Hugging his counterpart Sean Dyche tightly, patting his students’ shoulders and then quietly walking into the tunnel amid the triumphant cheers of “Losing the championship at Goodison Park” from 38,000 Everton fans, Klopp did not need anyone to remind him. He himself also understood that it was all over. The desire to leave Liverpool at the end of the season with the Premier League trophy in hand has evaporated, and Klopp now faces a long and empty farewell.
In just 5 weeks, the dream of winning the “quadruple” completely disappeared when Liverpool were eliminated from the FA Cup by MU and the Europa League by Atalanta. Except for the League Cup won in February after winning against Chelsea, the Premier League is the only title left with them. However, this trophy almost disappeared from reach after a 0-2 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park. Theoretically, Liverpool still has the ability to win the championship, but reality leans in a different direction.
Everton’s victory is the first time they have won all 3 points at home in a Merseyside derby since 2010. However, the significance of this victory goes beyond 3 points for coach Dyche’s team in the battle. relegation. Liverpool’s defeat means they cannot catch top team Arsenal and their chances of winning the championship are slimmer than ever. Everton’s joy of victory comes from destroying the hopes of their arch-rival.
In recent weeks, Klopp has looked exhausted, with only 4 wins in 9 matches causing the team’s season to go off track. They have dropped 10 points in the last 7 matches – a number only half of the previous 14 matches. This shows that Klopp’s mental strength has decreased as the time of separation approaches.
The idiom “thinking about giving up means you have given up” does not seem to be true for Liverpool currently. The numbers are showing that people at Anfield, whether intentionally or not, are starting to “disconnect”. Their defeat against Everton is a clear demonstration of this lack of focus and motivation.
Everton simply runs more, fights harder, plays smarter and has a stronger desire to win than their opponents. Before the last derby at Goodison Park, Klopp had never experienced any defeat here, but now, he will never be able to forget the sad memories of this last visit.
During his 9 years leading Liverpool, Klopp always praised his students as “mental monsters”. However, those same players cowered in front of a more resilient opponent. Mohamed Salah became invisible, Darwin Núñez continued to waste opportunities, Dominik Szoboszlai was locked in the central area. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson also suddenly lacked enthusiasm and quality in defense.
Klopp’s success at Anfield stems from his ability to inspire players to play with the energy and positivity he always displays on the pitch. However, when announcing their separation in January, Klopp cited fatigue as the main reason. Now, that fatigue is clearly showing in the players, with them unable to score in 3 of the last 5 matches and suffering their third defeat in the same period.
“We created many opportunities but didn’t score enough goals and that didn’t help,” Klopp shared in the post-match press conference. “You have to get through these difficult times, that never changes. It’s not a matter of attitude, no one does it on purpose, but my job is to help them regain their confidence.” believe. That is the most difficult part of football.”
Klopp’s time to turn the situation around is gradually running out. Liverpool only has 4 matches left and Arsenal is 3 points ahead of them with a superior goal difference. Man City is 1 point behind but has played 2 fewer matches. Klopp understands that everything is almost over, saying that Liverpool needs both Arsenal and City to be in “crisis” if they want to chase the championship race.
But the most painful aspect of the defeat to Everton may have been the fact that Dyche’s side won comfortably. Liverpool’s title hopes were fading ahead of the trip to Goodison Park, but as he walked down the tunnel, Klopp knew Everton fans were right. This is where the title was officially lost and where his reign as Liverpool manager came to an end.
