Are Liverpool's Days of Glory Over?

Forest’s season comes alive as lacklustre Liverpool fail to shine

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Liverpool Awoniyi (55)

In the early kick-off, Liverpool looked fatigued, having just played on Wednesday against West Ham, in a game where they arguably should have dropped points if not for the heroics of Alisson Becker in the Liverpool goal, who saved Jarrod Bowen’s penalty. Liverpool looked like a side uninspired, and still suffering a hangover from the nearly events of last season. They remind me of Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side in 2019, who, after losing in the Champions League final (to Liverpool, incidentally), went on a long slump. Pochettino was sacked by December. Klopp will have much longer to try and salvage the season, given his success in bringing home both the Premier League and the Champions League to Anfield, however it’s hard to look past the fact that this Liverpool team seems like it is coming to the end of an era.

But let nothing take away from the performance of Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forest, who were simply superb. They have been criticised for a lack of cohesion this season, but the Forest board’s decision to back Cooper looks like it might pay dividends. The winning goal was scored by Taiwo Awoniyi, a Liverpool player for 6 years who never played for the club, after a slick freekick move in which his original shot rebounded off the post to him, and he gratefully tucked it away past Alisson. The Forest midfield three of Swiss international Remo Freuler, ex-West Ham and Crystal Palace midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, and Ryan Yates, one of the few remaining players from Forest’s promotion season, were excellent today. Their work rate was simply superb, and Yates was omnipresent around the pitch, and was the best player on the pitch today.

Following on from this, Forest will have to try and get something at the Emirates next weekend against Arsenal, however that will not be an easy feat, as Arsenal are undefeated there all season. If they play like they played here, and suck Arsenal in before hitting them on the counter, then they will have a chance to take something from that game. Realistically, Forest just want to avoid being thrashed against the team that they knocked out of the FA Cup last season. Liverpool travel to an Ajax side struggling for Champions League form on Wednesday, where any points will secure their qualification. This is followed by the visit of Leeds United to Anfield. This could well be Jesse Marsch’s last game in charge of Leeds, although I don’t think it should be. Marsch should be given time to build his squad. Anyway, they always seem to turn up in the big games, hence why I think they will get something at Anfield. If they play like they did against Arsenal, I don’t know how many answers Liverpool will have. My hunch is that Klopp will be sacked before Marsch. Liverpool are 12 points off the top. They need results.

Article Writer - LexaNews Journalist