Let's not go overboard about Liverpool's 'crisis'
Forget the coronavirus threatening to end civilisation as we know it, Liverpool's last two games have seemingly caused the end of the world instead.
It was all going so swimmingly before the Reds turned up to Watford last weekend - it was a happier time when supporters weren't bickering, wins were inevitable and anything seemed possible.
Doesn't it feel like a lifetime ago now?
From nowhere, Liverpool's season has veered off the track, with Watford and Chelsea delivering rare defeats …
4231 The Antidote to Liverpool's Recent Woes
Liverpool's recent form -- if not totally reflected in results -- has taken a nosedive.
Losing 3 of their last 5 games across three competitions, the Reds have looked slow of both body and mind, despite having a 10 day respite from games thanks to the Premier League's winter break.
Victories over Norwich -- the game which preceded the break -- and West Ham United -- the first league game after their temporary hiatus -- came in spite of laboured …
Listless In London
After an extremely poor loss away to Watford that ended Liverpool’s chances to set several records in the league this season, Liverpool had a chance to turn the page with a quick turnaround trip to Chelsea in the FA Cup. A win at Stamford Bridge could start to set things right after they had gone terribly wrong since Liverpool returned from a brief winter break. Jurgen Klopp even showed some respect for the FA Cup – take that, haters – …
Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool: Player Ratings
Liverpool get knocked out in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup by Chelsea after a 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge. Another really poor and disappointing performance from the Reds as they fall to their third defeat in four games, in three different competitions.
Adrian - 5
You can’t make mistakes like the one he made for the Willian goal, but made a couple of very good stops as well.
Neco Williams - 5
Started brightly and delivered a couple …
Would Timo Werner be a Tactical Fit for Liverpool?
Timo Werner is having quite the season.
Well, that’s understating it profoundly. He’s actually made the Bundesliga his personal marksman range, scoring all sorts of goals – from volleys to tap-ins to his signature cut in and emphatic thwack.
It’s that last one, the stylistic replica of Arjen Robben’s masterful trademark (but from the other flank) that has been most tactically interesting this season. Werner is nominally a striker, but under Julien Nagelsmann, has become so much more than that.
…
Watford 3-0 Liverpool: Key stats as Reds fall to first defeat
Liverpool will win the Premier League this season. They might well do so with a records points tally. But they won't do it unbeaten.
In the first half at Vicarage Road, the Reds were dreadful. In the second, after Ismaila Sarr scored twice in six minutes, they were shellshocked.
It was a fully deserved victory for relegation-threatened Watford, who outfought and outthought their opponents. It might define their season, and while the same can't be said for Liverpool, this represents …
Watford 3-0 Liverpool: Who was the Disaster of the Match?
Our unbeaten run in the league is over. The Reds go down 3-0 away to Watford after, without question, one of the worst performances in years. Liverpool failed to create a single decent chance in the entire 90 minutes and thoroughly deserved to be soundly beaten by the relegation-threatened Hornets.
In the net, Alisson can’t really be blamed for any of the goals. A tap in for Sarr’s first, a smart dink for his second and just an absolute calamity …
Watford 3-0 Liverpool - Grim Player Ratings as Reds' Invincible Dream ends at Vicarage Road
The unbeaten run is over. 28 games into the season, Liverpool have lost a game. Watford beat the Reds 3-0 with a vibrant display of counter-attacking football that left Jurgen Klopp's side shellshocked. Ismaila Sarr scored twice and assisted another for Troy Deeney as an awful Liverpool performance got the result that it deserved.
Here's how each Liverpool player fared.
Spoiler Alert: This is not going to be pretty
Alisson Becker - 4/10
Was twitchy in the first half, when …
Lame and Lethargic Liverpool Limp To First League Loss
Liverpool fell to their first League defeat since January 3 2018 after they were drubbed 3-0 away to Watford.
A brace from Ismailia Sarr and a Troy Deeney strike condemned the at times hapless Reds to not only a defeat but also scuppered their chances of breaking an English league record with a 19th consecutive league victory.
With the wind buffeting around, build up play was rendered difficult for the reds, whose approach play was built on short passes.
But …
Why can't we find a middle ground with Keita?
Four wins away from Premier League glory, two points dropped all season and various records on the verge of being broken - Liverpool supporters couldn't possibly find anything to argue about, right?
Oh, we can.
There is something ingrained in football fans that means we can never be completely happy, always having to pick holes in something.
At Liverpool, the current 'issue' is Naby Keita, who has taken on the mantle from Jordan Henderson as the most divisive midfielder at …