“Liverpool can’t cope” | Carra, Keane & Redknapp debate why Liverpool are struggling right now

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Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane and Jamie Redknapp debate Liverpool’s problems after the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United makes it four defeats in a row.

#liverpool #manchesterunited #premierleague

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to sum up on a slot saying that he would have been happy if he knew how many chances Liverpool would create in the match and actually Cody Gakpo had a higher xG than Manchester United as a team in that game hit the post three times but that they have to finish them better but also that defensively of the chances they did give up they conceded a couple of goals including one from a set piece or that from a corner that led to the led to the goal and then he said we just can’t afford to be to be doing that. Yeah, I think it was a really good interview that because when when you lose a game of this magnitude, people get emotional, you know, even pundits, you know, supporters and it probably is a good time for the managers to be measured four defeats in a row. He’s explained the game really well. If Liverpool put the majority of the chances where he probably win the game, but but the way the Premier League is style-wise this season for for everybody, set pieces a big part of the game. Long everybody’s taking long throws this season, you know, set pieces globe. We look at Arsenal, the success they’ve had as well and Liverpool just can’t seem to cope at the moment. So we keep talking about new signings and integrating them in terms of actually with the football Liverpool are playing but the new signs that Liverpool have brought in has it affected them set piece wise as well you know the fullbacks are quite small you know there’s no sort of great you know physical presence in there even if you play aver midfield and Mallister as well as well you’ve got to think set piece wise as well is the team big enough and maybe this is hurting Liverpool now not just in terms of actually you know playing the football and getting players on the ball but it looks looks like they’re not coping at all well with set pieces. They can see last minute at uh at Crystal Palace from a long throw as well. Another corner at Crystal Palace as well. So, uh so yeah, they’re struggling I think with the style of the whole Premier League right now. You you mentioned the fact that it’s a time for honor slot to be to be measured after four defeats in a row. But if you look at performances across the the whole season, you were saying in the in the first game of the season against Bournemouth that there were worrying signs defensively for Liverpool from from open play. Have they gone any way to fixing those? Do they still look as vulnerable in open play as as you thought they were on that that first day? Oh yeah. Yeah, it hasn’t changed. And I think a few weeks ago I looked about Liverpool maybe going back to having Sosli in the midfield and maybe V coming out the team because he’s more of an offensive uh number 10 than Sosai, but Sosai has played in that position in the last two games, you know, where Chelsea here against Manchester United today. Liverpool are still conceding goals and and conceding big chances. You know, you think of the chance Fernandez had in that first half as well. Manchester United should be 2-0 up in that situation. So there’s, as we said before the game, I don’t think it’s one glaring problem. There’s lots of things, new signings, not up to speed, but some of Liverpool’s great players last season and nowhere playing nowhere near the level that they are and you know just making sort of errors and you talk about Canate, he was brilliant today. Thought Kenate had a really he had a great game, but then Van Djk’s nowhere near himself. I mean, he has a really poor game as well. So it just it it’s not quite happening for Liverpool right now. And I think I’ve just mentioned on the podcast actually I think of match where’s that available to download all your usual podcast places. Exactly. Uh but I I think when the champions or or a team if you think of last season on such a long run undefeated from the Nottingham Forest game I think maybe to the Fulham game late in the season almost feel invincible and then this season as soon as someone beats them this run goes on of four games. I remember Manchester City last season had that run where you couldn’t believe this was Manchester City. You feel a little bit like that with Liverpool. And I go back to a game I played in here 25 years ago or something where the invincible team at Arsenal the following season once they lost one game. Everyone thought, “Oh, maybe you can beat them.” And they actually went on a run of sort of losing four or five games. So, it’s just one of those things that the rut that they’re in right now. And they just as the manager just said, you know, they’ve got to get out of it quick, but it’s probably we’re not going to see the best of Liverpool, I would say, till the second half of the season. That’s why I think a draw today. I know we praised them for gambling and winning, getting late goals. But on the back of three defeats, you’re home to United and it’s 1-1. Don’t shy away from taking a point as well. I think just to stop the rot. I know three games for Liverpool is a lot, but there’s a bit of arrogance in that, which is nothing wrong with that. when you’re