The Premier League table since Jurgen Klopp announced he was leaving Liverpool
Liverpool have picked up considerably fewer points than Arsenal and Manchester City since Jurgen Klopp announced he was leaving the club at the end of the season.
But did Klopp’s announcement in late January derail their title challenge? We’ve taken a closer look at the results.
Everything was going well for the Reds when the shock announcement came on January 26th. They were still riding high on four fronts, with some talking up the prospect of Klopp waving goodbye in legendary fashion with four trophies.
They’d recently thrashed Bournemouth and sat top of the Premier League table, albeit with only a slender advantage over Arsenal and Manchester City.
And things continued going well for a period. Two days after the announcement, they thrashed Norwich 5-2 in the FA Cup. Then they beat Chelsea 4-1 in the league, going on to come out on top against the Blues once again in the League Cup final at Wembley.
Klopp’s Reds did suffer a costly 3-1 defeat away to Arsenal in early February, but recovered to win their next four Premier League outings and going unbeaten in eight.
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But the wheels began to fall off in March, starting with FA Cup elimination away to Manchester United.
They subsequently dropped two points in the league at Old Trafford, while defeats to Crystal Palace and Everton in the league left their title hopes in tatters. A 3-0 home defeat to Atalanta resulted in them exiting the Europa League at the quarter-final stage.
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is among those that have questioned whether the timing of Klopp’s announcement has had an adverse effect on Liverpool’s season.
“Do you not question the timing of it getting released that Klopp’s leaving the club?” Rooney asked Jamie Carragher on a recent appearance on Sky Sports, before adding:
“Because over the last few weeks or the last couple of months, everyone’s saying ‘fairytale ending’ – all stuff like that.
“But the minute it goes wrong, I think you have to look at that timing. I think with Nunez, maybe with Salah, and van Dijk as well. These players are looking, Klopp’s so popular, even as an Everton fan I really like Jurgen Klopp.
“With him leaving the club, in their heads they’ll be thinking ‘What does my future hold? Am I still gonna be a Liverpool player? Do I still want to be a Liverpool player?’ I think that’s something you can look at.”
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Here’s how the table stacks up in full since Klopp’s announcement. All teams have played 14 matches unless otherwise specified:
1. Arsenal – 37pts, 35 GD
2. Manchester City – 36pts, 25 GD
3. Liverpool – 27pts, 12 GD
4. Newcastle – 24pts, 10 GD (Played 13)
5. Aston Villa – 24pts, 5 GD
6. Bournemouth – 23pts, 3 GD (Played 15)
7. Manchester United – 22pts, 6 GD (Played 13)
8. Chelsea – 20pts, 2 GD (Played 13)
9. Tottenham – 20pts, 0 GD (Played 13)
10. Fulham – 19pts, 4 GD
11. Crystal Palace – 19pts, 0 GD
12. Wolves – 17pts, -6 GD
13. Everton – 17pts, -7 GD
14. West Ham – 14pts, -12 GD
15. Brentford – 13pts, -4 GD (Played 15)
16. Brighton – 12pts, -10 GD (Played 13)
17. Burnley – 12pts, -11 GD
18. Nottingham Forest – 10pts, -8 GD
19. Luton – 9pts, -15 GD (Played 15)
20. Sheffield United – 6pts, -29 GD
