On Saturday, Liverpool started with Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Thiago, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah.
That’s still seven world-class players on the field. Enough to have beaten Everton at home – and certainly enough to have avoided four defeats in a row at Anfield in the Premier League.
That’s what Oliver Kay of the Athletic thinks, anyway, and we’re probably inclined to agree with him.
Kay stated in a Twitter debate today that he reckons Liverpool have stopped doing everything that made us great over the last two seasons – and that although the injury crisis started our demise – it’s morphed into a new crisis of its own.
Honestly feel they ticked every box over previous 2 seasons. Control when they wanted, chaos when they wanted, great balance in all areas, physically relentless, great individual quality &, yes, great resilience/mentality. I'd say those qualities have faded one by one this season
— Oliver Kay (@OliverKay) February 24, 2021
Yes, obviously. Nobody is disputing that. Or at least I don't think they are. But the starting line-up on Saturday was not a weak one. So it's developed from being an injury crisis into something else
— Oliver Kay (@OliverKay) February 24, 2021
The injuries are undeniably the cause – although we’d add in the refereeing decisions early on in games against Everton and Brighton for example – also didn’t help with the team’s ability to keep on pushing.
We have no answer as to how Jurgen Klopp should get us out of the current demise. We’d like to mix the shape up, maybe, or certainly get Naby Keita and Fabinho into midfield – but the boss knows better than us and is likely going through hundreds of possibilities this week ahead of Sheffield United.