Former Liverpool player and manager Graeme Souness has hit out at Jurgen Klopp and Co. for succumbing to the pressure at the business end of the 2023-24 campaign, asking them to take a hard look at themselves.
Liverpool Likely To Finish Jurgen Klopp’s Final Season With Only Carabao Cup
Nineteen-time English champions Liverpool were in a great position in March. They had a real shot at winning the Premier League title, were in the FA Cup quarter-finals, and had cruised into the last eight of the UEFA Europa League. Having already won the Carabao Cup at Chelsea’s expense in February, Klopp’s side looked on course for a historic campaign. Unfortunately for the Anfield faithful, calamity struck shortly after.
On March 17, they suffered a 4-3 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup, crashing out of the competition. On April 7, they drew 2-2 with the Red Devils in the Premier League, before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta at Anfield in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg. They won the return leg 1-0 but it was not enough to ensure survival. In the English top flight, they have played four matches since the stalemate with Manchester United, losing twice, drawing once, and winning the other.
Graeme Souness Slams Reds For Spectacular Collapse
Souness, who managed the Merseysiders between 1991 and 1994, expected better from the six-time European champions. Speaking at the launch of the Every Minute Matters campaign, Souness expressed disappointment in Liverpool’s inability to challenge for the Premier League title.
He remarked:
“It’s a disappointing end to the season for Liverpool. I thought they would win the Premier League. They were playing a brand of football where they didn’t have to play well to win games because there was so much firepower in the team.Â
“That’s gone in the last couple of months, and they’ve gone from a team that could score for fun to a team that can’t score. They’ve got to look at themselves. At the time that really mattered, they couldn’t deal with that pressure for whatever reason.”
Klopp’s men are currently sitting in third place in the Premier League rankings, five points behind provisional leaders Arsenal with three games left to play this season. Second-placed Manchester City are still the favorites, as they will clinch the title if their win their game in hand over the Gunners.