You would think that simply seeing the scoreline Liverpool 0-3 West Ham United so early on in the season would just scream ‘crisis’.
And yet that just isn’t the case at all.
Three games in, we had visited both the Emirates and the Britannia without conceding, faced a newly promoted Bournemouth and all in all, picked up seven points out of nine. Only two goals scored, but overall, that’s pretty damn superb if you ask me.
There were plenty of positives. The back four lavished with praise, 18-year-old Gomez and new boy Clyne particularly impressing. Lovren too was showing considerable improvement. The midfield was looking much more compact and disciplined and there was real optimism regarding Liverpool’s attack, and who’s to say there still isn’t. It’s still early days.
But that’s not to say that the problems displayed yesterday don’t need to be rectified.
It’s not the first time we’ve been practically humiliated at Anfield in recent years either. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have both put three past us in the last few seasons.
These ‘issues’ do need addressing, and fast, and we can 100% still be in for a successful season. But the majority just seem to be silly, unnecessary mistakes, time and time again.
Without even hinting at his performance yesterday, Sakho for Lovren needs to be the first change.
Jamie Carragher said about Lovren on Sky Sports Super Sunday:
I don’t know if it’s overconfidence after a couple of good performances but I’m watching him thinking, just do the basics.
You’ve got three clean sheets; your job is to keep them out, not showeveryone what else you can do. Defend first.
Discipline is key when driving for a top four finish. With the quality that the squad has, that will shine through after the basics have been mastered.
The Croatian would be fine for me, for coming in whenever really needed and doing a job, as he has shown in the three Premier League openers. But when picking your ‘best centre-back pairing’, Sakho and Skrtel it is, any day. Sakho is comfortable on the ball playing out of defence and his reading of the game is admirable.
As long as the communication with his Slovakian team mate improves, defensively we could look a lot more organised.
Joe Gomez has impressed a great deal but I’m not sure it’s healthy for him to play week in week out just yet. Twenty games a season at this stage would be great for him, and with more attacking intent down the left from Moreno could offer something extra for the Reds, especially at home on the front foot.
I think it’s important to find the correct formation soon. Sturridge will be back and both him and Benteke will be starters, so whether the England international is shifted wide in a 4-3-3, a back three with wing-backs is once again implemented or if Rodgers brings back the diamond, it needs to work for the whole team.
The 4-4-2 diamond allows players like Can, Milner, Henderson, Coutinho and Firmino to link up close together in their build up play, whilst a back three could see Clyne, Moreno or Ibe occupy the space to get wide.
Narrow link-up play when creating chances is great, and using the width of the pitch is great but you feel a variation of the two would be perfect, especially for someone like a £32.5m Christian Benteke, who needs service wherever he can get it. This way, we can utilise his attributes, both in the air and on the ground.
I guess the general consensus here is yes, the result was very poor, but we cannot get bogged down in it, blaming people left, right and centre. There’s still a long way to go before we can seriously judge whether we are up to it or not.
