Jurgen Klopp could now consider unleashing Liverpool tactic he's not done so for six years

Only the most optimistic may believe Liverpool have any chance of winning the Premier League title - and even they won’t be exuding with confidence.

The Reds’ chances of being crowned champions are slim. They’re the rank outsiders in the three-way battle after a 1-0 defeat by Crystal Palace last weekend.

Manchester City are on track for a fourth successive gong. Two points clear with six matches remaining, there’d be scarcely anyone betting against them. It’s difficult to see City dropping any points. If history tells us anything it’s that Pep Guardiola’s troops hit their zenith at their crucial juncture. The only realistic hope is that Tottenham Hotspur might do Liverpool a favour on the penultimate day.

Crucially, the Reds need to ensure that they have no more slip-ups. Jurgen Klopp’s men have to be perfect in their remaining six games and hope City and second-placed Arsenal stumble.

Liverpool have lost their previous two games against Crystal Palace and Atalanta as their unbeaten record at Anfield this season was relinquished. Before that, the Reds were held to a 2-2 draw against a volatile Manchester United side. Klopp’s outfit were scarcely convincing when beating basement side Sheffield United nor in a 2-1 triumph over Brighton. And they made rudimentary errors in a 4-3 loss to Man United in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

In truth, Liverpool appear a team who are starting to run on fumes. Their lengthy injury problems they negotiated magnificently look like they’re now taking their toll. After the Palace reverse, Klopp admitted that Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo could be struggling from the hectic period.

The Reds might just be required to roll the dice in the final six games. Klopp needs a new spark - just like he discovered around this time last season. With Liverpool languishing well out of the race for the top four and European qualification in any capacity in peril, Trent Alexander-Arnold was handed fresh responsibility. The England international moved from operating as a conventional right-back to a hybrid role, switching to the middle of the park when his side were in possession. The tactic ensured that Liverpool went unbeaten in their final nine games and finished an unlikely fifth in the table.

This term, Alexander-Arnold has continued to be deployed in such a way. In the majority of games, he’s roamed into the engine room magnificently - and even been moved there permanently when the Reds have been chasing games. In comeback victories over Fulham - where he scored a stunning strike to earn a 4-3 triumph - and Crystal Palace, Alexander-Arnold has switched to the engine room. Meanwhile, on the road to Carabao Cup glory, academy product came off the bench to augment Klopp’s midfield. He recorded a combined three assists in 59 minutes of action in wins against Bournemouth and West Ham respectively.

It has been a frustrating 2024 for Alexander-Arnold, having been plagued by a knee problem. Since the turn of the year, he has made only seven outings. While absent Conor Bradley has deputised impeccably for the most part, with the 20-year-old stepping up from a promising youngster to a fully-fledged first-team member. Joe Gomez has also done well when he’s slotted into the role.

Alexander-Arnold made his first appearance after recovering from his setback off the bench against Palace. There were signs of rust but the usual swashbuckling passes were there to be seen. Klopp will want to get the vice-captain back into his starting line-up as swiftly as possible.

And perhaps Klopp could gamble with moving Alexander-Arnold into midfield permanently in his farewell tour. Providing Bradley’s injury is not serious, it’s an option that Kopites aplenty wouldn’t be averse to. Liverpool might have missed several chances in the second period of the Palace defeat but creativity has been slightly awry. Mac Allister has been the Reds’ best player in recent weeks but lacked a killer punch in the past few games and Endo has been jaded. But a new No.6 option could be starring Klopp in the face.

Interestingly, Alexander-Arnold has started just one Premier League game in midfield. That came in a 0-0 draw against Stoke City in April 2018 when Klopp had a dearth of options, with Adam Lallana, Emre Can and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sidelined. It was more needs must at the time, with a then 19-year-old Alexander-Arnold very much regarded as a full-back with a burgeoning reputation of whipping in sumptuous crosses.

But as his career has progressed, so too has the debate about where his future lies. The growing debate has been that Alexander-Arnold should move permanently into the middle of the pitch. Certainly, whoever succeeds Klopp in the Anfield hot seat is likely to be asked whether they see the change happening. Before the German departs, it might be a gamble worth taking in the title race.