Impossible work no longer seems so daunting.
Barring a miracle, Arne Slot, the man identified by Liverpool as the perfect successor to Jurgen Klopp, will not take over the Premier League champions this summer.
Instead, the current Feyenoord manager looks set to inherit a team that was limping towards the consolation prize of Champions League qualification to go with their Carabao Cup final triumph in February. The problems are glaring and the room for improvement is considerable.
In the space of six grim weeks, Klopp went from an unprecedented quadruple to his quickly unraveling farewell tour.
It started with a self-inflicted defeat to arch-rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup. Then came the error-strewn exit from the Europa League at the hands of Atalanta. Now their title challenge is also in ruins after taking just four points from 12 on offer in a quick rematch with United and against Crystal Palace, Fulham and now Everton.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.
TV documentary makers, who had been filming behind the scenes in Liverpool since December, believed they could capture a precious, victorious and historic goodbye. However, The Last Dance, as some players and staffers have called it – a reference to the hit Netflix series about Michael Jordan’s final triumphant season with the Chicago Bulls basketball team before his retirement – involved far too much missteps.
At Goodison Park on Wednesday, they fell flat on their faces. The Merseyside derby gave Klopp so many memories to cherish during his eight-year reign. He once had to pay an £8,000 fine to the Football Association for deciding to celebrate a dramatic late winner from Divock Origi by running frantically to the center circle to hug his goalkeeper, Alisson.
Klopp had lost just one of his first 18 meetings with Everton before last night, and no fans were there to see that happen as the match was played behind closed doors at Anfield during the COVID pandemic. 19. But his final taste of that game constituted one of the most heartbreaking lows of his tenure.
“You lost the championship at Goodison Park,” the jubilant crowd sang as Everton celebrated their first home victory over Liverpool since October 2010.
Everton fans after beating Liverpool: ‘You lost the championship at Goodison Park’ 😅
🤳 @Everton_Extra pic.twitter.com/oFOvnQPsXT
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 24, 2024
Liverpool started the day bottom of the league, and a beleaguered Roy Hodgson fielded a line-up including Paul Konchesky, Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Joe Cole. The failures were grimly predictable with the club in chaos.
It was very different. It was Liverpool in title contention in the final month of the campaign and looking to increase the pressure on rivals Arsenal and Manchester City following Sunday’s victory at Craven Cottage. What they produced against a relegation-threatened opposition was pitiful.
The row of empty away seats at the final whistle was both striking and understandable.
“I think everyone has to ask themselves have they really given everything and do they really want to win the championship?,” said captain Virgil van Dijk, who lamented that Liverpool “don’t win challenges” and are wasteful chances “on which we should have scored”.
Rather than unleash a flurry of fisticuffs after the victory, a pessimistic Klopp apologized to supporters for the lack of what had been served. So vulnerable on one side, so toothless on the other.
There was an alarming naivety from Liverpool as they conceded a succession of cheap free-kicks and allowed themselves to be intimidated as Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin both punished some terrible defending from set pieces.
Their firepower has allowed Klopp’s side to dig themselves out of many holes when they have been behind this season, but that capacity has waned with Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah both desperately out of form.
If, as expected, Slot takes over, he will have some big decisions to make, alongside new sporting director Richard Hughes.
For example: Is Nunez really the No.9 capable of taking Liverpool to where they want to be?
The Uruguayan’s return with 18 goals and 13 assists in all club competitions this season is, on the face of it, respectable. But when the stakes were raised, he failed to deliver – failing to score in eight of his last nine appearances. Nunez will be 25 in June, he’s not a child, but the rough edges and irregular displays remain there for all to see. So many opportunities were taken and wasted by him.
He was so ineffective last night that Klopp’s reluctance to replace him with 18-year-old Jayden Danns in the second half was baffling.
And what about Salah, 32 in June and entering the final year of his contract a few weeks later? At Christmas, offering him an extension seemed obvious, given his prolific offensive returns.
But since injuring his hamstring during the Africa Cup of Nations in January, then collapsing again shortly after returning to Liverpool, he has been far from his usual level. The Egyptian has only scored twice in his last seven outings – and both were penalties.
Like Nunez, he appears devoid of confidence and was wasted against Everton.
The tireless Luis Diaz was the only Liverpool striker to pose a sustained threat, as the renewed absence of Diogo Jota due to a hip problem and the late withdrawal of Cody Gakpo after his partner began work were keenly felt.
Liverpool’s front line clearly needs strengthening this summer. The same goes for the midfield and defense, with Joel Matip and Thiago set to leave when their contracts expire at the end of the season. We’re talking about three or four high-quality additions rather than radical changes.
It appears Slot will be tasked with trying to revive the fortunes of Dominik Szoboszlai, who lit up the Premier League in the first half of that debut season but has lost his way since. Central defender Ibrahima Konate is another concern, given his recent dip in form and the amount of football he is missing. Jarell Quansah should certainly have started ahead of him at Goodison.
You can blame injuries or players returning to action and lacking pace for what happened during the run, because Liverpool look like a force in decline. We can also point the finger at mental and physical fatigue, given the lack of energy and dynamism.
Perhaps the pressure and emotion of Klopp’s farewell also played a role.
The manager repeatedly referred to the damage done to the atmosphere by the two successive visits to Old Trafford when his team came away feeling aggrieved by that cup defeat and then a 2-2 draw in the league. He was unable to find solutions to the problems on both ends of the court.
what do you can’t The blame lies with Klopp’s decision to make public his decision to resign this summer at the end of January.
For starters, Liverpool won nine of their next 10 matches, including the Carabao Cup final. And keeping it a secret simply wasn’t an option as the club embarked on an extensive search for his successor. On the one hand, Klopp’s team needed to know where they stood in terms of their future.
Fast forward to last August and, after such an eventful summer, most Liverpool supporters would have happily accepted a season with a trophy and a top-four finish. But expectations soared after a blistering start and once Klopp made his intentions clear, landing the big prizes became an energy-sapping obsession.
Three weeks today, Liverpool beat Sheffield United 3-1 to move two points clear at the top of the table, with all three contenders having eight games remaining. They were masters of their own destiny. It already seems like an eternity, given how the momentum was wasted.
Whatever happens, Klopp’s legacy at Anfield is secure. He was the most transformative figure in the club’s history since Bill Shankly. He is still guaranteed to receive the warmest farewell next month, but his remarkable reign appears destined to have a decidedly disappointing finale.
Slot has made it clear he wants the job as Liverpool look to agree compensation with current Dutch champions Feyenoord. His attacking style, track record of developing young talent and impactful personality are all seen as fitting the bill.
There are big boots to fill, but the latter stages of Klopp’s reign have also exposed glaring weaknesses as one era ends and another begins.
(Top photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)