It was telling, not just in Jurgen Klopp’s words but in his demeanour, when he said there would be no big movies about this season and admitted ‘we have to go through it anyway’.
Telling in the frustration that Trent Alexander-Arnold reacted with when his goalbound free-kick crashed into Jordan Henderson and when the full back trudged off in the second half without the usual hug from his manager. And telling in the way Liverpool’s players spoke afterwards.
The last train back from Euston to Liverpool on Saturday was at 7.37pm, eight minutes before kick-off, and you would not have missed much if you caught it.
‘It’s not easy, let’s keep it that way,’ said Virgil van Dijk. ‘We are, with the last four or five years, spoilt with everything we’ve been going through.’
‘The standards we’ve set have been astronomical so it’s easy to get lost in that, but we mustn’t be burdened by the last few years. We have to stand up and live in this moment,’ said James Milner.
Liverpool were left frustrated once again on Saturday with their decline becoming ever more pertinent
Crystal Palace – a side who haven’t won this calendar year – had little trouble keeping the visitors out
Trent Alexander-Arnold summed up the frustration and disappointment that is abound in the Liverpool ranks at present
This time last year, Klopp’s side beat Leeds 6-0 and were three points off the top of the Premier League, winning the Carabao Cup and in with a shot at the quadruple. On Saturday, they were last on Match of the Day.
‘We haven’t become a bad team overnight,’ said Milner. ‘But we know how football works and there’s been a lot to factor in — a lot of games last year, a few injuries, a World Cup in the middle, new signings coming in and integrating and things not quite happening for us.
‘People ask you for a reason and it sounds like excuses, but we have to be better, it’s simple as.’
This felt like a nothing game and Liverpool under Klopp have rarely had those. But that is where they are at the moment — a team who have declined staggeringly.
Crystal Palace have not won since New Year’s Eve but they kept Liverpool out with relative ease. That only happened once last season and that was in a game in which Mohamed Salah missed a penalty. Yes, they missed the dynamism of the injured Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, but week by week, the impact of Sadio Mane leaving is even clearer. He epitomised Klopp’s Liverpool with his directness and ruthlessness.
That Klopp had to revert to a midfield of Milner, Henderson, and Naby Keita after a schooling by Real Madrid in midweek perhaps summed it all up. At their current level, would they get into Palace’s starting 11 or most Premier League midfields?
Keita was taken off at half-time and neither Milner or Henderson set the game alight. Milner, 37, moved to right back when Alexander-Arnold was substituted and Fabinho, who came on, is enduring a horror season.
Sentimentality, a lack of investment and a lack of forward planning have led to stagnation and, undoubtedly, there will be changes this summer. Keita will go for free while Milner is also out of contract. Panic buy Arthur Melo is yet to play. If you are Jude Bellingham, does a move to Anfield still look enticing?
More than anything, it is how bland this side have become, often one-dimensional and easily worked out by the opposition. There will be tough decisions to make and if it was not evident already then, it is now. But this is still a team with world class players and a world-class manager and it would not be a surprise to see them competing again soon if they invest well.
The midfield Jurgen Klopp had to resort to after the humbling in midweek sums up their issues
Would James Milner and Jordan Henderson at their current level make most Premier League midfields?
When things are not going your way, football can be tough. Liverpool have hit the woodwork 14 times — including twice against Palace — this season, more than any other Premier League side.
‘Every week is big now, every game is massive,’ said Milner. ‘The season hasn’t gone how we’d have liked, but there are so many points to play for.’
After a week to forget, the week ahead is even more significant, with Liverpool hosting Wolves on Wednesday and Manchester United next weekend.
With Newcastle away to Manchester City and Tottenham at Wolves, if Liverpool capitalise, they could still be just three points off the top four. It might not be the Hollywood ending Klopp craved in August, but they would take a Champions League spot right now.