champions, you think there’s a bit of a swagger, but also smell the game and go this there’s danger here. That’s why there’s there’s not no taking a point either. Not the end of the world. Uh Jamie, just picking up on on what Roy was saying about Liverpool coming back this season. He was saying earlier about, you know, coming back as as champions and finding it harder. They’ve always been title challenges. They’ve always had teams coming in here maybe sitting back against them. But to Jaime’s point, do you think that they they can sense blood a bit more this season? They feel that it’s possible to get something. Yeah. And I think a lot of clubs, a lot of teams will look at what Manchester United did today. They never once played out from the back from a goal kick. You see lesser, much lesser teams who aren’t comfortable on the ball trying to do that, inviting pressure, losing a goal. I think they had a really good game plan, I think, and they showed that against Liverpool today. Um, in terms of, you know, trying to maybe, you know, a point isn’t the worst result in the world. It wouldn’t have been. If you look at what Arsenal did when they got that point against Manchester City, we were talking about it after they were celebrating how happy they were. But then they go on a great run after that. they got a Newcastle and win and we all go yeah actually at the time it didn’t feel like a good point but how good does it feel now so Liverpool have just got to find some rhythm again and everyone’s going to be asking questions about his decisions the players that are coming that’s inevitable the next week or so people are talking about you know how’s he going to fit Vertx in the team how’s he going to fit Isak Eat into the team what does he do about the right back situation how’s the left back looking there’s going to be lots of question marks but you just got to be a little bit patient he’s very measured the manager he doesn’t get too involved doesn’t get too high when they do well doesn’t get too low when they don’t and I think it might need a bit of that for now because it’s going to be a little bit of a struggle. It’s going to be a difficult time because they’ve got they got some tough games woring up. We were writing it down earlier on. I got Brenford away, Villa at home and then the Manchester City away. So they’re not they’re games that you’re looking at thinking they’re not going to be easy. They’re going to be challenged next week. Champions League games, Carabal Cup game against Crystal Palace in amongst all we talk about set pieces. Jamie’s mentioned how difficult they are now. How big they got the ultimate test next week at Brenford away. So they’re the challenges that they’ve got to have. So they’ve got to make sure they deal with it. with all the players they brought in. I’m just trying to imagine how the manager and the staff at the training ground they’re looking at you again you they have a lot of options really and sometimes that can be a problem also when you’ve got brilliant options on the bench you see him chopping and changing and he is offensive and I give it a thumbs up for gambling but again there’s certain games and you have it the old saying in football if you can’t win it don’t lose it they got to get back to that mindset of not giving up daff goals like they have done that’s the point he made at the end when you when you won how when you sort of won the title you obviously lucky you won it loads of times did you then the second when you have to do it again. Is it like you’ve got is it hard to get yourself going? No, there’s there’s a there’s obviously different challenge and obviously people look at you, but then you’ve obviously got a bit of a confidence about you that we’ve done it and we can hopefully do it again and you’ve got that kind of that winning culture and that vibe going on and again people would have the people always talk about the team I was involved in going you always felt you’d go to the very end and you always felt if anyone was going to win it was United and they’d be gambling but there was plenty of games where we’d be trying to win a game but also we’d be looking going everyone thinks we’re going to go for it here but we we’ll take a draw. There’s certain games like I think you always have to smell it in the air. I think Liverpool should have smelled that today. And I know it’s hard when you’re at home and the fans are pushing you. It’s on the television. Everyone’s building the game up. But when it’s 1-1 and you’ve lost three in a row, there’s nothing wrong with just bringing it back to base going, listen what lads, we’d love to win it. We’ve got enough attacking players on the pitch, but defensively you’ve got experienced two center halves going, “Yeah, listen. We’ve got one or two players who can try and win it, but make sure we don’t lose it. Take points.” hangover though from those seasons where City were pushing for 100 points where Liverpool ran them close on 90 odd points in more than one. Well yeah they were obviously had good rhythm last year particularly but when when it felt that a draw was drop points when it was you almost had to have a a perfect obviously to to win titles it is about winning football matches but I’m just on about if there’s five or 10 minutes ago and you’re up against teams like United today especially they’re attacking players you just Kelly you smell it you just feel in the air going I know everyone wants to I was a midfielder we’d have lads going forward but I’d still be going yeah