Yesterday was yet another disappointing result in the still relatively young season. The result alone was not just disappointing, but even worse predictably so. After Liverpool once again failed to capitalize
on some good, attacking football in the first 30 minutes, they concede on Forest’s first real chance of the match (a set piece, naturally).
So, any encouraging words from anywhere is greatly appreciated, and wouldn’t you know it? Jurgen Klopp was there to try to lift spirits.
“If he keeps the exact same team as last season – Darwin Nunez still there, Luis Diaz still there, for example – they start playing and have problems, [people say] ‘We need change,’” the former Liverpool gaffer said in an interview.
“Now the new guys are there, and they are really good players. It’s just not working out at the minute.
“Development needs time. Nobody can change that. People need time to adapt. It’s all good.”
Klopp knows better than any manager that there will be good times and bad during a managerial tenure. And unlike the vast majority of managers, he always had the credit in the bank to get time to right the ship.
Understandably, some corners of the Liverpool fandom are questioning whether Arne Slot deserves the same leeway that Klopp had during his reign at Anfield. It is a difficult situation, especially considering the continued grieving over Diogo Jota’s untimely death within the squad.
Klopp is right that this squad is good enough to be among the top teams in the Premier League and Europe. Now Slot needs to figure out a way to get the squad to focus in both penalty areas, and start playing like champions again, or else his seat will start getting properly hot.
