After putting themselves in a very strong position heading into the defining period in their campaign, it's fair to say that Liverpool's season has hit quite a few roadblocks in recent weeks.
Jurgen Klopp's side previously looked to be hitting their groove in both domestic and European competition, topping the Premier League table and looking like favourites to win the Europa League. However, that is no longer the case.
The 2-2 draw at Manchester United earlier this month certainly seems to have derailed their campaign, going on to lose to Crystal Palace in their next league game. As well as that, they would be knocked out of Europe after a 3-0 loss at home to Atalanta in their quarter-final tie proved to be too much to overcome in the second leg.
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John Aldridge feels Jurgen Klopp partly to blame for Liverpool dip
Liverpool are still in the title race, although Manchester City look like strong favourites for that competition. The Reds would likely have to win all of their remaining league fixtures to have any chance of hoisting the trophy, something that looks unlikely considering their recent performances.
On top of that, there will be no leaving party for Jurgen Klopp in Dublin after their exit from the Europa League.
Writing in the Sunday World, John Aldridge said that the German must take some responsibility for how the last few weeks have played out for Liverpool, most notably in relation to his team selection for the loss to Atalanta.
A lack of a killer touch in front of goal has been the biggest problem in recent weeks, but Klopp is not blameless in this untimely run of bad form and I’d say the first leg of the Atalanta game will be the biggest regret for him.
I’m not saying the manager took that match for granted, but there was a feeling that Liverpool would be too good for a team that is a long way off the pace in the Italian title race and the players gave off that vibe at Anfield.
The manager made a few changes and it was almost as if we were all looking forward to the trip to Dublin next month for the final.
A lot of fans had booked flights and hotels for what we thought would be the farewell party for Klopp, but Atlanta didn’t get the memo about that.
The manager opted to start without the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Andy Robertson for the first leg against Atalanta, a decision that ultimately came back to bite him.
Liverpool fans will be hoping that the club can still pull off an unlikely league triumph, something that would give Jurgen Klopp the ideal sendoff ahead of his departure this summer.
However, it is looking increasingly likely that there will be no fairytale ending for their most successful manager of the Premier League era.
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