Liverpool are out of the Cup, but there’s still plenty to play for this season

Two weeks ago if you’d ask any Liverpool supporters how they felt about the season, they would have answered with jubilation.

A 4-3 victory that felt like a 4-0 thumping over undefeated league-leaders Manchester City was treated like a herald, announcing Liverpool as title contenders.

Across fan forums and online threads, from social media to work water-coolers, the Reds of Merseyside were the second best team in England, and suddenly were gunning for the Champions League title alongside Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint Germain.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Sunday, January 14, 2018: Liverpool’s scoreboard records the 2-3 defeat to West Bromwich Albion during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Two weeks later, there’s nothing but despair for scouse fans that are looking to speak about their favourite club.

A 1-0 defeat to the cellar dwellars in Swansea City was less surprising than it should have been after the glorious 4-3 win, and a 2-3 exit to a lively, attacking West Bromwich Albion put the cherry on top of a week to forget for Jurgen Klopp and the entire Liverpool squad.

So what went wrong? Why has an 18 game undefeated streak been forgotten under the cloud of 2 poor defeats?

For one, the FA Cup was one of the competitions that Liverpool fans were looking at as a chance for silverware this season. The League Cup evaded us this year, and the Champions League hopes that everyone holds are rather lofty.

In the Premier League itself Manchester City is romping to a dominant and potentially record-breaking victory, only stopped on their path to an undefeated season by Liverpool thus far.

READ MORE: Lessons still haven’t been learnt at Liverpool, but it’s not too late to fix things

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Sunday, January 14, 2018: Referee Craig Pawson disallows West Bromwich Albion’s third goal after a video replay during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

The FA Cup was the silverware for Liverpool this season as many fans were saying but a thrashing that could easily have been 5-2 but for the Video Assistant Replay system cut short those hopes and dreams.

Two losses aren’t terrible in the grand scheme of things, but it’s the nature of the defeats, and where they come in the season overall.

Tottenham are breathing down our necks in the league, just two points adrift of a top four spot that we were beginning to solidify as our own.

The win over Manchester City gave us three points in our pocket that no other team had collected yet, and we spent it the very next week as the team lethargically dragged themselves across the finish line in second place to the Swans.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Friday, January 5, 2018: Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring the winning goal at the Kop end to seal a 2-1 victory over Everton on his debut during the FA Cup 3rd Round match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC, the 230th Merseyside Derby, at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

We had Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge in our back pockets and Virgil van Dijk was coming in to fix every defensive problem that we’d suffered over the past years.

Now, Van Dijk has shipped four goals in two games against Swansea and West Brom, Coutinho has disappeared to Catalonia and Sturridge is bound for the The Hawthorns.

It’s a turn, and one that Jurgen Klopp now has to traverse very carefully. No one will call for his head if he fails to win the Champions League, but failing to backup a return to the top division of Europe after selling the best player Liverpool had in their arsenal would be disastrous for the Merseyside club.

It’s that fear that’s creeping into the club, and surrounding supporters across the globe.

It’s not something that fans can let take hold however – Liverpool are out of the FA Cup, but they’re certainly not out of the race.

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LONDON, ENGLAND – Sunday, October 22, 2017: James Milner (L) Serge Aurier (TH) Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (L) during the FA Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium. (Pic by Paul Marriott/Propaganda)

Tottenham have struggled in recent weeks, earning themselves an FA Cup replay in the middle of one of the most brutal fixture lists to start the year – the Spurs will play Manchester United, Liverpool, Newport County, Arsenal and Juventus between now and February 14.

That’s an incredibly harsh run for the fifth placed team, and one that may see them tumble out of the Champions League and the FA Cup. Hard fought matches against United, Liverpool and the Gunners could see them collected 0 points if they struggle with fixture congestion.

In the same time, Liverpool plays Huddersfield, Tottenham, Southampton and Porto.

Now is the time to bolster the points, and if Klopp can re-steer the ship on course after two shock results, Liverpool will be back on path for a strong season.

It’s not exactly what fans wanted, losing players and tumbling out of domestic cups, but the race is still very much on for top four, for the Champions League and for solidifying a return to the bastion on England Liverpool once were.

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Source: anfieldhq.com