Former Liverpool star accuses Klopp of being responsible for Arsenal defeat

The bad times at Liverpool returned after a few days of happiness where a possible improvement was the mirage that fans saw after the match against Rangers in that third Champions League matchday, returning to reality as the Reds were outplayed 3-2 against Arsenal, exposing the Gunners' individual shortcomings of some players.

In a bid to find some form of improvement, Liverpool's German tactician wanted to revamp the strategies and tactical set-up, which proved successful in the Europa League but not in the Premier League, with former Anfield star Steve Nicol criticising him for this, questioning the lack of Fabinho in the starting XI and why Thiago Alcántara had to start. "Thiago can't defend, he's as good on the ball as anyone in the Premier League but he can't get anywhere near anyone. When he doesn't have the ball, he's in your way defensively, so why do you leave Fabinho on the bench?

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The fact that Klopp came out with the same line-up with which he faced the Scottish side in the Champions League was one of Steve's main annoyances, not to mention that from his point of view he observes in Alcantara qualities that any Premier League player has in his position, having defensive shortcomings which Brazilian midfielder Fabinho fulfils to perfection.

The truth is that Liverpool, even with the suggested changes, will continue to be almost the same, because at the moment it is not only Alcantara or Klopp with his bad decisions who have submerged the Merseyside side to tenth place in the English league, but rather a series of bad collective decisions that today make the Reds a fragile club against any opponent that is put in front of them.

Steve Nicol criticised Fabinho's substitution

With a couple of injuries this weekend, the Liverpool manager will have to make adjustments to the squad and possibly rethink the tactical set-up that seemed to have had some success, looking at least in the Champions League to continue that winning synergy and get another three points on their visit to Scotland to face Rangers, while in the domestic competition, the game against Manchester City seems to be a hopeless case from which rescuing a draw will be almost like getting a win.