For a team that brought Manchester City down to the wire last season, Liverpool has so far failed to impress this season. 

Last year’s standings left Manchester City as the Premier League Champions with 74 points, and Liverpool a point behind them in second. But this year, despite looking up when they defeated Manchester City, they’ve slumped again, falling to a shock defeat at the bottom team in the table, Nottingham Forest.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is struggling to help his team find their form. They’ve already lost more matches in 11 games, than in all of last season. They’ve fallen to eighth in the standings, which, while respectable for most teams, for a star-studded squad like Liverpool, is incredibly disappointing.

Quite a few players are still trying to find their feet. And although Mohammed Salah has finally seemed able to get his goal-scoring run on the way, he still only has 3 goals out of 11 matches. In contrast, out of 11 matches, Manchester City’s striker, Erling Haaland, has 17 goals. As Liverpool’s midfield problems continue, Salah’s connection with Harvey Elliot has been awkward and shaky. An improved front three has also thrown a wrench in his run, and it makes sense that he might be a little disjointed.

Another one of Liverpool’s players struggling to find their form is Virgil Van Dijk. The Dutchman is an incredibly talented back, excellent with headers, distribution, and corners, but he’s seemed off lately. His Nottingham Forest miss, a header from five yards out, summed up his problems. Costly errors, penalties, and missed opportunities have given Klopp plenty more headaches as he tries to get his defender form-fit again as the season continues. 

Liverpool has been struck with injuries this year, rotating out players who might not have as much experience or talent as the others. And Jurgen Klopp’s side is smaller than many others, with Liverpool remaining inactive over the transfer window. Since the beginning of the season, 19 players have missed one game or another due to injury. This may not be entirely due to bad luck. Poor planning could have factored in, with fewer options than usual, and without the realization that once a couple of injuries start to come in, the stress is increased on the healthy members of the squad.

Hopefully, Liverpool can turn their season around, and finish with a position befitting a team such as theirs.