Jurgen Klopp and his team still have many problems to solve if they want to become a serious candidate for the Premier League championship this season.

If they defeat home team Burnley in the match in round 19 of the Premier League, “The Kop” will temporarily rise to the top of the table with 2 points more than Arsenal. In case the “Gunners” win all 3 points against West Ham, Liverpool will only be 1 point behind Mikel Arteta’s army, the championship race is still open for the red half of Merseyside.

Finishing the first leg with one of the top two positions on the rankings is a surprising gift that the Anfield team brings to the fans. After what they have shown, Mohamed Salah and his teammates deserve to become championship candidates this season, alongside Arsenal and Manchester City.

However, there are still many ripples that make Jurgen Klopp and his team feel insecure before entering the championship race. These are all problems that cannot be solved overnight. The German strategist needs full support from the board of directors as well as his players.

First, besides the brilliance from the trio of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahim Konate, the remaining names in the defense do not bring peace of mind to the fans. Joel Matip, Andrew Robertson, and most recently Kostas Tsimikas are all injured and have not been able to return.

Putting Joe Gomez on the field against Arsenal is only a temporary, reluctant solution that is unlikely to bring about long-term stability because it is not the forte position of the defender wearing the number 2 shirt. Luke Chambers, talent Young talent coming from the academy cannot immediately adapt to the Premier League. It wasn’t until mid-January that Andrew Robertson returned.

In the middle area, the problem exists even before the 2023/2024 season starts, Liverpool lacks a classy defensive midfielder. Wataru Endo has been playing well recently, but he alone is not enough to compare with Declan Rice or Rodri. This makes “The Kop” inferior in big battles.

In the striker line, in addition to Mohamed Salah who still shows his usual class, players like Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez or Cody Gakpo all make fans shake their heads in frustration. They often let many good opportunities slip away right in front of their shoes. Remember, next January Liverpool will also lose the Egyptian player because of the African Nations Cup.

The possibility of Liverpool’s leadership spending heavily in the winter transfer window is very low. Therefore, coach Jurgen Klopp is forced to “make ends meet”. He needs to prepare carefully before entering the return phase. If all of the above problems are resolved, the Anfield home team will be a formidable candidate for the Premier League championship.