Jrgen Klopp, the blame game and a red machine that hit the wall | Soccer

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ROUGH RED

Where did that smile go? In Brighton, Jrgen Klopp seemed to be considering a running jump into the English Channel. Really bad, moaned Jrg. Sorry, he cried another time. I can’t remember a worse match, he sobbed. Honestly, I can’t. And I mean all of them, not just Liverpool. I do not remember. And it is my responsibility.

This defeat for Liverpool at Brighton was not unexpected and only added to the gloom. Words have been said for a while that The Red Machine isn’t what it used to be. At one point, somewhere last spring, the engine sputtered and never came back to full throttle. The midfield trio of Jordan Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho that took Liverpool so close to impossible heights faltered at the Amex. Moiss Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister broke them to pieces. The latter was so dominant that he probably could have worn his World Cup winner’s medal and passed dear Hendo.

This left Liverpool’s defense sorely exposed. Trent Alexander-Arnold is generally blamed, and he received a dreadful chase from Kaoru Mitoma, but the right-back received no assists. Moreover, Andy Robertson hardly found it any easier against two-goal Solly Solomon March on the other side. All rather dark. No wonder so many long-time enthusiasts of these delicate reds are turning to the local Sunday pub league and Chinese crisis hitting the road again to find kicks.

Lots of complaints to make. Why aren’t Liverpool running like they used to? Who let Gini Wijnaldum go? Sign Cody Gakpo when a midfielder was needed? Just whose fault is Darwin Nose? And, perhaps above all, has Jrg become the god who failed? For the first time, these ever-reliable barometers of public opinion, radio phone calls, suggest his TIME TO GO. Should Steven Gerrard wait for the Pole position to claim his rightful crown? That’s still unlikely, and at the moment Liverpool’s owners are taking the heat and the manager has also started preparing the underside of a bus. We have to be creative with the options we have, shouted Jrg. What I saw today from my team was that they weren’t really convinced.

Links to a rather opaque Qatari takeover have sparked enthusiasm among some fans, but not those who want to associate their club with social justice. Although perhaps an infusion of petrodollar cash would allow Jude Bellingham to come in and cure those midfield ills immediately. Mind you, Chelsea have spent just 32 million less since Todd Boehly turned on his Blackberry than Liverpool in the last 10 transfer windows and are as bad as the Jrgs boys.

Perhaps what Liverpool fans want most is to go back around four years to relive the rise. Poetry in motion, imagine being us and all that. And yet, things could be worse. They might support The Ev

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I want to thank the entire civilized world for helping Ukraine. We can only talk about Ukrainian football thanks to the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian people and the tremendous support we received during this incredibly difficult time. And the only way to overcome the evil that has come into our homes is to work together. I am donating $25 million ($20.5 million) in transfer fees from Mykhaylos to help our soldiers, defenders and their families. The money will be used to cover different needs, ranging from providing medical and prosthetic care and psychological support to meeting specific demands. It’s the start of the Heart of Azovstal, a brand new project that will help the defenders of Mariupol and the families of fallen soldiers. Their acts of bravery are unprecedented. Shakhtar chairman Rinat Akhmetov explains how moving Mykhaylo Mudryks to Chelsea in a deal worth up to 100 million (88 million) will benefit Ukraine’s war effort.

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NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

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