Klopp looks for solutions to Liverpool’s woes

Heralded as Liverpool’s saviour when he was appointed two years ago,Jurgen Klopp has cut an increasingly tetchy figure in recent weeks asthe Reds boss struggles to find the winning formula at Anfield.In contrast to his success with Borussia Dortmund, Klopp is stilllooking for his first silverware in England and, after a 1-1 draw atNewcastle on Sunday, Liverpool are already languishing seven pointsbehind Premier League leaders Manchester City.Klopp’s side have won only one of their past seven matches in allcompetitions and his record to date compares unfavourably to hisLiverpool predecessor Brendan Rodgers’ statistics over the same period.With in-form rivals Manchester United due on Merseyside for Liverpool’snext match on October 14, Klopp must use the international break tosolve his team’s damaging problems. Here is a closer look at the issuesthat threaten to derail Liverpool’s season:Lack of cutting edgeIf Klopp’s colourful description of goals being “the mother of football”is correct, then Liverpool are in danger of being orphaned. With 137chances created, Liverpool have had the most opportunities to score ofany Premier League team this season, but have netted only 13 times.While Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all splashed out onforwards in the close-season, Klopp opted against signing a penalty boxpredator and the decision looks like coming back to haunt him.Out-of-favour forward Daniel Sturridge is often on the bench andLiverpool are paying for their lack of cutting edge.Anfield legend Jamie Carragher said: “You take it back to ManchesterUnited last season in terms of having a lot of games where they didn’tscore and had lots of chances. At the end of the season they just wentand bought Lukaku and it looks like that problem at the moment is fixed.Liverpool didn’t fix the problems that needed fixing.”Defensive mishapsOnly two Premier League teams have conceded more goals than Liverpoolthis season, with the 12 allowed by Klopp’s leaky rearguard a starkcontrast to their title rivals. Manchester City and Manchester Unitedhave let in only two goals each, with Tottenham (five) and Chelsea (six)also far more solid.Klopp is clearly aware of Liverpool’s defensive malaise as he spent mostof the close-season engaged in a failed attempt to sign Southamptoncentre-back Virgil van Dijk. Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip, Ragnar Klavan,Alberto Moreno and Joe Gomez comprise a distinctly flawed unit, withKlopp’s commitment to attack also leaving his defenders with littleprotection from the midfield.“If they keep defending the way they are at the minute they’ve got nochance (of winning the title). The goals they are conceding are far tooeasy,” former Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland said.Calamity keepersKlopp’s decision to rotate goalkeepers Simon Mignolet and Loris Kariushas exposed his lack of a true number one. Mignolet has endured adifficult time at Anfield since joining from Sunderland in 2013 and hispenchant for costly mistakes convinced Klopp to sign Karius from Mainzlast year to push the Belgian international.So far the move has not had the desired effect. Mignolet is no moreconvincing and Karius has made a blunder or two himself. Karius’sfailure to keep out Fernando’s long-range free-kick in Liverpool’s drawagainst Spartak Moscow last week brought fresh criticism, but Kloppremains defiant. “I don’t understand how you can talk after a game likethis about this one situation. I don’t think it was a mistake butprobably you have another opinion,” he said.Keeping Coutinho happyGiven Liverpool’s problems with turning possession into points, arguablyKlopp’s biggest concern will be keeping Coutinho motivated after theBrazil forward was denied his wish to join Barcelona. Coutinho handed ina transfer request in a bid to force Klopp to sell him before thetransfer deadline, but even when Barca’s bids climbed over £100mn,Liverpool refused to budge.Forced to return to Liverpool, the 25-year-old has kept his frustrationsin check so far, scoring three times in his past three appearances,including a long-range rocket at Newcastle at the weekend. Klopp mustensure Coutinho retains that focus for Liverpool to have any chance of asuccessful season.“He has put his frustration into games and is playing with freedom. Hehas been fantastic,” Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said. “We alllove him. A lot of things happen in football. Phil has been brilliant."