Liverpool nightmare gauntlet, next up Fulham

Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp (Photo by PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp (Photo by PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Sunday evening at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp will face off against Fulham in an effort to put the skids on the worst consecutive home loss record in history. No Liverpool side had lost five in a row before the Reds balmy lackluster loss to Chelsea on Thursday.

This is a must win tie with Fulham, but Liverpool have forgotten how to score goals at Anfield in this new year, or so it would seem. Jurgen Klopp’s side could only manage one shot on goal against a solid well positioned Chelsea defense that maintained its overall shape throughout.

Since the new year Liverpool have dropped four by a 1-0 scoreline, include a 0-0 draw with Manchester United and that’s five scoreless outings in two months, give or take, in only 11 ties.

Liverpool need to improve

This is virtually unheard of at Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. A team that just a year ago at this time was averaging over two goals per game.

These losses are not the fault of an injury riddled defense. If you do not score goals, you cannot win, just that simple. And the goals for the Reds had dried up at Anfield.

The front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mo Salah have kept nearly as many clean sheets since the end of November as the Liverpool defense has for the entire bloody campaign.

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Liverpool live and die with the scoring from these three and when that dries up, as it has this late winter run, then this puts pressure on an out of sorts midfield in recent months.

With every match this campaign, as with any returning champion, in a relatively normal year,  these champion Reds have had to run a relentless rogue’s gauntlet of injury, adversity, illness, against 19 other teams ripe for the opportunity to stick it to Liverpool.

Some of these teams have not won a match against the Reds since their players have been alive, especially at the hallowed Anfield ground.

Fulham will be smelling blood in the water, but the boys need to amp themselves up and run the gauntlet one more time; lest their season end in shambles.