This season has been a poor one for Liverpool up to this point.
They have performed well below the standard that they have set in recent seasons, looking incredibly fragile at the back and shipping a huge number of chances. At the other end of the pitch, they haven't quite had the killer edge that has made them so successful under Jurgen Klopp.
It is clear that the team is in need of a major overhaul, something that should have been done before this season. The midfield is a particular area of concern, with the club having signed only one senior midfielder in the last four-and-a-half years.
Questions are now rightly being asked about their lack of planning as a result.
Eamon Dunphy asks questions about Jurgen Klopp
Eamon Dunphy certainly hasn't been impressed with what he has seen from Liverpool this season, much of which he feels comes back to Jurgen Klopp.
Writing in his column for Buzz.ie, he questioned whether the German manager has lost the ruthlessness that had previously made him so successful.
Liverpool are staring down the barrel of a major crisis — and I fear this is the end of an era at Anfield.
It took Jurgen Klopp years to turn the club into winners, but it looks like it’s over...
One thing I cannot understand is how Klopp’s assistant Pep Lijnders managed to write a book during the summer — Intensity: Inside Liverpool FC.
Imagine one of Alex Ferguson’s assistants writing a book detailing the factors behind their success. It looks like they have fallen into complacency at Anfield.
Lijnders should just shut up and do his job. I am really struggling with the idea that Klopp would have given the green light to him publishing this book...
Why didn’t they buy a serious midfielder in the summer? Why haven’t they sorted out their problems in defence, which aren’t new problems? They haven’t just cropped up all of a sudden.
They need to start all over again, but they show no inclination of getting to grips with the problems at the club...
It looks like losing doesn’t hurt them anymore — and that’s a worrying sign.
Dropping stupid points at Anfield should be the end of the world, but it doesn’t seem to be. Klopp comes out with the same old smile and blames something or other.
There is no sign of any recognition from the manager of the problems that exist.
Ferguson broke up a few teams, let some big players go and rebuilt. He recognised when the hunger left his players and he acted ruthlessly. He recognised this quicker than anybody in the history of the game and that’s why he was able to renew his team time after time.
Ferguson never lost that, but I fear Klopp has.
Liverpool have added Cody Gakpo to their squad this month, with the Dutch forward expected to feature in the FA Cup tie against Wolves tomorrow.
Their supporters are also hoping that the club will splurge for a midfielder in the weeks ahead, although reports around more potential recruits remain uncertain.
It is clear that the squad is in need of a rebuild. It remains to be seen how lengthy or successful such a process will be.
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