Jurgen Klopp looked a beaten man after Liverpool’s defeat against Arsenal on Sunday (Picture: beIN Sports)
Former Liverpool star Didi Hamann believes it won’t be long before serious conversations need to be held over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool future if he is unable to reverse his side’s worrying form.
The 55-year-old has masterminded Liverpool’s return to the top table of domestic and European football over the course of his record breaking seven-year reign but last season’s near misses appear to have taken their toll.
The Reds narrowly missed out on winning a second Premier League title in three seasons and were also beaten in the final of the Champions League by Real Madrid on an emotionally draining night in Paris.
Liverpool subsequently parted company with Sadio Mane in the summer and his replacement, Darwin Nunez, is taking time to settle in English football. And while Mohamed Salah did commit his future to the club, he has been a shadow of himself since putting pen to paper on a new contract.
Defeat at Arsenal on Sunday left Liverpool and astonishing 14 points behind the table topping Gunners, albeit having played one game less, prompting Klopp to rule his ailing team out of the title race just eight games into the new campaign.
Worse could yet follow with Liverpool hosting City and Anfield this coming weekend and Hamann is worried all is not well with his former side, highlighting skipper Jordan Henderson’s reaction to being substituted against Rangers as evidence of a less than happy camp.
He told talkSPORT: ‘At some stage, I think we will have that discussion about the manager and I’m not sure how far we are off that.
Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp endured another frustrating afternoon against Arsenal last Sunday (Picture: Getty)
‘He said that he still feels that he’s the right man to do it, but I see little things like Jordan Henderson midweek seeing his number going up and reluctantly taking his armband off and coming off, shaking his head.
‘This is something that we haven’t seen at Liverpool for five years. Maybe these are little signs that people have little problems with the team or even the manager.
‘The dynamics at Liverpool are no different to anywhere else and if the results aren’t there then the manager will come under pressure.’
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Liverpool did at least show commendable spirit against Arsenal on Sunday and twice found enough resolve to level an absorbing contest but it was Mikel Arteta’s rapidly improving side that found the extra energy and desire to clinch a deserved three points.
Hamann added: ‘If you look at Arsenal in the second half, they were everything that Liverpool were four or five years ago. They were breath-taking going forward. Every time that they did go forward you felt that something was going to happen.
‘This Liverpool team looks tired, they look pedestrian and they just look flat. I’m not sure where the spark is going to come from because they’ve won games in the past.
‘They beat Rangers a few days ago but they’re obviously far superior to Rangers.
‘I trust that they’ll know where the spark is going to come from but whether it’s the end of an era?
‘I wouldn’t write them off, but my imagination doesn’t let me see where the spark is going to come from in the next few weeks.’
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Last season’s near misses look to have taken their toll on the Reds’ manager.