Last night, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers trivialised Liverpool's 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa as a 'bad day at the office', and whilst that may be partly true, Anfield legend Dietmar Hamann believes the the problems that led to yesterday's defeat go a lot deeper.
Analysing the game on LFC TV, Hamann slammed the complacency of some of Liverpool's players, and bemoaned the lack of quality in the team. He observed:
"It’s disappointing and frustrating, especially given the three results leading up to this game.
"People came to Anfield with high expectations, and maybe this was a problem leading up to the game. If we’d won today we’d be in a fantastic position, but now, it’s back to square one".
To be honest, it's probable that most fans underestimated Villa too; I certainly did, and prior to the game, I didn't for a second entertain the possibility that Paul Lambert's team would be 3-0 at Anfield until the final minutes of the game.
Hamann also hinted at a lack of trust between the players:
"It seemed that some players had a lack of belief in their team-mates, and obviously, it's a concern. There’s a lack of quality in the team, and we didn’t have any answers to Villa today, it’s as simple as that".
I wrote last night about what I perceive to be a fundamental lack of real leadership at Anfield, and that is evident on the field too. Where were the on-field leaders against Villa? Specifically, where was Steven Gerrard's leadership? The captain seems to have regressed back to wandering around the pitch looking miserable, and that probably transmits itself to the rest of the players.
Constant individual mistakes leading to opposition goals marred Liverpool's start to the season, but that issue seemed to have been addressed over the last couple of months. Well, against Villa, it was back with a vengeance, with all three goals arguably the result of avoidable mistakes.
* Goal 1: Suarez lost possession in midfield. Defence backed off and allowed Benteke to get a shot off; Reina failed to get down fast enough despite having lots of time to see the move progressing.
* Goal 2: Agger and Allen both failed to track the run of Weimann, who ghosted into the box unmarked and smashed the ball home.
* Goal 3: Hospital pass from Allen to Cole, who was immediately dispossessed. Defence backed off again, with Skrtel in particular giving a masterclass in how *not* to defend.
Other issues:
* Who is the better left-back: Glen Johnson or Stewart Downing? Why not just play aces in their places? Andre Wisdom is fit, and he's played superbly well this season. Why not just start with Wisdom on the right and Johnson on the left? Liverpool are unbeaten in the league this season with that set-up.
* Another poor game from Gerrard. He could benefit with a spell on the bench, but that will never happen a Rodgers does not have the balls to drop star names. He's too busy trying to get on their good sides with constant servile praise to actually do what needs to be done.
* Luis Suarez has not scored/assisted for 6 games in a row now. That's 480 minutes without a goal. That is a problem. Yes, he's scored a few goals this season, but the club's main striker cannot go 6 games without any kind of creative contribution. The need for another striker has never been more acute.
* As I've argued many times in the past, Martin Skrtel ultimately needs to be replaced in central defence. He is a good, solid defender, but he is too often prone to lapses of concentration, and we saw that again vs.Villa. What on earth was he doing for the third goal? Where was he for Weimann's goal, which came right at the heart of LFC's defence?
* Assaidi not in the squad *again*? What is going on?! If the Algerian is not good enough for Liverpool then why the hell did Rodgers sign him in the first place? The squad is paper thin as it is yet the manager refuses to use one of his own players as a attacking option, and instead puts four defensive-minded players on the bench.
* On Friday, Rodgers admitted that he was unsure whether Lucas would be fit enough for the Villa game. He started him anyway, and it was a gamble that failed. If there was a doubt, why not just start Henderson to be safe? The Brazilian was off the pace, and it showed with the huge gaps left in midfield.
It's not panic-stations yet though. Yes, the defeat is disappointing but football teams lose games! That's just the way it is. Liverpool have lost 5 games so far this season, but Spurs have lost six, and they're one point off the top four right now. Chelsea and Man Utd have lost three games apiece; Arsenal have lost four games.
The manner of Liverpool's defeat is more disappointing that the result itself, and even though the club lost the chance to consolidate its position in the top four, there are still 22 league games left to play, and the wild inconsistency of all the top four challengers so far this season means that there are plenty more twists and turns to come yet.
With five months of the season to go, the Reds were always going to lose more games; does it matter if the loss came yesterday, or one month from now? A defeat is a defeat, no matter where it falls in the season.
When all is said and done, Liverpool are still only five points off fourth place. That may seem like grasping at straws, but it doesn't matter how the club gets there as long as it somehow gets there in the end (!)
Liverpool now face Fulham, Stoke, QPR and Sunderland over the next two weeks. There are no easy games in the Premier League, and these four matches will undoubtedly be tough tests, but on January 2nd, we'll have a much better idea of where the club is heading this season.
Perhaps the Villa defeat is the wake-up called Liverpool needed? If the club can get 10-12 points out of the next four games - which is certainly achievable - then yesterday's defeat will be quickly forgotten.
