Liverpool lost their second consecutive Premier League game last night at Anfield against Leeds United and there is no doubt that Jurgen Klopp will be deeply concerned with the performances that his team has been putting in over the season so far.
The Reds lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest last week and have now shipped defeat to Jesse Marsch’s side which has left them ninth in the league table, eight points adrift from Newcastle United in fourth.
Despite having 69% possession, more shots on goal (22 v 14), more big chances created (3 v 2) and completing more than twice as many accurate passes (554 v 192), Liverpool were still unable to dominate whilst in possession of the ball.
One of the biggest concerns of the night which translated into the performance and the result was the fact that Leeds outran Liverpool by 11 kilometres over the 90 minutes, further proving that the tired and uninspiring efforts of the players in red are plaguing their chances of picking up positive results.
In the first half, the story of the Merseysiders’ season quickly unfolded when they conceded first from a fourth-minute strike by Rodrigo after Joe Gomez failed to recover the ball and laid it on the plate for the Leeds man with a stray backpass, but was quickly returned with an equaliser just 10 minutes later when Mohammed Salah found the net.
In the second half, the lazy work ethic of Liverpool continued as they struggled against Illan Meslier to find a winning goal, which inevitably cost them dearly when Crysencio Summerville stole the points with an 89th-minute killer goal to make it 2-1.
Indeed, while Gomez’s early mistake in defence will be a huge talking point in Liverpool’s failure last night, there was one player who let Klopp down even more elsewhere.
Harvey Elliott put in an anonymous appearance at Anfield last night after his manager put his trust in the youngster to deliver his usual creative spark and hard-working attitude against Leeds.
The 19-year-old playmaker – who journalist Phil Casey claimed had a “shocker” – lost the ball every 2.8 touches, failed to complete 100% of his crosses and lost 80% of his duels, while also being dribbled past once and failing to attempt a single dribble before he was hooked by Klopp in the 60th minute.
There is no doubt that the Liverpool manager will be furious with how his team took on the challenge against Leeds, who hadn’t won a game since August, and will surely be regretful that the Reds did not invest in their midfield over the summer.
There are just two Premier League fixtures left for the Reds before the World Cup, and when they return after Christmas, the January transfer window will shortly follow. It’s something that Klopp and FSG must take advantage of if they have any hope of recovering Liverpool’s ailing season.
