That was the Week that Was (May 13-17 2024)

Monday May 13:

Villa 3 L 3. Probably sums us up this. These are the kind of results we were getting in the first two or three years of Klopp while he built the team up to where they needed to be. There was a time when no lead ever felt safe because we were prone to stupid collapses. We’re in that place now. For all the criticism of the forwards recently (much of it justified) this season is the second highest goals tally in our history. We’ve conceded far too many though. Not because we don’t have good defenders, but because we’re just too vulnerable as a team.

Villa had loads of chances tonight and could have scored more than three. So could we, and it had a real end of season feel about it even though Villa actually still have something to play for. Effort wasn’t the problem, it rarely is. Concentration is definitely an issue and the tactics are also a big factor. We’re just too easy to create chances against. That’s the first thing Arne Slot needs to address before anything else. Make us harder to score against and everything else becomes easier. Just ask Arsenal. That’s been the focus of Arteta and it’s made them a genuine force when a couple of years ago they were a joke.

Klopp looked like he was biting his lip all night, he desperately wanted to kick off at Simon Hooper and I’m sure he wanted to let rip at the players in those closing stages too just to get them to focus and tighten up. But a yellow card would have banished him to the stands this weekend and what’s the point in yelling at the players now? He said something afterwards about how there’s no point analysing what went wrong in this game and trying to fix it because he’s not going to be here. He’s right, but it was jarring to hear it. Shit, this time next week he won’t be our manager anymore. Well technically he still will be until his contract runs out, but you know what I mean.

We’ve known this for months so it’s not a shock, but I don’t think it had actually hit me until now, as we arrive at the final week of his reign and the countdown to Sunday begins. This week is going to be really tough.