Premier League: Is the well running dry for Liverpool?

WHAT a difference a day makes.

Ahead of Monday night's big Premier League clash with England's two most successful teams, the narrative was all about the crisis facing Man United and their beleaguered new manager Erik ten Hag.

90-plus minutes after kick-off at Old Trafford, the attention and pressure had moved down the M62 towards their underperforming opponents Liverpool and their boss Jurgen Klopp.

The German's side looked leggy and strangely overwhelmed in many positions throughout the night. And with just two points from their opening three games, it is Liverpool's worst start to the season in nearly two decades, with concern growing that the side's league challenge is already in peril before we have even left August.

Reaction

Man United were good on the night. Ten Hag asked for a reaction after their embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Brentford a week earlier, and to be fair, his players provided one. His big calls to 'rest' Harry Maguire and Ronaldo looked like a good decision too. Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernades look better players without Ronaldo, while Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia stepped up in the absence of Maguire. That Markus Rashford finally showed up with his first goal since last January was an added bonus.

You could say, 'if they can't lift their game to play their arch-rivals, then they shouldn't be in the game', but it needs ing that this United team has struggled to do just that over the past three seasons.

But in praising United, they were probably lucky enough to meet a Liverpool side as weak as they've ever been since before Brendan Rogers was at the helm at Anfield.

Injuries

The Merseysiders hand seven first-team players on the injured list and Darwin Nunez suspended, but maybe more importantly, rested Fabinho, after two indifferent performances in the side's opening two games, while the rumours that Naby Keita is unhappy at Anfield saw him absent from the teamsheet making Liverpool's midfield look exceedingly short of strength.

No Thiago, Fabinho, or Keita in midfield, along with the absence of Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip at centre-back, exposed a soft core down the centre of Liverpool's line-up.

The gaps were filled by James Milner, Jordan Henderson, and Harvey Elliot. While all three are club stalwarts they are not at the level of the aforementioned talent. Milner is a game legend, throwing his heart and soul into the cause but is now understandably struggling to maintain the pace at the age of 36. On the other side, it is the direct opposite situation, as too much was expected of Elliot at the age of 19. He is a star for the future but landing this type of pressure on him was asking a lot of the young man.

Even so, Liverpool did manage to have more shots on and off target, put in more crosses, and crucially dominated possession, having 70% of the ball compared to United's 30, away from home. One can see while Klopp later said that he thought it was a game Liverpool should have won and for the last 20 minutes, it was backs-to-the-wall defending for United.

Nevertheless, it cannot disguise how United overwhelmed the Liverpool midfield and exposed a formerly unseen frailty with Virgil van Dijk at centre-back.

While the urge to panic is understandable for many fans, it must be ed that it's just three matches in, and as players return from injury the situation will improve. But some things of concern go beyond the return of injured talent. There is no doubt that the side looks like a tired version of the side that went to the last game in all four competitions they were in contention for last season, winning two of them.

Tired

The intense, full-court press that Klopp demands of his players must be severely taxing on player fitness and one wonders if the commitment on so many fronts last season has left Liverpool exhausted this season. How many more times can they return to the well when they play in such an industrious manner?

The Liverpool squad is full of talent, but as Monday night showed, remove five key players and the strength of depth quickly disappears. They are far behind Man City, who have nearly an extra team to fill in at every position without impacting performances.

It is long-held that Klopp will sign a midfielder only if one of their long-term targets becomes available. Maintaining the owners' FSG dogma of buying talent only when it's absolutely necessary. It saw Klopp steer away from buying a new midfielder even though many pundits and fans pointed out their midfield weaknesses.

The defeat has stoked speculation over a possible Liverpool bid for Dortmund's Jude Bellingham. It may now be time for Klopp to push his former club for the young midfielder to return to England, but even that may be made more complicated, as Real Madrid have ed the speculation for the young Englishman that no doubt will push his price beyond what Klopp and FSG are happy to pay.

Ironically, the Real bid is being made in the hope of replacing Casimiro, who has moved to Man United.

How the wheels of football turn.