Gigi Beck you go for it but don’t worry I’m sitting back in I’m going to sit in front of my two center halves and we’re still going to make sure we defend crosses or whatever. cuz unless you do that, unless you do them basics, right, you’re not going to win football matches. So, I just felt today Liverpool, it was a time frame to go with five or 10 minutes to go. We talk about that throwing and even that was a symbol of like what are you doing? Just throw it down the line and we get up the pitch maybe a bit of arrogance and a bit of you can be too confident and United are looking going I tell you because what happens when you’re thinking that United will be sniffing it and going I think there’s a chance here that we can win this game and United haven’t won here for 10 years. You’re giving them belief. You have to take that belief away from them. And again, go in that dress room afterwards and be annoyed with a draw. Go in and go, “Lad, we need to do better.” But it’s a draw. It’s something instead of going and going, “Hey, we can’t be giving up goals like that.” We said about their body language when it comes back in from Bruno players. Four or five more kind of looking to run up the pitch if they’re playing a home to a championship team. Southampton came out two or three weeks ago and they got a few few chances. They had a little bit of joy. I know they won the game, but it’s still Man United there and they still have very good attacking players and all of a sudden you go it’s going out to Bruno and and you’re running up but Bruno puts it in McGuire’s on the back post just like some of the Palace players were on the back post just like Chelsea were on the back post when they’re breaking going we we’ll sniff a chance here. That’s know what you just said there. You probably looked at it a few times you know they go and the you know the the team defending the corner but I I go back to my worry about Liverpool at the start of the season. It’s not so much all the attack and plays, but if the mindset of every unit is always we’re going to be attacking, we’ve got this attack and play, we’re going to be on the ball. People are always thinking about what happens when they’re on the ball. And almost the defending bit becomes a bit like do I have to do I have to do that? Do I have to track him back? Do I have to go and win a big header? I want to get on the ball. I want to play. I want to get We got midfield players who all want to get on the ball. So, I actually think sometimes Liverpool now there’s almost that a mindset of not actually doing the dirty work. And you’re talking about today, you know, getting that point. That was definitely more the case in the two-way games at Chelsea, Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace batted Liverpool. They got a goal late on Liverpool. That’s like get out of there with your point. It’s a tough place to go. Could have been 3-0 down at half time. Great point. A great point. So away Chelsea got beat there last season. You got back to 1-1. You don’t get beat that. That’s the thing that that frustrates me in terms of the experience on the pitch and the players they have on the pitch. You’ve won not just last season, but won numerous trophies over his last play and defending. teams that win titles is going the foundations obviously you need a top goalkeeper be rock solid at the back we look what Arsenal doing now but Liverpool looking as do we need to do that bit because we’ve got so many options we got brilliant attack players they’re always a goal thread again this could have scored four or five today but they’re getting caught out a little bit almost become a bit more humble and don’t forget what you got that success that was been maybe rock solid at the back you’re going to give up one or two chances but I think teams now are playing Liverpool I know it’s four games they’re going mate I I think they’re think we’re is exactly the word that the problem is though Kelly when you actually look at the team they ended up with they end up with three defensive minded players Kirz Kenate and Virgil van Djk everyone else on that pitch is always thinking a little bit like what Gakpo’s thinking when that corner comes in if we get the ball we might score when Roy mentions about like you know when he was there and he’d be a defensive midfield player okay you go I’ll sit here that’s not in Jones he’s not inclined to do that vert is not inclined to do that you end up with everybody else all the four players ech TK obviously Isak was off the pitch at the time. Fing pong’s not that player. Everyone’s trying to win the game. There was not one player that’s really going okay if we lose it in that midfield. What happens next? And that’s where they got great example if you look at Arsenal last night. Arsenal for all how brilliant they are and when you when you get to the top of the the top of the league and you’re thinking your confidence guy. You look at Arsenal when they lose the ball. Forget about what they’re doing in possession. They’ve got really good players and they’re brilliant at set pieces. It’s what they’re doing without the ball. They’re hunting in packs and they’re like tactics are to win. They’re just going to close people down. They’re not they’re not getting bogged down by anything else. So look at Ars Ars success at the moment. Still a lot to do from know long way to go. The bit of joy is coming from actually hunting the ball down, chasing it. Pride, hunger. Have Liverpool lost that a little bit? I think I have.