Liverpool are on course to be the worst defending champions in Premier League history following their 1 – 0 defeat to Fulham on Sunday.
Liverpool suffered their sixth defeat in a row at Anfield on Sunday, when the previous record was five. Six is also the most defeats they have suffered at home in an entire season since 1938, when they lost seven.
If all teams continue their current points and goals ratio, Liverpool would finish in 9th place with 58 points. That represents a 41 point drop off from last season, which would make them the worst defending champions ever.
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Obviously, the pandemic has ripped Liverpool apart, as well as injuries. The most emotional club not playing in front of it’s fans was bound to impact them, though no one could have seen this rut coming.
Injuries to van Djik, Gomez and Matip have decimated their defense. In 28 games this year, the Reds have conceded 36 goals, compared to 20 goals in the same period last year. To compound that fact, Jurgen Klopp has now played a total of 20 different center back partnerships this season.
After the high of winning the Champions League and the league title after 30 years, this is Klopp’s greatest low.
While the injuries and circumstances of the season are incredible, this is not the first time Klopp has crashed and burned. After back to back Bundesliga titles in Dortmund, including a double in 2013/2014, his team ran out of gas.
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By Christmas of 2015, Dortmund were bottom of the table. Klopp is a man of emotion, and after every high, a crushing low follows. It’s ludicrous to suggest he might leave Liverpool, but he couldn’t turn it around in Dortmund either.
This leads to questions about where he will end up next. Like Arsene Wenger and Arsenal, Klopp found the ‘club of his life’. In fact, he found two in Dortmund and Liverpool. Everybody has those years where they are at the peak of their careers. Klopp’s peak might have been ended for him by tragedy.
