The Mentality Monsters have been slayed

The Liverpool mentality monsters have been slayed.

From the beginning of the season until Boxing Day, Liverpool were a steamroller. Dropping only two points in an away draw to Manchester United on the road in Oct, they smashed aside all opponents.

They defeated every other side in the league. It was a perfect December, (for the second year in a row) which saw them play 10 fixtures in a month. Liverpool would collect Club World Cup trophy to highlight their nearly perfect run.

Their routing of Leicester City on Boxing Day away at the King Power was a clinical 4-0 shellacking of their nearest competitors at the time.

Since Boxing Day, we have seen a very different Liverpool. A hard fought 2-0 win on the road at Sheffield United began the campaign in 2020.

They defeated Manchester United in the return fixture at Anfield, by a 2-0 margin, but the score does not reflect the difficulty the Reds had that day.

This victory meant they had beaten every other side in the league this season. Not an easy feat by any means, but nearly unheard of in January. They smashed Southampton on February 1st., at Anfield, 4-0. And that was the last time we saw the Reds who were so dominant in the fall.

Not so much that they were losing or dropping points. Because they weren’t. But they had a decided dip in form in February and March as Liverpool lost four of six matches in that period including Champions League and cup ties.

By March, their attacking form had become suspect. Which in turn effected defensive form. Which saw them ship three goals in the extra time of their return fixture with Atletico, eliminating them from Europe.

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Then the world was placed on pause when a global health pandemic forced a three month hiatus and lockdown. Sunday saw the Reds return to action in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park; a feckless performance which saw them control the game, tempo, and a whopping 70% of possession.

They luckily eeked out a draw to Everton 0-0; thanks to some great keeping by Allison. With all that possession, the only thing they have to show for it are three feckless shots on goal. This isn’t the Liverpool we saw last year. Nowhere near it.

But this is the Liverpool we have now and going forward for a remaining eight fixtures to decide the Premier League champion. Of course the Reds are odds on favorites to take the silverware, but this is predominantly due to the hard work the lads put in, in 2019.

Granted, a three month layoff is entirely unique in the spring, for world football clubs. I really don’t want to hear that the Reds are rusty, that they will need time to get back to form. Ha! Poppycock! Horse hockey…I refuse to make excuses for these lads.

They are professionals. If they can’t get their motivation up for this final go to the finish, if they need anymore incentive to play; than the culmination of 30 years of struggle and strife, or the slew of all-time records that were within their reach. Then nothing Klopp does or says can motivate them.

I watched Manchester City clinically pick apart Arsenal this week, and Chelsea saw off Aston Villa this morning after going a goal down. No rustiness there for those sides. And they were out for three months too. Yet they were utterly ruthless when they needed to be. Especially City.

When was the last time we saw Liverpool ruthless? February 1st? Undoubtedly their confidence is shaken. And I think the lose to Atletico in front of the home fans, and the way that undoing unfolded; has effected them. And they are carrying that doubt around now, like a stone weight strung around their neck.

Just imagine trying to swim upstream in this restart with that lack of confidence looming and insisting on insinuating itself into the present. This reminds me of Klopp’s Dortmund sides trying to dethrone Bayern. He finally succeeded in this, but it took a Herculean effort. And he had seen his side collapse in the spring on more than one occasion before and after that solitary winning season.

This Liverpool now reminds me exactly of those Dortmund sides that just ran out of gas in March. It would not be the first time a team peaked in December, indeed there are an endless list of teams who’ve peaked early.

Next up for Herr Klopp and the hapless Reds, a return to Anfield. Where they have won 19 fixtures already this season; a record. They have not lost a league match at Anfield since ‘17. And that was to Crystal Palace.

On Wednesday Palace returns to Anfield. Which Liverpool will show up ehh? The Liverpool of the fall? Or this out of form, hollowed out shell of a team we have witnessed since February?

This tableau scene couldn’t have been better written by a collection of Hollywood writers. This could be the team to end that winning streak that is a club and league record.

I wouldn’t bet against the Reds, (I’m just not that kind of cowboy); neither would I bet on them in their current malaise.

Everything rests upon which Liverpool will show up? The Liverpool of 2019, or the less than stellar 2020 iteration we are left with since late winter. Indeed, where have those ‘mentality monsters’ gone; that ruled the league in the fall and early winter?

Liverpool have 24 points left in play. They need 15 just to match City’s total from last season, of 98. Thats five wins from eight remaining fixtures. That now looks like a long shot.

And to have had the kind of season in record form in the first half, only to trade on that success to not even get to their 97 points from last campaign; must be seen as some sort of failure at the very least.

Even as they lift the silverware at some point between now and July 25th, they will be thinking of the late winter and now this summer mini tourney; and kicking themselves for what might have been.

This would be a huge letdown for fans and players alike. But this is the road they are currently traveling. To go from one of the best sides in English footballing history, to just so so champions, well that is more likely at this point; than them picking up their confidence and busting through on sheer guts alone to break City’s single season point total of 100.

That just isn’t in the cards I’m thinking.