While there are plenty who believe Jurgen Klopp should have the book thrown at him for his touchline behaviour against Tottenham at the weekend, it is when he is not charging around his technical area like a deranged maniac that Liverpool fans themselves should be more worried.
While on the face of it, a season’s best fifth successive win should be something to celebrate, the manner of the victory over Fulham ensured Klopp cut a rather subdued figure all evening at Anfield on Wednesday night, with the fourth official barely even coming into his eyeline.
Klopp should have been beating the chest in front of the Kop once more, his side having shown yet further signals they are back to their high-octane best and this season could still be seen as a blot on the German’s copybook years from now.
Fulham have been on the beach for a while, so much so they are in danger of leaving a permanent indent in the sand. They represented the perfect opponent for a Liverpool side, no stranger to handing out a thrashing or two this season, but instead, a mid-table side in second gear could, and should, have emerged from Anfield with at least a point to show for their half-hearted endeavours.
While the top four is still a possibility for Liverpool, in reality, next season is where the focus lies at Anfield.
The only way is up for Chelsea. Tottenham will surely only get better, with the right managerial appointment. Manchester United are on the rise, as are Arsenal. Challenging Manchester City next season is going to be a crowded field. Therefore getting a head start, in such a competitive group of superclubs, is vital.
A 94th-minute winner at the weekend is exactly what was required ahead of the season run-in. The fact it was Diogo Jota, given all he has been through, with the last-gasp finish was an added bonus. Supporters will have lost track of how many times during the peak Klopp years, when gegenpressing was still giving opposition centre-backs sleepless nights and Liverpool’s Fab Three were a match for any of Europe’s strikeforces, that their side snuck last-minute victories in the most thrilling manner to lift the roof off the famous old stadium.
To see the good times come rolling back on Sunday would have been cathartic. Those returning home from the most uninspiring of successes over Fulham, where Mohamed Salah’s dubious penalty was Liverpool’s only meaningful effort at goal all match, may need their pulses checking in the morning.
“A lot of moments were really good tonight but also there are moments where we still have to adapt to the setup,” Klopp said. “Trent [Alexander-Arnold] cannot be everywhere, there are situations when others are still too far away.
“There are areas where we need to improve, definitely. We have to build our confidence again.”
Much of the hard work to restore that shattered belief had already been done in recent weeks, culminating in that potentially restorative winner over Spurs, which is what makes what unfolded four days later so difficult to stomach for a man who built his reputation on these types of victories.
As Klopp alludes to, he is doing what he can to awaken this normally vengeful giant from its slumber, with his Trent Alexander-Arnold midfield experiment going well, Cody Gakpo looking the business through the middle and Darwin Nunez being embedded into the team slowly, despite already being a fan favourite.
But there is still so much more to do. The wins must keep coming, but so must the energy. Next season’s hopes rely on such.
