team really.
“They end up with a lack of cohesion and a lack of confidence, and then the goals have dried up for the front three. Trent [Alexander-Arnold’s] crosses aren't quite finding people when they were every time [before].
“There are lots of factors to why it hasn't gone as well as season. But, having said that, they've been top of the league for most of the year and they're only just going through a little blip now.”
Regardless of whether Klopp should be feeling pressure or not, there is still pressure on Liverpool to end their win-less run. They continue a congested schedule by facing Tottenham away on Thursday night, before further tough games against West Ham, Manchester City, Leicester, RB Leipzig and Everton in the next three weeks alone.
“It's been too many games, without doubt, so they just need to get back to winning ways and it would be it'd be a big game to get back if they beat Spurs,” Crouch said.
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