Jaimie Kanwar
Analysing the game on LFC TV, Hamann slammed the complacency of some of Liverpool's players, and bemoaned the lack of quality in the team. He observed:
"It’s disappointing and frustrating, especially given the three results leading up to this game.
"People came to Anfield with high expectations, and maybe this was a problem leading up to the game. If we’d won today we’d be in a fantastic position, but now, it’s back to square one".
To be honest, it's probable that most fans underestimated Villa too; I certainly did, and prior to the game, I didn't for a second entertain the possibility that Paul Lambert's team would be 3-0 at Anfield until the final minutes of the game.
Hamann also hinted at a lack of trust between the players:
"It seemed that some players had a lack of belief in their team-mates, and obviously, it's a concern. There’s a lack of quality in the team, and we didn’t have any answers to Villa today, it’s as simple as that".
I wrote last night about what I perceive to be a fundamental lack of real leadership at Anfield, and that is evident on the field too. Where were the on-field leaders against Villa? Specifically, where was Steven Gerrard's leadership? The captain seems to have regressed back to wandering around the pitch looking miserable, and that probably transmits itself to the rest of the players.
Constant individual mistakes leading to opposition goals marred Liverpool's start to the season, but that issue seemed to have been addressed over the last couple of months. Well, against Villa, it was back with a vengeance, with all three goals arguably the result of avoidable mistakes.
* Goal 1: Suarez lost possession in midfield. Defence backed off and allowed Benteke to get a shot off; Reina failed to get down fast enough despite having lots of time to see the move progressing.
* Goal 2: Agger and Allen both failed to track the run of Weimann, who ghosted into the box unmarked and smashed the ball home.
* Goal 3: Hospital pass from Allen to Cole, who was immediately dispossessed. Defence backed off again, with Skrtel in particular giving a masterclass in how *not* to defend.
Other issues:
* Who is the better left-back: Glen Johnson or Stewart Downing? Why not just play aces in their places? Andre Wisdom is fit, and he's played superbly well this season. Why not just start with Wisdom on the right and Johnson on the left? Liverpool are unbeaten in the league this season with that set-up.
* Another poor game from Gerrard. He could benefit with a spell on the bench, but that will never happen a Rodgers does not have the balls to drop star names. He's too busy trying to get on their good sides with constant servile praise to actually do what needs to be done.
* Luis Suarez has not scored/assisted for 6 games in a row now. That's 480 minutes without a goal. That is a problem. Yes, he's scored a few goals this season, but the club's main striker cannot go 6 games without any kind of creative contribution. The need for another striker has never been more acute.
* As I've argued many times in the past, Martin Skrtel ultimately needs to be replaced in central defence. He is a good, solid defender, but he is too often prone to lapses of concentration, and we saw that again vs.Villa. What on earth was he doing for the third goal? Where was he for Weimann's goal, which came right at the heart of LFC's defence?
* Assaidi not in the squad *again*? What is going on?! If the Algerian is not good enough for Liverpool then why the hell did Rodgers sign him in the first place? The squad is paper thin as it is yet the manager refuses to use one of his own players as a attacking option, and instead puts four defensive-minded players on the bench.
* On Friday, Rodgers admitted that he was unsure whether Lucas would be fit enough for the Villa game. He started him anyway, and it was a gamble that failed. If there was a doubt, why not just start Henderson to be safe? The Brazilian was off the pace, and it showed with the huge gaps left in midfield.
It's not panic-stations yet though. Yes, the defeat is disappointing but football teams lose games! That's just the way it is. Liverpool have lost 5 games so far this season, but Spurs have lost six, and they're one point off the top four right now. Chelsea and Man Utd have lost three games apiece; Arsenal have lost four games.
The manner of Liverpool's defeat is more disappointing that the result itself, and even though the club lost the chance to consolidate its position in the top four, there are still 22 league games left to play, and the wild inconsistency of all the top four challengers so far this season means that there are plenty more twists and turns to come yet.
With five months of the season to go, the Reds were always going to lose more games; does it matter if the loss came yesterday, or one month from now? A defeat is a defeat, no matter where it falls in the season.
When all is said and done, Liverpool are still only five points off fourth place. That may seem like grasping at straws, but it doesn't matter how the club gets there as long as it somehow gets there in the end (!)
Liverpool now face Fulham, Stoke, QPR and Sunderland over the next two weeks. There are no easy games in the Premier League, and these four matches will undoubtedly be tough tests, but on January 2nd, we'll have a much better idea of where the club is heading this season.
Perhaps the Villa defeat is the wake-up called Liverpool needed? If the club can get 10-12 points out of the next four games - which is certainly achievable - then yesterday's defeat will be quickly forgotten.
Jaimie Kanwar
