Liverpool have been flying high after being runners up in the Champions League season in 2017/18. The Merseyside-based club have now won four competitions including the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Fifa Club World cup between 2018 and 2020.
But since then things have been rather disappointing in the Reds camp as they currently sit 6th in the Premier League table and were knocked out of both the domestic cups earlier this season.
Even though the year 2020 brought the long-awaited success in the league, Liverpool have performed way below the standards that they had set the previous year.
A shock Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid was followed by a first league loss of the season against a now-relegated Watford which then prevented an invincible run as well as a 100-point season.
The new season started with higher expectations but Jurgen Klopp’s men have not been able to meet them in the slightest.
The major reason has been the massive number of injuries. The reigning champions have had 22 injuries and 4 Covid absentees this season, with 2 players expected to miss the entire season.
Currently, 3 of Liverpool’s centre backs are sidelined and midfielders Henderson and Fabinho, who have played in the centre of defence, also picking up injuries. The Merseyside club has played 18 centre-back pairings this season and January signing Ben Davies is yet to feature because he has already picked up a knock in training.
Even though the schedule this season has been congested, the fans have started to question the fitness team at the helm.
Former physio suggests problems in management
Along with former physio Jose Luis Rodriguez Robledo, Liverpool made wholesale changes to the medical department last year.
Concerned with injury issues plaguing the club at the moment, one Reds fan decided to message the former physio on Instagram to urge him to join the club back (source).
The former Liverpool employee responded and very clearly ruled out a possible return to Anfield unless significant changes were made.
Reds fans on Twitter reckon there is a correlation between the medical overhaul and the constant injuries that has plagued Liverpool this season.
So in the summer we lost 3 physios and our head of medical services, yet all we did was sign Arsenal’s physio and promote an academy doctor to the first-team role?
— Laurie (@LFCLaurie) February 22, 2021
And you wonder why we’ve got so many injury issues.
Jose Luis Rodriguez’s reply about the changes needed to be made could be a hint that there might have been problems behind the scenes at the club beforehand which might have led to the physio leaving his job.
Rodriguez was a popular figure in the Liverpool dressing room and the only official reason given for his departure was that he was looking for a new challenge.
I found it. They made Jose Luis leave the club (our physiotherapist) who apparently ‘left to pursue a new challenge in his career’.
— Adders (@ftbladrian13) February 22, 2021
Here he is visibly frustrated by FSG’s lack of investment in the medical department.
I feel a lot for you Jose. I hope you come back. YNWA ❤️ pic.twitter.com/3Bcl3eOMiY
The way things have panned out in the last 6 months suggests that the injuries happening in bulk to the defending champions this season might not be mere luck or coincidence. If the allegations are indeed true then there would be no one better to suggest problems behind the scenes than a former head physio.
