Liverpool suffered their second defeat in as many games as they were beaten by West Brom at Anfield. The Reds started the game well as Roberto Firmino scored in the 5th minute. However, two goals in the subsequent six minutes from Jay Rodriguez meant the Reds were behind.
Firmino was given the chance to equalise from the spot but could only hit the post. To make matters worse, West Brom added a third after some abysmal defending from Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp’s side were left with a mountain to climb in the second half and though Mohamed Salah’s 25th goal in all competitions reduced the deficit, the hosts never looked like scoring and were deservedly beaten.
Here are 3 talking points from the game…
#3 A midfield that isn’t good enough and a manager who is too stubborn
That’d be the most apt way to put it. Jürgen Klopp is hell-bent on proving the doubters wrong and making his system work with pieces that just don’t fit together. Granted, Liverpool’s defence was below par, but how many times did we see the midfield offering no protection whatsoever?
The number of times the likes Jay Rodriguez and Matt Philips were able to run at the back four was embarrassing. The likes of Emre Can and Gini Wijnaldum were often left chasing shadows.
It doesn’t matter who the centre-backs are, as long as that midfield doesn’t improve, Liverpool will continue to impress and flatter to deceive almost immediately in the subsequent games. It’s just not a sustainable system, is it?
