Richard Buxton: Liverpool in urgent need of a hard reset
A season away from European competition could benefit Liverpool, so does an exodus
Liverpool losing Mohamed Salah may not be the catastrophe that it ordinarily appears.
His goals salvaged what little credibility remained for Juergen Klopp's side in their abject English Premier League title defence, yet the end still seems nigh for the Egyptian.
| LIVERPOOL | FULHAM |
| 0 | 1 |
Even before last night's 1-0 defeat by Fulham, Salah's departure seemed preordained in the wake of his public outburst after being substituted against Chelsea just days earlier which was amplified by a cryptic fullstop tweet from his agent on social media.
But a sixth consecutive loss at Anfield brought home the realisation that a player who, for now at least, still leads the EPL's Golden Boot race with 17 goals will not be sticking around for a potential fallow period if the Reds fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.
They have been here several times already. Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres were all gifted players who had Kopites eating out of the palm of their hand before abandoning ship once clubs with far enticing prospects came calling.
Salah would command a similarly hefty premium to that illustrious trio despite toiling in a frontline which had failed to score from open play for nearly 11 hours on home soil.
Attempts to become Liverpool's sole creative outlet against Fulham, however, failed dismally; first trying to dart through the defence until he was crowded out while a follow-up volley on the turn, after plucking the ball out of mid-air, fared little better.
Worse than failing to create goals for Liverpool, though, was Salah gifting Fulham a deserved opener on the stroke of halftime as Mario Lemina dispossessed him and unleashed a low drilled effort which eluded a heavily altered defence and Alisson.
Unprecedented times clearly called for drastic measures as Klopp made seven changes to the EPL champions' starting line-up from their last dismal defeat. The German's message was clear: personnel are the problem rather than his system.
ADDICTION
Except the latter rang hollow as the three youngsters - Neco Williams, Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips - chosen to prop things up at the back struggled to contain Fulham's regular counter-attacks.
Had Josh Maja's finishing been more refined, Liverpool would have fallen behind sooner than before the interval.
Reaching the Champions League became an addiction which Anfield simply could not kick, when basking in their glow happened in fleeting stints rather than on an annual basis.
Klopp has already warned those intent on staying the course on Merseyside solely for the allure of playing in Europe's elite club competition that they are free to start packing their bags.
Facilitating such an exodus, however, could work to Liverpool's advantage.
One of his predecessors declared that their absence from the continental scene is akin to a banquet without wine. Swilling a watered-down version of its sparkling vintage in the form of the Europa League would be more hindrance than help at this stage.
The six-time European champions are in urgent need of a hard reset away from the prying eyes of Uefa's club tournaments, with a frontline past its peak and a midfield in urgent need of a change-up after investing its faith in a Barcelona-bound GeorginioWijnaldum.
Change is inevitable at the tail end of such a remarkable cycle of success. Those willing to become collateral damage, like Salah, can further cement their legacy at Anfield.
Playing against their heart's true desire is helping no one - especially Liverpool.
LAST NIGHT’S OTHER RESULT
West Brom 0 Newcastle United 0
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