What can you say really that hasn’t been said before? Liverpool follows up an impressive victory over a top-four rival with a dismal defeat against a team in a relegation battle. The 2-0 win over Spurs is a distant memory now and Jurgen Klopp’s men failed once again to build up some much-needed momentum. Top four looked a shoe-in a few months back but now if Manchester United win their game in hand the Reds fall to sixth in the league a mere five points ahead of Merseyside rivals Everton.
The decline in form has been dramatic. Liverpool went from title contenders to Europa League hopefuls in the matter of a month and people are still trying to brush it under the carpet. We have may over-performed in the early months of the season but questions should be asked as to why we couldn’t sustain it and why we didn’t do anything in January to sustain it. It was a negligent transfer window and we’re being rightly punished for it.
It’s all our own doing. Are there any positives today? We won’t know until the next time we’re facing a side we’re expected to beat. But it’s been the story of our season and it’s unlikely we learnt anything from the feat that we didn’t already know.
Defensive Shambles
When Simon Mignolet makes three memorable saves and you still comfortably lose 3-1, then you’re in trouble. The Belgian kept Liverpool in the game initially with a string of saves but was soundly beaten by all three Leicester City strikes. Lucas was exposed in the centre-back role yet again. He seems like a lovely guy and he wants the best for the club but is he good enough to be the third choice centre-back in a team chasing for top four? No. Yet here he is filling in for the injured Dejan Lovren.
Lucas was exposed in the centre-back role yet again. He seems like a lovely guy and he wants the best for the club but is he good enough to be the third choice centre-back in a team chasing for top four? No. Yet here he is filling in for the injured Dejan Lovren.
There’s only so much blame you can throw his way before you have to turn your attention to Klopp and ask why he’s playing in a high line against Jamie Vardy.
We loaned out Mamadou Sakho and failed to bring in a replacement. Why?
Liverpool has played 11 games against the bottom seven teams in the league and they’ve conceded 19 goals. Leicester City, Swansea City and Bournemouth have all scored three or more against Klopp’s side this season. This was clearly an issue last season, it was an issue earlier on in the season and it’s an issue now.
Tactically Inept
Two whole weeks to prepare for this and we serve up that performance? It was easy for Leicester and their out ball every single time was the one to Vardy, over the top. You either cut off the supply line or play a deep line and look to counter the counter-attacking team. We did neither.
You either cut off the supply line or play a deep line and look to counter the counter-attacking team. We did neither.
We did neither.
Instead, we just played right into their hands and it genuinely looked like we’d done no preparation beforehand.
Of course, the sacking of Claudio Ranieri would have had an impact but that’s expected. Did the Foxes pull any rabbits out of the hat tonight? Did they not perform how 99% of the public expected them to? Yet, somehow, Liverpool was caught off guard by their intensity and their system.
Baffling.
whoever thinks liverpool can compete for top four is having serious mental illness.
1. average goalie (note that mignolet saved us from heavy defeat last night)
2. “the very basic” clyne who cant even complete a single cross (wasteful sh*t deliveries)
3. millie..what can i say hes not a left back, make our gameplay slower, predictable (run down left and stop then float cross / simple pass / back pass) + wasteful sh*t deliveries
4. lucas in CB? (dont blame him even carra said this “imagine playing me as a winger!”)
5. drinkwater > all liverpool midfilders (even trio of messi, suarez & neymar would suffer with this crop of midfield & any world class back four would be easily exposed too). wijnaldum never an upgrade to allen & i agree with writers previous post of “emre can’t & hendo won’t”. really need player like dahoud. or verrati (in my dreams). i wish gerrard still playing.