Liverpool's January Requirements Laid out Following Late Collapse at Bournemouth
DEAN COURT, Bournemouth — Kicking off a demanding schedule of Premier League games in December, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool travelled the 265 miles down to the south coast to take on mid-table Bournemouth, with their momentum ultimately sapped in a dramatic 4-3 defeat.
The Reds had never lost against the Cherries in their history and won each of their previous five clashes with the Dorset side this century, and on a 15-game unbeaten run in all competitions, they found themselves in a favourable position as they arrived in Boscombe.
This was aided further by Bournemouth's muted form under Eddie Howe, having lost three of their last five games, suffering defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough, Sunderland and, most recently, Arsenal in the Premier League.
Despite this, before the weekend's fixtures, only two sides in the bottom half of the league—Middlesbrough (15) and Southampton (12)—had conceded fewer goals then the Cherries; though their 15 goals scored was less than half that of Klopp's in-form outfit (32).
Klopp made six changes to the side that earned a 2-0 victory at home to Leeds United in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday night, recalling the likes of James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane in order to navigate the absences of Philippe Coutinho (ankle) and Daniel Sturridge (calf).
But after an initial spell of domination resulting in goals from Mane and Divock Origi, Liverpool began to collapse, with the introduction of 22-year-old winger Ryan Fraser prompting a remarkable comeback from the Cherries.
The former Aberdeen man won a penalty on 56 minutes, which Callum Wilson stepped up to duly convert, before netting a goal of his own after Emre Can had briefly restored Liverpool's lead.
Further efforts from Steve Cook and Nathan Ake sealed the three points for the home side, and ending Liverpool's lengthy run without defeat underlined a key issue for Klopp as 2016 draws to a close.
While the German has expressed a desire to avoid the January transfer window if possible, Sunday's defeat suggests his Liverpool squad is in need of reinforcement if they are to keep up their Premier League title challenge in 2017.
At Dean Court, Klopp set his side up in his regular 4-3-3 formation, with Mane and Origi joined by Roberto Firmino in the three-man forward line and Henderson, Can and Georginio Wijnaldum forming the Reds' midfield trio.
Spending much of their warm-up focussing on their interchanging attacking play, this six-man group, joined by Milner and Nathaniel Clyne and overseen by elite development coach Pepijn Lijnders, looked drilled to overwhelm the Bournemouth defence:
Initially, this proved to be the case, with Origi touching the ball wide after 11 minutes following an excellent cross from Clyne, before Mane ran on to a lofted pass from Can to net Liverpool's opener shortly after.
Origi then made amends for his early miss by capitalising on an error from Cherries goalkeeper Artur Boruc, beating the Pole for pace and firing home an exquisite finish from a tight angle.
This was characteristic of Liverpool's attacking dominance for much of the afternoon, firing seven shots on goal in the first 64 minutes to Bournemouth's two, but Can's curled effort from outside the penalty area proved an ironic turning point for Klopp's side.
Bournemouth finished the game with 12 shots to Liverpool's 10, with the Reds losing control as Dean Court roared the home side on.
Though Ovie Ejaria and Ben Woodburn impressed in the midweek victory over Leeds in the EFL Cup, the presence of the inexperienced duo on the substitutes' bench saw Klopp short of momentum-shifting options, with the 49-year-old making just one change in a game for the first time in his 14 months with the club.
Without Coutinho and Sturridge, Klopp could only call upon Adam Lallana to shift the balance in attack—and though Klopp told reporters before the game that "it is better to bring a young player in," this is seemingly not the case.
Despite young winger Sheyi Ojo returning to make his first appearance of the season for the Liverpool under-23s on Saturday, the addition of one more forward player would boost Klopp's ranks significantly following injury, with Goal's Melissa Reddy suggesting Borussia Dortmund's Christian Pulisic remains the priority target.
However, while the absence of Coutinho and Sturridge has drawn considerable attention as the Reds head into a crucial festive period, it was injury to one of Klopp's defenders that proved more costly at Dean Court.
Joel Matip was ruled out with a minor ankle injury before the game, with Klopp turning to Lucas Leiva as partner to Dejan Lovren at centre-back, leaving Ragnar Klavan on the substitutes' bench.
Klopp's new-look duo produced a strong showing in the first hour, with Lovren towering over Bournemouth striker Wilson and stepping out of defence to quell attacks with swift, decisive moves.
However, their fragility was exposed as Howe increased the pressure in the second half, with Fraser and ex-Reds winger Jordon Ibe providing an unpredictability from the flanks, and Wilson was given further support by the introduction of Benik Afobe.
Matip, who signed on a free transfer from Schalke 04 in the summer, is yet to experience defeat in a Liverpool shirt, and that his absence coincided with a defensive collapse is telling.
The 25-year-old looks to be established as a key player on Merseyside for years to come, but there remain doubts over his long-term partner, and with the Express' Colin Mafham reporting speculative interest in Southampton's Virgil van Dijk, there is a clear candidate for the role.
Furthermore, with the Mirror's Neil Moxley claiming the Dutchman has a £25 million release clause in his contract, the feasibility of a January move is increased—though this remains dubious.
Regardless, there were clear signs on show at Dean Court that this remains a flawed Liverpool side, magnified by injury to both Matip and Coutinho, in particular.
Following Chelsea's 3-1 victory over Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, and Arsenal's 5-1 triumph away to West Ham United, the Reds find themselves third in the Premier League table with 14 games played.
Level on points with fourth-placed City and now within three points of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, Liverpool's early progress has been stalled by their first defeat in all competitions since August 20.
With Mane set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations in January—and with no timeframe on Sturridge's injury provided so far—Klopp's problems will only be magnified in the days and weeks to come.
Matip already underwent surgery on his ankle over the summer, seeking to address a long-term problem for the No. 32, but if this has been exacerbated and Liverpool are without the lofty defender for a lengthy period, this would harm their chances significantly.
While it would be remiss to suggest that one marginal defeat away to Howe's impressive Bournemouth side has erased Liverpool's title hopes in 2016/17, it certainly served as a jolt to the system.
"No one is born a winner, you have to learn it," Klopp said after the game, with his faith in the players already at his disposal admirable—and it should continue, with their previous form evidence of its virtue.
But with one or two tweaks in the January transfer market, Liverpool can avoid similar blips and maintain their convincing campaign to challenge the likes of Chelsea and City at the top end of the English top flight.
Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents. Statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby and Facebook here.
.jpg?w=600 "Manning Asked Mendoza to Attend Draft")
.png?w=600 "Top 300 Prospects 📊")
.jpg?w=600 "Report: Pickens Signing Tag")
.jpg?w=600 "Vrabel to Get Counseling, Miss Draft")
