- Respected journalist suggests front-six have as much responsibility for nightmare 2nd half as backline
- Liverpool lost a three goal lead in Sevilla, with Alberto Moreno making two mistakes
- Reds though can still qualify top with a win
- SEE MORE: Didi Hamann leaves boot in on Alberto Moreno; claims ‘improvement’ a myth
There’ll be a lot of soul searching from Liverpool fans, players and the pundits associated with the team this week alike.
Letting a three goal lead slip is an unforgivable feat in football, and although we took home a share of the points, the reaction would have been much kinder had we lost 1-0.
The majority of the blame has been directed at Alberto Moreno, whose brainless 15 minutes saw Sevilla score two goals early in the second-half.
He was hauled off by Jurgen Klopp, who had little choice but to put the left-back out of his misery.
But respected Liverpool correspondent has suggested that the heinous passing performance of our much lauded front-six piled pressure on the leaky backline.
“Perversely, Liverpool committed more fouls in the first half (ten) en route to a 3-0 advantage than in the second (nine),” Joyce writes in the Times. “Consider that for a minute. And this: Ever Banega completed almost as many passes (114) as Liverpool’s front six starters (Georginio Wijnaldum, Henderson, Coutinho, Salah, Firmino, Mané) combined (117).”
It’s an interesting point, which the stats back up. Individually, bar Moreno, Liverpool’s defenders did quite well in the second-half…
Dejan Lovren was strong and Joe Gomez mature, while Ragnar Klavan’s only criticism can be not heading far enough out for the equaliser.
Jordan Henderson, Wijnaldum and co. did not do enough to instigate a feeling of calmness, which Liverpool should have enjoyed with a 3-0 lead.
This is when good, experienced teams keep the ball, buy fouls, waste time, and effectively kill the game.
Having said that, we would still have won even with the horrible passing had Moreno not quite literally gifted two goals, so it can be analysed both ways.
Let’s just hope the second-half performance is an anomaly and we bounce back at the weekend.