Liverpool's Costly Habit: Dropping Points Like Loose Change

Kieran Gibbs hit the nail on the head after Liverpool’s chaotic 2-2 draw with Tottenham. "Story of the season," he called it, and honestly, it’s hard to argue. That late collapse at Anfield on May 7th, letting Spurs claw back from 2-0 down, felt all too familiar. Diogo Jota’s 90th-minute winner against Tottenham in that match should have been the exclamation point, not the setup for Richarlison’s equalizer two minutes later. It’s been a recurring nightmare for Jürgen Klopp’s side, this inability to close out games, and it’s cost them dearly in the race for Champions League football.

Think back to Nottingham Forest on October 22nd, a shocking 1-0 defeat to the league’s bottom club. Then there was the 3-3 thriller against Brighton back in October, where Leandro Trossard bagged a hat-trick and Liverpool squandered a lead twice. The Wolves game in early January, a 3-0 shellacking, also jumps out. These aren't just isolated incidents; they’re symptoms of a deeper issue. Liverpool has dropped a staggering 20 points from winning positions this season in the Premier League. That's simply not good enough for a team with aspirations of challenging for silverware, especially when you consider they only dropped 10 points all of last season from such positions.

Here's the thing: people point to the midfield, and they’re not wrong. Fabinho has looked a shadow of his former self for large stretches. Jordan Henderson, while still putting in a shift, can’t cover the ground he once did. But the bigger problem, in my opinion, lies with the defense's mental fragility when momentum shifts. They get rattled. When Spurs started pushing after Harry Kane pulled one back in the 39th minute, you could see the shoulders slump. Same story against Arsenal in April when they were 2-0 down inside 30 minutes, only to fight back for a 2-2 draw. Good fight, sure, but why concede those two early goals in the first place?

The underlying numbers tell a similar tale. Liverpool have conceded 42 goals in 35 league games this season. Last year, they let in just 26 across the entire 38-game campaign. That’s a massive regression. Alisson Becker, for all his heroics, has been left exposed far too often. Virgil van Dijk, once an impenetrable force, has had moments this season where he’s looked surprisingly fallible. The fullbacks, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, are still brilliant going forward, but the defensive solidity just isn't there consistently.

Look, I get it. Injuries have played a part, particularly to Luis Díaz and Thiago Alcântara. But every team deals with injuries. The truly elite teams find a way to navigate those choppy waters. What separates a title contender from a top-four hopeful is often those marginal gains, those moments where you shut the door and see out a result. Liverpool hasn't been doing that.

My hot take? Unless Klopp brings in two top-tier midfielders and a commanding center-back this summer, Liverpool will miss out on the Champions League again next season.