Liverpool labelled ‘blunt and boring to watch’ by James Pearce following another miserable night

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“For the first time under Klopp, Liverpool are blunt and boring to watch,” James Pearce declared in his article for the Athletic this morning.

He’s not wrong, is he?

From the minute Chelsea took a deserved lead at Anfield, you knew it was game-over. In the past under Klopp, the Reds thrived when behind – they enjoyed the challenge of overcoming adversity – but the same players look mentally fried and dare we say it, lacking belief.

Klopp turned the fans from doubters into believers, but now he needs to do it with his players.

Not in the history of football has a team managed to score goals without taking shots – this is a fact.

In our past ten hours at Anfield, we’ve not scored a goal from open play, and this is not an accident. We are toothless in the final third and the front-three looks utterly disconnected.

Mane’s error when Salah sent him through on goal just about summed it up yesterday evening.

“Firmino and Mane were fortunate to stay on throughout. Firmino’s struggles have been well documented – that’s now just six goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool’s No 9 this season,” Pearce continued. 

“But the downturn in Mane’s output has gone under the radar. The Senegal international’s form has slumped alarmingly and he’s netted just once in his last 10 league matches. When Salah picked him out with a searching pass, he miskicked horribly and allowed the keeper to gather.

“The only real positive on Thursday night was the sight of Jota getting half an hour under his belt after three months out with a knee injury.

“Liverpool’s frontline is crying out for some freshness and dynamism. The service to them isn’t good enough but their movement has been sluggish and they keep on losing battles.”

On Sunday, we face Fulham – sadly – at Anfield…

We didn’t lose a Premier League game in 68 home fixtures, and now we’ve lost five on the trot, our worst record in the club’s 129 year history.

Talk about all or nothing!