Liverpool chairman Tom Werner blames lack of Anfield crowd as one of three reasons for poor season

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner blames lack of Anfield crowd as one of three reasons for poor season along with injury crisis and difficulty of ‘climbing Everest again’ after last season’s triumph

  • Liverpool chairman has blamed a lack of supporters for Liverpool’s poor season 
  • The Reds have made a feeble attempt of defending their crown this campaign 
  • Jurgen Klopp’s side have seen their imperious home record fall in recent weeks
  • Werner, 70, claims that the absence of ‘loyal supporters’ has hampered the side 

Tom Werner has attributed Liverpool’s poor season to a lack of fans at ‘fortress’ Anfield as the Reds chairman claimed that the coronavirus pandemic has ‘perhaps affected us a little bit more’ than their rivals.

Jurgen Klopp’s champions, blighted by injuries and an alarming slump in form, have made a feeble attempt of defending their crown, with the Reds now an outside chance of finishing in the top four.

Where Liverpool’s form at Anfield was the bedrock for their success last season, the champions’ results at home have fallen off dramatically, having failed to register a win in Merseyside in eight Premier League games.

Tom Werner has blamed a lack of Anfield crowd as one of three reasons for Liverpool's season

Tom Werner has blamed a lack of Anfield crowd as one of three reasons for Liverpool’s season

The Reds have made a pitiful attempt of defending their crown after conquering last campaign

The Reds have made a pitiful attempt of defending their crown after conquering last campaign

And Werner claims that the absence of Liverpool’s ‘loyal supporters’ due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing games behind closed doors has impacted Klopp’s side.  

‘I think that, I don’t want to make excuses, but I do think this pandemic has affected Liverpool and the Red Sox in the way that these are very loyal and supportive fan bases,’ Werner told The Athletic.

‘People used to think that it would be very difficult to win a football match an Anfield, because it’s a fortress.

This season, Liverpool have seen their imperious Anfield record crumble behind closed doors

This season, Liverpool have seen their imperious Anfield record crumble behind closed doors

And Werner, 70, says that the absence of 'loyal supporters' has affected the champions

And Werner, 70, says that the absence of ‘loyal supporters’ has affected the champions

‘And this year we’ve seen a number of matches that Liverpool has not played up to its capability, and I think a lot of that is the absence of our loyal supporters.

‘So, I think the pandemic has perhaps affected us a little bit more, but I also don’t want to make excuses.’ 

The 70-year-old provided two additional factors to Liverpool’s performances this season, outlining that injuries to key players, coupled with the challenge of replicating their title-winning effort last campaign, has hampered the team.   

He said: ‘It is extremely hard to be a repeat champion, no matter what the sport.

The Reds chief said injuries and the challenge of 'climbing Everest again' has hurt the team

The Reds chief said injuries and the challenge of ‘climbing Everest again’ has hurt the team

‘You climb Mount Everest and you get to the top, and then somebody says ‘you have to do it again.’ And so it’s challenging under the best of circumstances.

‘When the Everton goalkeeper took out Virgil van Dijk for the season, that was a blow because he was not only such a critical part of our defense, but a leader.

‘But you know, I’ve been doing sports for 20 years, and I’ve seen a lot of, it’s very difficult when you have multiple injuries to constitute your team.’

source: dailymail.co.uk