We thought Liverpool may have turned a corner in recent weeks, following convincing victories over Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
But a 1-0 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion last night brought feelings back up from our rough patch, which supposedly ended after Burnley ended our unbeaten league run at Anfield.
It’s hard to pinpoint why Liverpool aren’t firing on all cylinders in recent months, but a graphic doing the rounds on social media night may offer an answer.
As you can see in the image below, the Reds’ ‘average formation‘ against Brighton was all over the place, with the midfield on top of each other.
https://twitter.com/Chris78Williams/status/1357093945596067841?s=03
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Some of this can be attributed to Liverpool making up for an unorthodox defence, with captain Jordan Henderson plucked from his typical midfield position.
But there isn’t really much of an excuse for Xherdan Shaqiri, Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino to be so out of position.
Perhaps that’s a little harsh on the latter-most, but just looking at the above graphic offers an answer as to why Liverpool are struggling to create chances and finish them off – only Mohamed Salah is a threat.
TL;DR: Sadio Mane’s return can’t come soon enough.