![\"rapid-news-rapidnews-Man_City_Liverpool-suffers-hangover\"](\"https:\/\/dailyrapidnews.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/rapid-news-rapidnews-Man_City_Liverpool-suffers-hangover.jpg\")
However, an unpredictable season due to empty stadiums and a packed fixture schedule, has meant no side has stormed clear like the Reds did last season.<\/p>\nAfter romping to a first league crown for 30 years last season, Liverpool are suffering a hangover in their title defence as Jurgen Klopp’s men have gone four games without a Premier League win for the first time since 2017.<\/p>\n
The champions find themselves down in fourth with Klopp claiming just a return to the Champions League next season would be a success given his side’s struggles of late.<\/p>\n
However, an unpredictable season due to empty stadiums and a packed fixture schedule, has meant no side has stormed clear like the Reds did last season.<\/p>\n
Liverpool are still just four points off the top, so can their problems be resolved in time to retain their title?<\/p>\n
Injuries<\/strong><\/p>\n The loss of the talismanic Virgil van Dijk for the season to knee ligament damage would have been a big enough loss on its own to challenge Liverpool’s title credentials.<\/p>\n However, the Dutchman’s absence has been compounded by another long-term injury to a centre-back in Joe Gomez and Joel Matip’s fitness problems.<\/p>\n Without a recognised senior centre-back in recent weeks Klopp has resorted to fielding midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson at the back.<\/p>\n Liverpool’s defensive record since Van Dijk’s injury is still impressive, conceding just eight goals in 13 games.<\/p>\n But that has come at the expense of destabilising the front-foot style that has restored the glory days at Anfield under Klopp.<\/p>\n Without the comfort of Van Dijk and Gomez’s pace to hold a high line and the ball-winning ability of Fabinho and Henderson in midfield, Liverpool’s pressing game has eased off.<\/p>\n Injuries have also taking their toll further forward without Diogo Jota over the past month.<\/p>\n The Portuguese made a blistering start to his Liverpool career, scoring seven times in his first nine appearances.<\/p>\n Since Jota suffered a costly knee injury in a Champions League dead rubber against Midtjylland in early December, Klopp is short on options to provide competition for Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After romping to a first league crown for 30 years last season, Liverpool are suffering<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n