Former Tottenham and Chelsea star-turned-pundit Glenn Hoddle has warned Jurgen Klopp that “all is not well” at Liverpool.
The Reds have had the worst start to a season in Premier League history, with zero wins in their first three games. Instead, Klopp’s team has two points after drawing their opening two games against Fulham and Crystal Palace before suffering a crushing defeat away at long-time rivals Manchester United.
The Red Devils won 2-1 at Old Trafford, while Liverpool looked a shadow of their former selves, losing the battle in the center of the park for much of the game, which explains Klopp’s admission that another midfielder would be “nice.”
The Reds’ manager explained: “This issue remained unchanged. We now have more injuries than we anticipated, and it would be great to bring in another midfielder. He also stated that he is “not in charge” of how much money Liverpool may spend. .
Hoddle, like Klopp, noted the ailments that are currently affecting this Liverpool team. “It’s not as fantastic as they’d like it to be since they have a lot of injuries right now with key players out,” the ex-Monaco player told BT Sport. “Setting and maintaining a standard is really difficult, but they’ve had to do it in consecutive seasons. They had two domestic cups, but things were not going well.
“With Klopp and his experience, I believe they have enough skill on and off the field to turn things around. But they can’t afford to lose five or six points to City this early in the season.”
Liverpool has undoubtedly overcome larger point deficits, but this poor start is cause for concern. Players who are typically so dependable for the Reds are performing much below expectations.
Following United’s first goal on Monday night, Virgil van Dijk received strong on-field criticism from colleague James Milner, while club captain Jordan Henderson had a night to forget and was hooked well before the final whistle.
Things aren’t expected to improve anytime soon, especially in Europe, where the Reds have been drawn in a Champions League group with Dutch powers Ajax, Scottish powerhouse Rangers, and Serie A club Napoli.
Next up in the league is the visit of newly promoted Bournemouth to Anfield on Saturday, where a win is critical to kickstarting Liverpool’s season.