Chapter 56: Five Games without a Win in All Competitions

Li Qing was recognized by most of the Liverpool first-team players at the Melwood training base, but he was not proud. On the contrary, he adjusted his mentality and wanted to make himself stronger.

His performance in the team was indeed eye-catching, and his teammates also went all out, but this did not include absolute strength. The [Strong] value that just passed the passing number was difficult to compare with his teammates. If it were really in the professional arena, it would definitely be several times more difficult than the team competition.

However, Li Qing is good at thinking. He never confronts physically strong opponents head-on, and his strengths are against the enemy's weaknesses.

As the training time increased, Klopp realized that Li Qing's football IQ was higher than he had imagined.

Assistant coach Kovacs, who was standing on Klopp's right, looked at Li Qing: "Jurgen, this little guy is really strong. I believe he will be able to meet the requirements of the first team in a short time."

"Yes."

Another assistant coach Kravitz nodded and said: "As long as he adapts to the training atmosphere of the first team, he may try to come on as a substitute."

"But... Li will only be sixteen next month."

Kovacs thought of his worries.

"It's better for Reuven to come to the conclusion on this issue." Klopp's eyes are still focused on Li Qing, who performed well.

Kovac and Kravitz looked at each other. Reuven, who Klopp mentioned, is Liverpool's medical director. As long as he thinks Li Qing's physical condition can meet the requirements for playing, it means that Li Qing can participate in England's top competitions. Otherwise, Li Qing can only continue to train in the first team or return to Kirkby Youth Training Academy for further studies.

Li Qing's ability has been difficult to improve in Kirkby, only the first team.

In addition, with Li Qing's outstanding performance on behalf of Liverpool U18, several Premier League opponents and major European giants have made tentative offers. Coupled with Mendes' pressure, Li Qing must not be allowed to return to the youth team, otherwise the club will definitely lose money.

The two parties signed an apprenticeship contract. The recognized tacit buyout clause is just a drop in the bucket for the wealthy clubs. It is worth spending millions of euros to buy a semi-finished lottery ticket that has been recognized.

…

On Saturday, Liverpool will host Swansea at home. Liverpool and Tottenham have the same 45 points, but they are ranked third because of their slightly lower goal difference. Swansea ranks at the bottom of the league and has become one of the favorites to be relegated in the Premier League this season.

The rankings and strengths of the two teams are far apart. The outside media almost unanimously believe that there is no suspense in this game. The home team Liverpool is likely to use the strong dialogue between Tottenham and Manchester City in this round to widen the gap.

As a member of Liverpool's first team, Li Qing also thought so, but he was not included in the game list and could only sit in the audience to cheer for the team.

No one expected that the game that should have been without suspense would end up with an upset, and Swansea beat the home team 3:2 as a guest.

For Klopp, losing three points is not particularly depressing. What is uncomfortable is that Sturridge strained his thigh muscle in the final stage.

Liverpool's forward line was already stretched because Mane participated in the African Cup, and now Sturridge is lost. The next game... is worrying!

The next game is the second leg of the League Cup semi-final. Liverpool, who lost to Southampton 0:1 in the first leg, must win the home game in the second leg, otherwise they will only be eliminated in the semi-finals.

The 2016-2017 Premier League, which was held later, was fully completed. The highly anticipated Chelsea defeated Hull City 2:0 at home, and the points lead over Liverpool has increased from seven points to ten points.

Manchester City's first four battles against Tottenham at home ended in a draw, which was a waste of Chelsea, who was in a leading position, and Arsenal, who won this round.

Arsenal, which was originally ranked fourth, surpassed Tottenham and Liverpool with the victory and ranked second.

According to the schedule, it is undoubtedly very beneficial to Liverpool, and it is almost a sure thing to win at home.

It is in this situation that losing becomes unacceptable, and the negative reports in the media put Klopp under great pressure.

Liverpool has 1 win, 3 draws and 2 losses in all competitions since entering 2017. The winning game was the replay of the third round of the FA Cup, and the opponent was Plymouth, a team from the fourth level of England.

The next day, Li Qing, who returned to Melwood for training, felt that the team atmosphere was extremely depressing. Firmino, who usually liked to joke, frowned.

During the afternoon training, Klavan's shovel was too big, which made Lallana extremely dissatisfied. If the two had not been stopped in time by their teammates, they would probably have had a live fight.

There is a saying in the football circle that victory can cover up many problems, while losing can expose various problems.

The team has suffered consecutive defeats. Even if Klopp wants to give Li Qing a chance to play, he can only postpone it and hope to give Li Qing a chance to play when the opportunity is right.

The team is in a very difficult situation now. If we pin our hopes on Li Qing, it will be absolutely unfair to Li Qing.

The day before the midweek League Cup match against Southampton at home, assistant coach Buvac announced the game list, but Li Qing's name was still not on it.

He felt helpless about this.

The team is currently in trouble. As a member of the first team, he is very much looking forward to helping the team.

Coutinho returned to the game the day before the game, but he did not help Liverpool. Shane Long's goal before the end of the game helped Southampton eliminate the home team with a total score of 0:2 and advance to this season's League Cup final.

Including the 0:1 loss to Southampton in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, Liverpool has not won five games in a row in all competitions.

The media is always afraid of chaos. Liverpool has not won five games and has fallen from second to fourth in the league. It is only two points ahead of Manchester City, which is fifth in the league, and four points ahead of Manchester United, which is sixth in the league.

It can be said that the Champions League seat next season is in jeopardy. If Liverpool cannot change the team's current unfavorable situation, they are likely to miss the Champions League for three consecutive seasons.