Steven Gerrard called out two Liverpool players over their role in Wolves’ opening goal in the Reds’ 2-1 defeat at Molineux on Tuesday night.
After a dismally unwatchable first 70 minutes, the subsequent 20 were packed with incident, and the home side scored from their very shot with less than a quarter-hour of normal time remaining.
Virgil van Dijk was outmuscled by Tolu Arokodare, with the Dutchman’s pleas for a foul falling on deaf ears, and the latter then fed Rodrigo Gomes, who managed to get a shot away and score past Alisson Becker despite the close attention of Ibrahima Konate.
Gerrard calls out Van Dijk and Konate over Wolves opener
Speaking on TNT Sports after the game, Gerrard felt that the Liverpool captain was too weak in losing the initial duel, while also laying blame on his centre-back partner for not putting in a strong enough challenge on the eventual goalscorer.
The 45-year-old said: “I don’t think it’s a foul. He [Van Dijk] has got to be a lot stronger in that situation. I also think that Konate could’ve bailed him out of trouble. He’s gone with the wrong leg trying to put in a tackle. He’s gotta use his long levers and try to wrap his right foot and his right leg around the ball and take ball and man.
“He could’ve bailed out Van Dijk but you’re clutching at straws asking for a foul there. You’re up against big, strong sub who’s come off the bench. He’s the focal point; you know he’s gonna try and dominate you from a physical point of view. You’ve gotta be ready for that. You’ve gotta stand up and be stronger, so I think he’ll be slightly disappointed in himself when he watches that back.”
Preventable errors cost Liverpool dearly yet again
Gerrard’s criticism of the Liverpool duo is legitimate. Van Dijk at his best simply doesn’t get beaten so easily in a duel, even against opponents as burly as Arokodare, while Konate’s positioning allowed Gomes far too much space to surge forward and gave the Frenchman too much to do in terms of recovery.
There was a high level of risk attached to making a last-ditch challenge, as a red card would’ve been inevitable had he gotten it wrong, but with a better starting position he may well have been able to dispossess the goalscorer cleanly before it ever got into the penalty area.
It’s individual errors such as those, and the careless distribution which led to the ‘mess’ of a winning goal from Andre Trindade (as James Pearce put it), that cost the Reds dearly last night and could also come back to haunt them in the race for Champions League football.
The sloppy concession of costly late goals has been a theme of Liverpool’s season, and unless they address that Achilles heel in their remaining Premier League fixtures, a top-five finish will most likely elude them.
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Here is my appraisal of the starting line up of Liverpool against Wolves…
Alisson…Still performing at a high standard, behind an ever more shaky defense of late. Tick
Kerkez…Has been better in last three games, but still unsure and unsteady in defense. ?
VVD… Still solid but makes one or two errors per game lately, sometimes at crucial stages in defense. Tick
Konate…better last few games but like VVD, prone to make an error at a crucial stage in defense. Is he going or staying??? Tick
Frimpong…not big or strong enough to be a full back.This is why Slot needs to be sacked. He should have played Frimpong on left wing and dropped Mo to the bench. Stupid of Slot! Jones or Gomez should have played left full back!!!! ?
Gravenberch…Not played well last three or four games/maybe longer. This is where LFC recruiting comes home to roost/there is no replacement on the bench to cover or replace him/why???
Mac Allister…Also not played strongly enough lately/same comments as above/LFC are stuffed in the middle/Jones is not up to it in there/so tell me who else is there????? Ditto above.
Szoboszlai…The only player performing week in week out to LFC standard as well as Allison. Tick
But here is the question how ling can he keep on covering for Gravy and Mac before he too runs out of gas, and will he watching LFC current debacles and decide to leave????
Gapko….Absolutely terrible form most of the season. Should have been benched long ago/Another Slot selection mistake/for the last four games Rio Ngumoha shoud have had his place long ago.?
Ekitike… Another player performing at optimal best. But not getting the service from midfield without Wirtz in team has to go and chase the ball/thus wasted. Tick
Salah….. Hopelessly out of form/should have been dropped to bench a long time ago/Another Slot error. Frimpong should have started in this position. ?
Bench: Ngumoha, Gomez, Jones, Chiesa.
Now Ngumoha should have started instead of Gapko (on bench). Gomez could have started at right fulback with Jones on bench as right back or vice versa. Chiesa did not play well last couple of games…so I would have had an academy player on the bench/another Slot grave error/he does not give chances to Academy players!
So Ticks = 4/11…? 7/11???? Now you know why LFC are stuffed this season. The form of both Gravenberch and Mac Allister has been inferior to last season…why I do not know/but the problem is Szoboszlai cannot continually be asked to cover up for two under performing midfielders…in the case of Gravenberch to me just looking at him in a game he seems uninterested and lethargic. Mac Allister seems also reticent to commit fully to a tackle. For some time now LFC have chosen not to strengthen their midfield and now the chickens have come home to roost! No replacement option!
Further Slot has as highlighted above has made four errors in the team fielded against Wolves – so time to say good bye! YNWA!