Liverpool are a MESS off the pitch with major rebuild ahead
‘No firm interest’ in a takeover with rivals Man United also up for sale and ‘uncertainty’ behind the scenes as senior figures step down… Liverpool are a mess off the pitch with a major rebuild needed – no wonder Jurgen Klopp is getting tetchy!
- Liverpool are 10th in the Premier League table after the 20 matches this season
- Jurgen Klopp REFUSED to answer a question from a certain journalist at Wolves
- Question marks about Liverpool off the pitch has caused concern for fans
With Liverpool slumped in 10th place, 11 points adrift of the top four and staring a season outside the Champions League in the face, issues on the pitch appear obvious.
They have been hamstrung by injuries and fans are frustrated at what has been viewed as a lack of investment – particularly in freshening up in central midfield – leading to a steep decline after last season’s second-placed finish.
But questions are swirling off the pitch, too, with several senior figures departing, or having already departed.
Owners Fenway Sports Group has reportedly received no firm bids to buy the club and manager Jurgen Klopp has since drawn further attention by refusing to answer the question of a specific journalist because of his coverage of the club.
After league defeat No 7 of the 2022-23 season, what lies ahead for Liverpool off the pitch is as much of a talking point as what lies ahead on it, with gaps for key personnel, a solution to Mike Gordon’s role behind the scenes and smoothing relations with the media over all on the agenda.
Jurgen Klopp in recent weeks has been visibly frustrated with his team and the performances
With Julian Ward (right) leaving and a lack of clarity over Mike Gordon’s (left) current role, there are question marks about the team off the pitch at Liverpool in this difficult campaign
Chris Sutton, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo, thinks ‘the biggest problem at Liverpool is there is uncertainty which is filtering through the whole club.’
And from the outside looking in that uncertainty is there for all to see.
Back in November sporting director Julian Ward announced he is stepping down at the end of the season.
The 41-year-old had only replaced Michael Edwards last summer but he is now targeting a break from football – much like Edwards did.
Ward’s appointment was a natural succession having risen up from being the loan pathways and partnerships manager to assistant sporting director in late 2020.
When Edwards departed he landed the top job.
The reality is that Liverpool have not quite managed to fill the void left by Edwards, who departed Anfield with a glowing reputation.
That is not to knock Ward too much but moving onto a third sporting director in two years is not conducive to the strategy building that delivers league titles and European cups.
Edwards arrived in 2011 as head of performance and elevated himself to be a key figure in Klopp’s inner circle at the club, going on to deliver transformative signings which included Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Michael Edwards (left) was the club’s former sporting director, who departed last year
The day-to-day stepping back of Mike Gordon (middle) has had a major impact off the pitch
Ian Graham (pictured), Liverpool’s esteemed director of research, is leaving after 11 years
The Telegraph have since reported that there is a ‘broad expectation’ that Edwards and Ward will link up once again down the line – just not at Liverpool.
A report by Sky Sports shed light on the Edwards-Klopp relationship and how the pair would discuss crucial building blocks – new staff and players – over breakfast and lunch at the training ground canteen.
With Edwards on a sabbatical and Ward departing, it is imperative that Liverpool can find – and settle on – a sporting director that can re-establish the identity which Klopp and Edwards worked so hard to imprint on the club.
Departures are however not limited solely to Ward, and before him Edwards.
Ian Graham, Liverpool’s esteemed director of research, is leaving after 11 years having handed in his resignation.
Club doctor Jim Moxon left on the eve of the new season, leaving them without a permanent replacement for five months
Graham’s influence on Liverpool’s success in recent years cannot be understated. He delivered the leading data science department in the Premier League – handing Liverpool an advantage over rivals.
Graham and his department is involved in every football department at the club and his departure at the end of the season will leave a large hole in the analysis operation which Klopp has been so open and receptive to.
There was also the unresolved situation which saw club doctor Jim Moxon leave on the eve of the new season.
Liverpool were without a full-time first team doctor until last month when Jonathan Power took on the role. Moxon had been part of the Liverpool group during pre-season before leaving abruptly.
Sky’s report claims that Moxon elected to leave amid ‘growing friction within the medical sphere’ at the club.
That report further claims that there is a feeling that Andreas Kornmayer, a key confidant for Klopp and Liverpool’s head of fitness and conditioning, possesses too much influence and that has caused issues for other staff.
There is then also the uncertainty around the exact role of non-executive director Mike Gordon, who, along with Klopp and Edwards, formed one of the most formidable off-pitch trios in European football through recent years.
Liverpool’s 3-0 loss to Wolves has left them 21 points off Arsenal, who are top of the table
Liverpool fans are desperate to see new investment after their struggles this season
Gordon, the fourth largest FSG shareholder, is now heavily focused on FSG’s bid for further investment – or to deliver a full-scale takeover – and he gave up the day-to-day running of the club back in November.
That means that two of the famed Gordon-Edwards-Klopp trio are no longer active in the roles that delivered great success to Anfield. Replacing them has proven a tough task indeed thus far.
Gordon ceded his day-to-day running of the club in order to focus on Fenway Sports Group’s bid for investment into – or the outright sale of – Liverpool.
Two of the three most important men in ensuring the club’s success are no longer in situ, and given Gordon’s role had been hands on for about a decade – he was a key conduit for Klopp and FSG – it has really hurt the club in recent months.
Back in an interview in 2020, Klopp described Gordon as ‘the brain behind all the things at Liverpool’. Gordon’s impact was certainly not lost on the German.
A lot of this is boiling down to who will lead this rebuild in the summer – with Liverpool potentially overhauling a squad without the allure of Champions League football.
And will the rebuild be undertaken under new ownership? That, too, is another question off the pitch.
The Athletic have reported that FSG are yet to receive any offers since they put the club up for sale three months ago.
In November, the American owners put the Reds up on the market for £2.7billion – 12 years since they bought the club for around £300million.
Liverpool owner John Henry (left) and chairman Tom Werner (right) are trying to sell Liverpool
Man United’s search for new owners is said to be part of the reason for Liverpool’s struggles
It’s said that a number of reasons have contributed to this, including Liverpool’s dire form this season as well issues surrounding the global economy. The Glazer family’s decision to put Manchester United up for sale two weeks after Liverpool has also been blamed for their struggles.
A takeover – or a push for a takeover – has the potential to influence the level of funds made available – although Klopp was backed to land Cody Gakpo ahead of Manchester United in January.
And you get to the press room at Wolves where Klopp refused to answer a question from Athletic reporter James Pearce, with tensions mounting.
Pearce questioned how Klopp’s men prepare for games and questioned Liverpool’s mentality.
Responding to Pearce’s question, Klopp said: ‘It’s very difficult to talk to you if I’m 100 percent honest. I would prefer not to do that.’
Klopp then explained why he refused to respond to Pearce’s question, with the German saying: ‘You know why, for all the things you wrote. So If somebody else wanted to ask that question then I’ll answer it.’
While Pearce later clarified that it had been a case of mistaken identity – with Klopp angry at the work of another reporter – the altercation, which went viral, is a sign of the growing tetchiness at Anfield in the second half of a difficult campaign.
There are questions aplenty but rebuilding a core team off the pitch is just as vital as freshening one up on the pitch.
Source: Read Full Article