They are playing up te lack of energy and directness is a tactical change from Klopp.
This would be a departure from everything he has done during his coaching career.
The reality is the lightning quick speed of counter attacks, high pressure game (heavy metal football) they are too tired to perform.
This shouldn't come as a massive surprise. Lads like Lallana and Sturridges bodies have been ravaged by this style of football.
They had a very long season last year, with then a World Cup summer on top. There's not been enough of a break for them to carry out Klopps game plan.
Throw is that he tries to start fast and then dips, it would be very alarming to me that in October the energy wells look quite bare to me. Keita who we were told would be unanimous POTY material hasn't just under performed but looks to be struggling with the rigours involved.
To me the question is no longer will a dip come (as I predicted it has). It isn't necessarily how long the dip will last (or how severe it will be). For me it's will this dip predicate a perfect storm, a crisis on the field where the manager loses his head amongst a difficult moment (ah la the first half of his final season at Dortmund).
Klopp has many strengths. He has a unique brand of football and sticks to his principles. When it's going well it elevates players. However he is also quite hot headed and we are yet to see how he really copes with pressure or criticism. I will let the bottom at Christman with Dortmund, or the fact he got relegated with Mainz perhaps answer how he deals in a crisis.
A manager like for example Benitez was very good in a crisis. His game
management and tactical nous were still there and found a way to make his teams hard to beat. He would thrive on pressure. I'm not sure that's Klopps strength.
Then throw in he will know pressure like never before. It's fine making promises of "next year" but eventually you have to deliver. After the best start ever, the dominant discourse from their fanbase is not just that they can, or will win the league, but they will do so at a canter. That expectation will put enormous additional pressure on.
Look at the fixtures from Watford away (by no means easy with Kabasele back) through through to the new year. Throw in CL games, throw in the mad Christmas schedule, a group of tiring players and a manager who arguably struggles to keep the train on the tracks if it starts to turn, and you can see a potential problem point in those games.
