Liverpool failed to beat Everton in the recent edition of the Merseyside derby, with the Reds trying to win this match and go on top of the Premier League table. They were keen on maintaining the advantage in the title race, though the Toffees did just enough to stop them from taking back all three points on the night.
Apart from the fact that the two clubs cancelled each other out on the pitch, there were some controversial decisions taken by the German manager, which the fans didn’t like. His choices and team selection could have been influenced by the upcoming fixtures, though some of the decisions were just not right.
Here are three huge mistakes that the former Borussia Dortmund manager made against The Toffees, which cost his side two crucial points-
3. The Mane-Robertson Partnership
Sadio Mane was the player in form and he was scoring goals consistently for the Reds in recent games. He had scored six times in the last eight matches for Liverpool, which included a brace against Watford. He was linking up well with Robertson, in terms of being a threat on the flanks and the service from Arnold too was perfect for him last time around.
However, for some reason Klopp decided to remove the in-form player and give Origi (who luckily scored the winner in the reverse fixture) that spot for this game, forcing Mane to play as a centre-forward. With Mo Salah totally out of form and the best attacking option of Liverpool playing out-of-position, things had to go south rather easily. Wonder how the wind impacted that call.
2. Henderson and Fabinho, With Keita Missing
Another decision that was questionable was the choice made by Klopp to play Henderson and Fabinho, two defence minded players alongside Wijnaldum in midfield. Naby Keita should have started along with one of these two midfield stars, as he is an attack minded player who can really make an impact.
With Firmino missing from the game, there was the need for another aggressive player to be on the pitch, who can link up well with Mane and Salah. Keita was on the bench and when things didn’t work out for the team, should have been introduced. He was not brought on into the game at all and was just looking on as the game went on.
1. Shaqiri, A Bench-Warmer?
This is probably the biggest error that Klopp made. Knowing that Mo Salah was having a torrid time in the match, there was a need to bring Shaqiri one surely and make an additional attacking option available. However, for some reason Klopp decided to go with Lallana rather than the former Bayern Munich and Stoke City man.
This was a really funny call and surprising for the Reds’ fans too, who were eagerly hoping that Shaqiri, who is a fan favourite might come on and make an impact with his speed and creativity. Instead and old and slow Englishman came on the pitch, who barely had any sort of impact on the game and the end result was as expected. Why was he even bought if you want to play Lallana ahead of him? What a silly call by Klopp!!
P.S.: Hopefully, the strong wind didn’t stop Shaqiri from coming on or injure any of the other players!!
