YoIt's been a long time since the Premier League last enjoyed a series of mind games, but Jürgen Klopp's reaction to Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Manchester United Sunday suggested we could be about to enter a bold new era of psychological warfare.
This, it must be admitted, was very far from Alex Ferguson suggesting Leeds United could go easy against Newcastle because they subconsciously wanted to prevent Manchester United from winning the league, and perhaps even further away from Jose Mourinho's lurid provocations. But what Klopp said still stood out, if only because managers these days so assiduously follow the code of not saying anything remotely negative about other Premier League teams.
“Arsenal are a good football team,” Klopp said when asked about the league leaders' visit to Old Trafford. If they (United) play like today, Arsenal will win the game, I'm 100% sure. “I’m sorry to say that.” From one point of view, it is a simple statement of fact: Liverpool made the first 17 shots of the game; Of course they should have won. But that's the beauty of mind games: they turn ordinary, uncontroversial phrases into demons that haunt one side and inspire the other. Klopp, by stating the obvious, simultaneously put pressure on Arsenal and also, from his point of view, hopefully gave United a kick up the backside.
At the same time, Klopp was apparently phlegmatic, despite losing the league leadership. “I'm not very excited about it,” he said. “It's not the best result I've ever seen, but I'm fine with it. You shouldn't do what we do today constantly, that won't be enough. Definitely not. But we know that. To the entire Liverpool community, stay calm.”
Which, of course, is as it should be. Seven games left. If there are going to be twists and turns during the last month and a half of the season, the coach who remains most composed and clear-headed, who continues to exude confidence, will probably be the one who prevails. the example of Kevin Keegan in 1995-96first with his “I'd love to” rant in response to Ferguson, and then slumped on the advertising billboard at Anfield after a 4-3 defeat, he remains ever looming like a warning.
But at the same time, Klopp must know how unnecessarily Liverpool lost two points at Old Trafford. Liverpool defeated United on Sunday. They took 28 shots to 11. They won xG 3.6 to 0.7. They should have been out of sight long before now. Bruno Fernandes scored from 45 meters with United's first shot. And what's worse, this is part of a pattern.
Liverpool have the highest total xG in the Premier League, but have scored three fewer goals than Arsenal. xG had them beaten city of manchester at home by more than one goal, but they tied. He made them beat United at home by more than one goal, but they tied. It wasn't as tough in the home game against Arsenal, but it was still a wasteful game. If Liverpool don't win the league this season, they will rightly blame the VAR error that cost them a goal at Tottenham, but if they look at the responsibility they must take, not taking advantage of opportunities in key games will take on great importance. . It is perhaps not insignificant that Diogo Jota missed Sunday's game at Old Trafford and those three key home games.
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Mohamed Salah is yet to regain his advantage since returning from the injury he suffered at the African Cup of Nations. Without him at his best, Jota's clinical presence is sorely missed. Part of Liverpool's joy, the way they overwhelm teams, is the energy of Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz. There is a joyful chaos in the way Liverpool play, in contrast to the control that Arsenal and City intend to exercise. It's heart-warming to watch and tends to overwhelm teams, as it finally did against Brighton and Sheffield United last week after each took the lead.
But perhaps the other side of that sense of chaos is the lack of cruelty. Liverpool have picked up 27 points after losing positions this season: that's obviously a positive in terms of what it says about their character, but there must also be a question about why they fall behind so often. How is it possible that a team that has only lost twice in the league all season has fallen behind on 15 occasions? Perhaps no team can consistently play with the fury of Liverpool at their best, but there are times, and it happened at the start of the second half on Sunday, when the intensity drops.
And that may be why Klopp has opened a new front. On the pitch, the situation at the top of the table is tremendously tight, but Mikel Arteta has not experienced a title duel like this, while the relationship between Klopp and Pep Guardiola has always been too respectful of each other for There is ridicule through the media. An episode of psychological warfare adds an additional element to what is already a fascinating race.
This is an excerpt from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, Guardian US' weekly look at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Do you have any questions for Jonathan? Email footballwithjw@theguardian.comand will answer the best in a future edition.
