Liverpool have hit a rough patch of form that no one saw coming with a surprising three defeats in the space of four games.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were beaten in their Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, in the Premier League against Watford and in the FA Cup against Chelsea.
The league loss is perhaps the most surprising of all three considering in the previous 27 games they had won 26 and drawn one.
In all three defeats, Liverpool failed to score and conceded six times in total. Sandwiched in between the defeats was a 3-2 win over West Ham and even then they were far from at their best and had to come from behind.
The Reds have been off the pace since their winter break at the start of February and the warning signs were there when they only managed a 1-0 win against bottom-of-the-table Norwich.
Klopp’s side are now at risk of doing something they haven’t since January 2017 – losing three straight games.
Their bad run has conveniently coincided with the Reds boss replying to a young Manchester United fan’s letter pleading with them to lose.
Liverpool can stop their slide when they face Bournemouth at Anfield on Saturday, with commentary live on talkSPORT.
It will be far from straight forward, though, as Eddie Howe’s side gave Chelsea problems last weekend and came close to causing an upset before Marcos Alonso scored late on to grab a 2-2 draw.
In 2017, the Reds suffered a bad run where they lost three consecutive games, all three coming at home.
The first was a 3-2 defeat to Swansea in the Premier League followed by a 1-0 loss to Southampton in the League Cup.
They were next beaten 2-1 by Wolves in the FA Cup as they struggled to find any form.
Klopp rested a bunch of players for the cup tie but the line-up he fielded against the then-Championship side is a sight that will send a shiver down the spine of Liverpool fans.
In goal, we have Loris Karius who would become Liverpool’s No.1 the following season but his Anfield career is all-but over following his nightmare display in the 2018 Champions League final.
Joe Gomez is the only defender in that team still at Liverpool and he wouldn’t have looked quite as good as he is these days – Ragnar Klavan was alongside him at centre-back. The Estonian was something of a cult hero but certainly had limitations.
At right-back, it was academy graduate Connor Randall, who made the odd first-team appearance. He’s now at Bulgarian club Arda Kardzhali.
The dangerously unreliable Alberto Moreno was playing at left-back – any right-thinking Liverpool fan was happy to see him leave the club last summer.
The midfield three was reasonable with fan favourite Lucas Leiva in the holding role although it was fair to say he was past his peak at the club by then – although he’s had a renaissance in Italy with Lazio. He played alongside Georginio Wijnaldum who is a regular in Liverpool’s first-team now.
Ovie Ejaria was given the nod and he’s still on Liverpool’s books but his career is very much in limbo with unsuccessful loan spells at Sunderland and Rangers. He’s also struggling to make an impact at Reading, where he’s currently on loan.
Liverpool had a front three in that match but not like we know it now. Roberto Firmino wasn’t playing in his usual false nine role, instead being forced out on the left to make way for Divock Origi to play up front.
Ben Woodburn, who was 16 years old at the time, was on the right and it was no surprise he had little impact on the game as he’s better playing in a central role.
The misery didn’t stop for Liverpool after that shock cup exit as Klopp’s side then drew 1-1 with Chelsea and lost 2-0 to Hull in the Premier League to go five games without winning.
If Liverpool end up going five without a win then they’ll also be out of the Champions League as they’re currently a goal down in their round-of-16 tie against Atletico Madrid and who knows, maybe the title race won’t be over just yet…
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