Liverpool Must Now Focus on Cup Matters After Deflating Leicester City Defeat
KING POWER STADIUM, Leicester — Few sides have been able to account for the mesmeric quality of a confident Jamie Vardy this season, and Liverpool were no different as they sank to a 2-0 defeat to Leicester City on Tuesday night, with the striker's emphatic brace effectively writing off their top-four hopes.
As the Foxes maintained their lead at the top of the Premier League, Liverpool's position has become increasingly sobering, and the magnitude of the challenge ahead will have become apparent to Jurgen Klopp.
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Speaking after the game, the Liverpool manager lamented his side's lack of cutting edge, saying, "The longer the game [went on], we didn't get cooler. Decisions didn't get better. We had the ball in their box, we didn't shoot."
This loss was something of a foregone conclusion for a Reds side that has been pushed to their limits under Klopp so far, and with the gulf between Liverpool and their top-four rivals increasing after another three points dropped, the German may wish to sacrifice their league hopes for cup glory in 2016.
Fielding a 4-2-3-1 formation for this away trip, Klopp looked to beat Leicester at their own game, employing a heavy-pressing attacking quartet of James Milner, Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino, while a two-man midfield unit of Emre Can and Lucas Leiva was charged with providing balance.
But while the Reds performed with typical industry and endeavour, a lack of quality in the final third undermined their efforts, and Claudio Ranieri's Foxes quickly overran a weak back line.
After securing a 1-0 win at home to Leicester on Boxing Day by employing a strong, no-nonsense defensive approach, Klopp sacrificed this and went for broke, playing into the hands of Ranieri, who saw his side return to top form.
Soaking up the pressure through the resolute centre-back pairing of Wes Morgan and Robert Huth, Leicester looked to spring quick, direct counter-attacking moves, using Shinji Okazaki as a second striker behind Vardy, who dominated Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren in the air throughout.
Though Liverpool continued to push forward, Leicester looked the most clinical, and as Riyad Mahrez collected a high ball with a deft, one-touch turn in the Reds' half, the Foxes sprang their decisive move.
Mahrez launched a perfectly weighted long pass to the onrushing Vardy, and with Lovren, Sakho and Simon Mignolet at odds with their duties, the England international duly fired a sensational long-range strike over Mignolet and into the back of the net to put Leicester 1-0 up.
His second was a more instinctive, poacher's finish, stabbing a loose ball beyond Liverpool's No. 1, but this was arguably more fitting for the occasion, as Leicester showed their ability to secure a result without playing particularly well.
Liverpool shoulders dropped following Vardy's second, a mentality fragility running through Klopp's selection.
Early into the second half, the travelling supporters—eager to boost their side—rattled out a hopeful chant of "We've won it five times," but with the King Power bellowing back "We're top of the league," it served as a dismal reminder of Liverpool's position at this stage.
Klopp made a conscious decision to not spend big this winter, preserving his long-term plan of stability and success on Merseyside after seeing Shakhtar Donetsk's valuation of Alex Teixeira move to around £38 million, as he told reporters including the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce on Monday:
"We made offers. I won’t say too much about that, but they were realistic, absolutely, with the pluses of it being January, the Premier League, all the pluses you have when you make negotiations with other clubs.
But it was a case of 'if you don’t want it okay, we can’t change the situation, do what you want'. It’s important for now and for the future. It’s not that we haven’t got money or anything, but you have to work respectfully and responsibly.
That’s what we do. We will do things, for sure, not in this transfer window, but we will do things.
"
It can be argued that this is a Liverpool side in dire need of reinforcement, with holes in every area of the pitch, but the failed pursuit of Teixeira showed the paucity of value in a midseason, pre-European Championship landscape.
Klopp is taking a sensitive approach to his first season on Merseyside, having inherited a weak squad from Brendan Rodgers, but this defeat to Leicester may force his hand this season.
"Your opinion is we played with less intensity? Maybe the reason is we played six games more in January," he retorted in his post-match press conference, when asked whether the Foxes' high-tempo attacking play resembled his vision of Liverpool. "They had 10 days off, we had three games."
Hitting on a key issue within Liverpool's struggle for consistency in 2015/16 so far, Klopp acknowledged that challenging on four fronts with his current squad may be an impossible task.
Kicking off February with a disappointing defeat, Liverpool now must prepare themselves for an FA Cup fourth-round replay at West Ham United, two legs of a Europa League round-of-32 clash with FC Augsburg and the small matter of a League Cup final against Manchester City at the end of the month.
With this defeat leaving Liverpool in eighth place in the Premier League, 11 points behind fourth-placed Arsenal and 16 points behind league leaders Leicester, with his side battered, bruised and mentally drained, a change in emphasis from Klopp would be wise.
Liverpool are far off the leading pack in the league, but they can consider themselves strong contenders when it comes to cup matters—and success in any of these competitions would prove the perfect short-term boost.
Their show of resolve to advance beyond Stoke City to reach the League Cup final, and the valiant efforts of a youthful selection against West Ham in their initial FA Cup fourth-round tie, saw Klopp instil his cup-winning mentality.
This is something he is able to directly transplant from his time in German football, but it is clear that he is still getting to grips with life in the Premier League.
Defeat to Leicester on Tuesday night showed how far Liverpool are from reaching their potential under Klopp, and having foregone the winter transfer window with a view to more measured spending in the summer, the former Borussia Dortmund manager would be wise to now change his focus to the cups.
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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