“A footballing crime has been committed – Liverpool, under the ownership of Fenway Sporting Group (FSG), has wasted Jurgen Klopp’s best years as a manager.”
That is the opinion of Reds fan Prem Kumar Subramaniam, who, while still loyal to the Merseyside club, is upset with the owners.
Prem believes that if Liverpool had bought two midfielders in the summer, it could have been among the top four teams in the English Premier League.
Instead, the 2019-2020 champion is 10th after 20 games with a paltry 29 points.
“I have always supported FSG, but their time is up. They should have brought in two midfielders in the summer.
“Then, by not signing a midfielder in January, they have written off a whole season at the halfway mark. Unacceptable, especially for a club like ours,” said the writer with the Badminton World Federation.
“The problem with not strengthening when at the top, means rebuilding takes longer. By the time Klopp builds a league-winning team, he would probably have reached the final year on contract (if he stays).
“Two titles in nine years would be a shame as he could have won a couple more with proper financial backing.”
Prem hopes that FSG, open to selling the club, gets an offer so that funds would be available for Klopp.
Prem also had some ‘tough’ words for his idol, as he believes Klopp is too loyal to his players and should have sold some of the older ones, instead of extending their contracts.
Knowing FSG’s policy of selling to buy, Prem said Klopp should have taken advantage of interests in Mohamed Salah, Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho, to freshen up the squad.
All three have been poor this season, although Salah is still the team’s top scorer with 17 goals – only seven of those came in the EPL.
“I hate to say this, but (Sir Alex) Ferguson was good at refreshing the squad. He sold players when they were at the top of their game. Which is why he lasted for 26 years,” said Prem, of the former Manchester United manager.
“Manchester City is the same under Pep (Guardiola). Joao Cancelo was loaned to Bayern Munich, where the Portuguese fullback is earning rave reviews in Germany.”
Prem also feels another Pep is to blame for Liverpool’s malaise.
Pep Ljinders – Klopp’s assistant – is said to have a growing influence on how the team plays and pushed for the signing of Cody Gakpo, who has yet to impress, seven games into his debut season.
“Liverpool’s pressing has become more controlled, not the organised chaos we were used to,” said Prem.
“We have become possession-focused over the last two seasons. Incessant pressing from the top is gone. Pep, who takes training now, is Dutch, and they like keeping the ball.”
But like the lyrics to Liverpool’s anthem, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, Prem is confident that ‘at the end of a storm, there will be a golden sky’ for Liverpool.
“If we get new owners, or if Klopp is ruthless enough to get rid of the deadwood, I can see him building another title-winning squad. It is of the utmost importance that the new owners are sensible and respect the culture and tradition of the club. No financial doping, but ready to dip into their pockets when need be.”
Liverpool returns to action in the EPL on Tuesday (4am) against local rival Everton, seeing its first win of the year.
FIXTURES (Malaysian time)
TODAY
West Ham vs Chelsea (8.30pm)
Fulham vs Nottingham Forest (11pm)
Leicester vs Tottenham (11pm)
Arsenal vs Brentford (11pm)
Crystal Palace vs Brighton (11pm)
Southampton vs Wolves (11pm)
SUNDAY
Bournemouth vs Newcastle (1.30am)
Leeds vs Manchester United (10pm)
MONDAY
Manchester City vs Aston Villa (12.30am)
TUESDAY
Liverpool vs Everton (4am)
