Sunday 23 April 2017
It’s hard to know what to say after a defeat like this simply because we’ve been there before on so many occasions this season. Jurgen Klopp has many qualities as a manager, but it appears learning lessons is not one of them.
It’s hard to know what to say after a defeat like this simply because we’ve been there before on so many occasions this season. Jurgen Klopp has many qualities as a manager, but it appears learning lessons is not one of them.
There was no
magic wand from Sam Allardyce; Crystal Palace did exactly what it said on the
tin. Once again, a team comes to Anfield
with the clear aim of stifling Liverpool’s front three and do so with relative
ease. We barely created a clear cut chance
of note (just one on target) in spite of enjoying a wealth of possession, yet
Palace from the moment Benteke scored their second comfortably held on to the
lead.
It was
another match where Klopp was made to look one dimensional. The Premier League is different in its makeup
from League’s around Europe because teams outside of the top six often offer a
physical presence to combat pure footballing ability and this is where Klopp
falls down.
Allardyce’s
comments said it all, "Liverpool were only as good as we allowed them to
be.
They had a
lot of possession as did Chelsea and Arsenal. We did more with our possession
than Liverpool and that is why we won.
"We
finished our analysis with how many goals Liverpool have conceded from corners.
We showed that it might not be the first ball in but the second or third if we
make runs in the right areas.”
In short, he
did his homework and Klopp was outmanoeuvred.
The lack of
width makes it easy for teams to contain us with a well organised defence,
where we struggle to get in behind and without the electric thrusts of Sadio
Mane we looked a fairly average team devoid of ideas. Coutinho for a time
looked to be Liverpool’s saviour prompting and probing and it was Palace’s special
attention for him which provided the opportunity to bend a stunning free-kick
in past Hennessey. It was exquisite and
a reminder of just what Liverpool may lose should Champions League
qualification not be forthcoming.
There are
many holes in this Liverpool squad and if proof were needed the bench was
littered with inexperience and Klopp must now take a great deal of blame for
the lack of quality in depth. That a
club of Liverpool’s stature with an outside of chance of becoming Champions has
a bench with the likes of Gomez,
Brewster, Woodburn and Alexander-Arnold says a lot about the club’s ineptitude in
the transfer market.
These are
some of the finest young talents in the country, but they are patently not
ready to bear the burden of Premier League run in. With Liverpool struggling after Benteke’s
second, Liverpool required a different mode of attack and Klopp failed
ignominiously to fathom out the web weaved by Allardyce.
Unfairly
Brewster and Woodburn appear to have been bench warmers and in the case of
Woodburn having been thought enough of by his manager to start against Stoke, he
did not warrant a thought when Liverpool were in dire need of a goal. Daniel Sturridge, who may well have started
had he not succumbed to a hip injury yet again, left Liverpool bereft of proven
quality and it will no surprise if sadly he has kicked his last ball for the
club.
Wijnaldum
impressive during the run of recent good results was strangely subdued,
Liverpool missed his ability get into the last third to support Origi as did
the striker who often lacked support.
The crux of
the matter is that Liverpool were in capable of coping with the threat posed by
a player who until recently plied his tried at the club. Funnily enough, Klopp seemed unable to utilise
Benteke’s strength, here he had no idea how to stop him. Lovren was embarrassed
during the first goal, diving in as he often does and left floundering by
Cabaye who delivered a stunning ball across the box for Benteke to dispatch with
Matip nowhere on the cover.
Matip is on
shaky ground, yes he cuts an imposing figure and is good in the air and on the
ball, but he does not provide the leadership the club so badly need and with
Sakho being allowed to sit on the Crystal Palace bench for some unknown reason,
the lack of a defensive rock was shown up in stark focus. In times past, a player of the ilk of Benteke
would have been marked by a player of similar strength and ability in the air
and to say that didn’t happen against Palace was an understatement.
This is a
Liverpool team which is struggling not only with its performances on the pitch,
but with the expectation of possibly propelling itself back in the big time. Any team would struggle without Sturridge,
Lallana, Henderson and Mane, but Klopp is one dimensional in his outlook in not
playing to the attributes of his main striker, but still focusing on the
pressing game which is based on the talents of some of his long-term injured.
With its
history of great wingers at the club, the fact there is not a winger of any
substance available should be an embarrassment to all those concerned. That
Lucas is the focal point of the midfield and Lovren is persistently exposed is
something that will need to be remedied in preseason. From coming into the game in charge of our
own destiny, should results go against us we will need luck to stay in the top
four. It was performance lacking intensity
and cutting edge.
How many
times has it been said in the last few years, Liverpool need a reaction in the
next game and with their physical presence Watford will undoubtedly want to put
us under pressure, the question is can Jurgen Klopp set Liverpool up to combat the
threat and will his defence cope against the guaranteed onslaught they are sure
to receive?
Team:
Liverpool:
22 Mignolet,
2 Clyne (Grujic – 84 mins), 32 Matip, 6 Lovren (Alexander-Arnold – 79 mins), 7
Milner (Moreno – 82 mins), 23 Can, 21 Lucas, 5 Wijnaldum, 11 Firmino. 27 Origi,
10 Coutinho
Subs: 1 Karius, 12 Gomez, 16 Grujic,
18 Moreno, 57 Brewster, 58 Woodburn, 66 Alexander-Arnold
Crystal Palace:
13
Hennessey, 2 Ward, 34 Kelly, 5 Tomkins, 31 Schlupp, 28 Milivojevic, 11 Zaha
(van Aanholt – 78 mins), Cabaye (Delaney – 83 mins), 42 Puncheon, 10 Townsend,
17 Benteke (Campbell – 88 mins)
Subs: 1 Speroni, 3 van Aanolt, 4
Flamini, 9 Campbell, 18 McArthur, 26 Sako, 27 Delaney
Referee:
Andrew Marriner
Attendance: 53,086
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