Prior to Liverpool's 3-0 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers challenged his players to earn 'legendary status' by getting a 'result' against the European Champions. Well, as it turned out, that was wishful thinking in the extreme on Rodgers part; after a decent 15 minutes of pressing, Madrid totally dominated the game, and midfielder Luca Modric has offered a simple reason why Los Blancos barely broke a sweat on their way to an emphatic victory.
Reflecting on the game, €55m-rated Modric told The Independent:
"We have looked in great shape and we showed our top form in this iconic stadium [Anfield]. The first goal broke them. They lost enthusiasm. Then in the second half we were saving a little bit of energy for Saturday".
For me, this highlights the alarming lack of leadership on the field, which is a serious concern that goes to the heart of Liverpool's poor form this season. The team should not basically give-up after conceding one goal, and if that's the case, then there's obviously a major failure of fight, passion, and leadership on the field.
Rodgers is responsible for motivating the players, and clearly, he did a questionable job mentally preparing the team for Madrid. When it came to the crunch, LFC were sabotaged by the mental frailty of the players, and all the pre-game rhetoric about 'amazing' European nights and 'legendary status' ultimately counted for nothing.
The game started fairly well for the Reds, but for some inexplicable reason, Liverpool basically abandoned their pressing game after 15 minutes against Madrid, which allowed Ronaldo et al the space to turn up the heat, and create the chances that ultimately led to defeat.
What happened? Where was the on-field organisation?
In my view, Gerrard and Henderson need to take some blame here. As captain and vice-captain respectively, they - along with Rodgers - are responsible for leading by example, and ensuring that the players are motivated and giving their all on the pitch.
I saw precious little 'leadership' (vocal or otherwise) from either player, and when - as Modric suggests - heads go down, it's imperative that team's alleged leaders make the difference. That didn't happen against Madrid, and it's a problem that needs to be solved.
How, though? Looking through the team, there are no leaders. Lovren? He's already admitted that he's struggling with that expectation, and for now, he needs to focus on his performance above all else. Skrtel? He's not really the type. Toure is a leader, but he never plays.
Obviously, everyone looks to Gerrard, but he is (IMO) too caught up with LFC's problems, and that is affecting his self-belief, and ability to be a truly inspiring captain. Just look at his public comments this season - a general trend of negativity, including publicly criticising the team. He may be right, but if the players sense that Gerrard is worried/giving-up etc, then that attitude can infect the whole team.
Gerrard has a tendency to go down with the ship, though, and that's definitely a feature this season. He appears to be a little jaded, and that's a problem. If he's not capable of inspiring the players, then perhaps it's time for someone else to be given the opportunity to lead?
Ultimately, the minimum requirement of any LFC player is to fight for the shirt; that is not happening enough right now, and I don't see anyone at the club - either on or off the pitch - capable of changing that.
Author: Jaimie K
Reflecting on the game, €55m-rated Modric told The Independent:
"We have looked in great shape and we showed our top form in this iconic stadium [Anfield]. The first goal broke them. They lost enthusiasm. Then in the second half we were saving a little bit of energy for Saturday".
For me, this highlights the alarming lack of leadership on the field, which is a serious concern that goes to the heart of Liverpool's poor form this season. The team should not basically give-up after conceding one goal, and if that's the case, then there's obviously a major failure of fight, passion, and leadership on the field.
Rodgers is responsible for motivating the players, and clearly, he did a questionable job mentally preparing the team for Madrid. When it came to the crunch, LFC were sabotaged by the mental frailty of the players, and all the pre-game rhetoric about 'amazing' European nights and 'legendary status' ultimately counted for nothing.
The game started fairly well for the Reds, but for some inexplicable reason, Liverpool basically abandoned their pressing game after 15 minutes against Madrid, which allowed Ronaldo et al the space to turn up the heat, and create the chances that ultimately led to defeat.
What happened? Where was the on-field organisation?
In my view, Gerrard and Henderson need to take some blame here. As captain and vice-captain respectively, they - along with Rodgers - are responsible for leading by example, and ensuring that the players are motivated and giving their all on the pitch.
I saw precious little 'leadership' (vocal or otherwise) from either player, and when - as Modric suggests - heads go down, it's imperative that team's alleged leaders make the difference. That didn't happen against Madrid, and it's a problem that needs to be solved.
How, though? Looking through the team, there are no leaders. Lovren? He's already admitted that he's struggling with that expectation, and for now, he needs to focus on his performance above all else. Skrtel? He's not really the type. Toure is a leader, but he never plays.
Obviously, everyone looks to Gerrard, but he is (IMO) too caught up with LFC's problems, and that is affecting his self-belief, and ability to be a truly inspiring captain. Just look at his public comments this season - a general trend of negativity, including publicly criticising the team. He may be right, but if the players sense that Gerrard is worried/giving-up etc, then that attitude can infect the whole team.
Gerrard has a tendency to go down with the ship, though, and that's definitely a feature this season. He appears to be a little jaded, and that's a problem. If he's not capable of inspiring the players, then perhaps it's time for someone else to be given the opportunity to lead?
Ultimately, the minimum requirement of any LFC player is to fight for the shirt; that is not happening enough right now, and I don't see anyone at the club - either on or off the pitch - capable of changing that.
Author: Jaimie K
