I really don’t want to be too negative and start sounding off with a knee-jerk reaction…. but seriously, last night was shocking. It was embarrassing. In fact, that doesn’t do it justice. The performance and attitude of the team as a collective was pathetic. There was no teamwork, no hunger and no desire!
Last night, as has been the case on numerous other occasions this season, we showed a complete lack of urgency, creativity, bite and passion. There was nothing that gave you the impression that we would take the game to Wigan and try and win the match. We showed no fight when we went 1-0 down and even after the break, you would think that a kick up the backside from Rafa would maybe send the lads out with the intention of clawing this game back. What we saw though, were 11 players who didn’t want to be there.
I don’t agree with singling individuals out and criticizing them, because you win as a team and you lose as a team. There will be plenty of fans out there who will happily point the finger at the typical scapegoat players. Unfortunately these narrow minded fans need to realise that it takes 11 players to make the starting lineup and as far as I’m concerned there wasn’t one player who came out of last nights’ game who could hold their head up and say that they played well and fought their hardest.
Talking about holding your head up, the team looked so despondent and uninterested last night. This is a major worry.
Wigan were there for the taking and our nervous, negative, slow approach to the game played right into their hands. They deserved to win. In fact, I don’t know what was worse, the fact that we lost 1-0, or that Wigan only beat us by 1. Wigan showed everything that we were lacking. They were committed, they fought, they hustled, they harried and they WANTED TO WIN!
We were second to every ball and our passing was atrocious. We couldn’t string more than 3 passes together for the majority of the match. We are so slow going forward that it makes life so easy for the opposition. We get the ball and rather than attacking and pushing on, we make such negative sideways and backwards passes that by the time we get anywhere near the oppositions box, they have 11 men behind the ball. We have had this problem all season.
There is no “plan B”. We are so predictable and we don’t know what to do when we can’t get a break through. We are Liverpool Football Club and I appreciate that although we don’t have a divine right to win every game, there are certain standards we expect. Snatching a goal when we can is not the Liverpool Way. We deserve to see a team that wants to win, that will battle for a result and show some fight, spirit and passion. It feels like the players have forgotten what it means to play for Liverpool Football Club.
The match itself was just so frustrating as we looked like the lower league side and Wigan came out looking like they were the ones chasing fourth place.
I watched the interview with Rafa when I got home and he said the following:
“There were too many mistakes. We gave the ball away, we didn’t win any first or second ball, and that is difficult to explain. I think it was a question of attitude in the first half; sometimes we played too quickly, we were in too much of a hurry. It was a poor half. In the second half there was a much better attitude but it was not enough.
“We had some chances but we didn’t play well. If you approach the game in this kind of way you cannot win this kind of game or maybe any game. Everyone is very low. There are too many things we cannot understand.”
I’m not a fan who is blinkered and blindly agrees with whatever Rafa says and does. Nor am I of the belief that we should get rid of him. However, after listening to the above comments, I really am worried.
The lads looked like they didn’t care last night and sadly I have to say that it looks like Rafa has run of out ideas. I truly hope they prove me wrong and we go on to get fourth place, but if we perform like we did last night again we’ll be lucky to even get a Europa League place.
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Well written report from someone who obviously cares about LFC and is perceptive of the game. More passion and the old fighting spirit is needed if as the writer says we are to finish high enought o even get a Europa Leage place.
Mate, I totally agree with you! Where is the urgency? Where is the passion? And tonight was a flippin’ disgrace as well! LFC have the most passionate fans in the world.. used to feel the same about the players. Not anymore.
How are we going to finish 4th? Answers on a postcard please..
Anyway well done Mate, really enjoyed your report. Spot on!