Bruno Fernandes offers words of encouragement to Klopp, Liverpool

Bruno Fernandes

Liverpool have found an unlikely ally in the shape of Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes.

It’s been a bleak 2021 so far for Jurgen Klopp’s side. Thursday’s shock defeat to Burnley ended the Reds’ 68-match unbeaten home league record. It also extended their goalless Premier League run to four matches.

Their poor of form has also seen them fall off the pace in the Premier League title race. They lie a six points behind current leaders United.

Liverpool do have a chance to put their league troubles to one side in the FA Cup this weekend.

Standing in their way of a fifth-round place, however, are the Red Devils at Old Trafford. No easy feat to claim a win there given the two sides’s current contrasting fortunes.

Fernandes, however, is adamant Liverpool are not playing as badly as is being made out. Furthermore, he insists Klopp’s side still represent a huge danger to United’s FA Cup hopes.

“Teams have moments, I think,” Fernandes told United’s official website. “I don’t think Liverpool are playing poorly. I think they don’t win and this is the point.

“When teams don’t win, everyone talks about that. When players don’t score, everyone talks about that.

“I feel that on me because I know the standard is high, because I arrived and I scored a lot of goals and make a lot of assists. Now everyone is wanting goals and assists from me.

“It is the same, everyone expects goals from [Mohamed] Salah, from [Roberto] Firmino and from [Sadio] Mane. They are not scoring in the last games and it starts feeling like, ‘oh, they are not playing well’. They create, they play, but the other teams are playing better and, as I said before, they have more qualities to play.

“Every team goes there to play maybe without the pressure of the fans. Teams play a little bit more comfortably and, as I say, I think it is a moment.

“We don’t have to look at that moment because big teams and big players can show in every moment.”


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Form of Liverpool front three baffles pundit

Liverpool legend John Aldridge has said that the U-turn in form from Jurgen Klopp’s front three in recent weeks “dumbfounds” him.

Mane, Salah and Firmino have proved unmissable for the Reds in recent seasons.

Since Christmas, though, Liverpool have only scored one top-flight goal, which came from Mane. What’s more, such a barren run has been spread across five games and has seen them slip down the table.

Writing in a column for the Liverpool Echo, former striker Aldridge said that he cannot believe the dramatic reversal in form from the three players.

“The front three are getting fingers pointed at them and quite rightly so because you’re paid to score goals,” he wrote.

“You’re on a lot of money to score goals and you have to do it. Centre-forwards have to score one in every two games basically and they’re not doing it.

“It dumbfounds me. A team that is free-scoring the way Liverpool are, to go from one extreme to the other. We were all worried about the defence but the defence have been brilliant.

“It’s the attacking part and the front three have lost their mojo.”

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