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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has called on his players to be more tenacious and aggressive in the wake of criticism his side is too soft.
After the 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace on Sunday, a match in which they took an early lead, former Reds vice-captain Jamie Carragher said they were bullied and mentally weak.
Liverpool have travelled to Sofia to play Ludogorets looking to end a four-match losing run and ensure their interest in the Champions League is extended to their final match at home to Basle next month.
Ahead of that trip Rodgers issued a rallying call to players he admits are low on confidence.
"We need to be more tenacious, more aggressive and have a greater capacity to defend better as a team," he told liverpoolfc.com.
"When there are moments to defend, you have to defend better – and that's something that we'll look to do."
On Sunday Carragher laid into his former side for not showing enough heart for a battle.
"They are getting bullied out of games. Last year when they came here (to Selhurst Park) we said they were mentally and physically weak. Same again – nothing's changed," he told Sky Sports.
"You look at the time and there are no men in the team. Sometimes you've got to grind results out.
"There's no leadership on the pitch. Liverpool aren't getting beat by quality – they're getting bullied."
Liverpool trained at their Melwood base on Tuesday morning before flying out to Bulgaria with midfielder Jordan Henderson back after illness ruled him out at the weekend but striker Mario Balotelli, who missed the game through injury, was not present at the morning work-out.
PA
.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has called on his players to be more tenacious and aggressive in the wake of criticism his side is too soft.
After the 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace on Sunday, a match in which they took an early lead, former Reds vice-captain Jamie Carragher said they were bullied and mentally weak.
Liverpool have travelled to Sofia to play Ludogorets looking to end a four-match losing run and ensure their interest in the Champions League is extended to their final match at home to Basle next month.
Ahead of that trip Rodgers issued a rallying call to players he admits are low on confidence.
"We need to be more tenacious, more aggressive and have a greater capacity to defend better as a team," he told liverpoolfc.com.
"When there are moments to defend, you have to defend better – and that's something that we'll look to do."
On Sunday Carragher laid into his former side for not showing enough heart for a battle.
"They are getting bullied out of games. Last year when they came here (to Selhurst Park) we said they were mentally and physically weak. Same again – nothing's changed," he told Sky Sports.
"You look at the time and there are no men in the team. Sometimes you've got to grind results out.
"There's no leadership on the pitch. Liverpool aren't getting beat by quality – they're getting bullied."
Liverpool trained at their Melwood base on Tuesday morning before flying out to Bulgaria with midfielder Jordan Henderson back after illness ruled him out at the weekend but striker Mario Balotelli, who missed the game through injury, was not present at the morning work-out.
PA
.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has echoed what most Liverpool supporters have been saying for weeks – that Brendan Rodgers needs to change Steven Gerrard‘s position.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher said “Over the years he’s had fantastic relationships with Owen, Torres, Suarez and Sturridge. He knows where they are where the balls going. He hasn’t got that at the moment with any of the strikers, Balotelli, Lambert, Borini.
“He’s not giving that creativity going forward, he’s getting man-marked. I think they’d be better off putting someone else there. This team needs protection. Stevie’s not a great protector of the defence. He’s in that position for diff reasons really.
“He’s not a Mascherano, he’s not going to give you much going forward (as it is), put a defensive player there, someone who will support the back four, keep a clean sheet.”
“Put Stevie further forward. There’s a lack of creativity in the team, Coutinho, Sterling, it’s not there.”
Do you agree with Carragher? Is it time Gerrard was played in a different role and Liverpool had a proper defensive midfielder?
.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has echoed what most Liverpool supporters have been saying for weeks – that Brendan Rodgers needs to change Steven Gerrard‘s position.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher said “Over the years he’s had fantastic relationships with Owen, Torres, Suarez and Sturridge. He knows where they are where the balls going. He hasn’t got that at the moment with any of the strikers, Balotelli, Lambert, Borini.
“He’s not giving that creativity going forward, he’s getting man-marked. I think they’d be better off putting someone else there. This team needs protection. Stevie’s not a great protector of the defence. He’s in that position for diff reasons really.
“He’s not a Mascherano, he’s not going to give you much going forward (as it is), put a defensive player there, someone who will support the back four, keep a clean sheet.”
“Put Stevie further forward. There’s a lack of creativity in the team, Coutinho, Sterling, it’s not there.”
Do you agree with Carragher? Is it time Gerrard was played in a different role and Liverpool had a proper defensive midfielder?
.
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If you use a bookmark to enter this site, please go to our home page, find the appropriate page and update your bookmark accordingly.
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Thank you for using TEAMtalk!
We are sorry the page you requested cannot be found at the moment.
If you use a bookmark to enter this site, please go to our home page, find the appropriate page and update your bookmark accordingly.
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Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group are not considering Brendan Rodgers‘ future as Liverpool manager, despite the club suffering their fourth consecutive defeat and sixth Premier League loss of the season at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The Reds are twelfth in the league with a negative goal difference and looking desperately poor in all areas of the pitch. It’s now the club’s worst league start since 1992.
But Monday saw several well sourced Liverpool correspondents explain that FSG are not contemplating sacking the 41-year-old Northern Irishman.
BBC Sport’s Ben Smith wrote on Monday that “Brendan Rodgers’ position at LFC is not under immediate threat despite the club’s poor start to the season”.
He added: “I am told it is not even a talking point for #LFC owners. He is their man. Full stop.”
The Daily Mail‘s Liverpool reporter Dominic King writes that “there is not even the slightest suggestion that Fenway Sports Group, the club’s American owners, are contemplating making a change.”
The Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe reports similarly: “Rodgers is under no immediate threat of losing his job at Anfield despite admitting the mounting pressure after a series of poor results.”
He adds:
“The club’s owners are resolute in their support of the manager and are not entertaining the thought of making a change. It is likely Rodgers would be given a chance to correct the wrongs of this season even if Liverpool immediately dropped out of the Champions League positions.”
Liverpool travel to Bulgaria today ahead of their Champions League match against Ludogorets Razgrad on Wednesday night. They then face Stoke City, Leicester City and Sunderland in the Premier League. Rodgers’ team must start picking up results they need in those.
.
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group are not considering Brendan Rodgers‘ future as Liverpool manager, despite the club suffering their fourth consecutive defeat and sixth Premier League loss of the season at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The Reds are twelfth in the league with a negative goal difference and looking desperately poor in all areas of the pitch. It’s now the club’s worst league start since 1992.
But Monday saw several well sourced Liverpool correspondents explain that FSG are not contemplating sacking the 41-year-old Northern Irishman.
BBC Sport’s Ben Smith wrote on Monday that “Brendan Rodgers’ position at LFC is not under immediate threat despite the club’s poor start to the season”.
He added: “I am told it is not even a talking point for #LFC owners. He is their man. Full stop.”
The Daily Mail‘s Liverpool reporter Dominic King writes that “there is not even the slightest suggestion that Fenway Sports Group, the club’s American owners, are contemplating making a change.”
The Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe reports similarly: “Rodgers is under no immediate threat of losing his job at Anfield despite admitting the mounting pressure after a series of poor results.”
He adds:
“The club’s owners are resolute in their support of the manager and are not entertaining the thought of making a change. It is likely Rodgers would be given a chance to correct the wrongs of this season even if Liverpool immediately dropped out of the Champions League positions.”
Liverpool travel to Bulgaria today ahead of their Champions League match against Ludogorets Razgrad on Wednesday night. They then face Stoke City, Leicester City and Sunderland in the Premier League. Rodgers’ team must start picking up results they need in those.
.
Liverpool FanZoner Rich Garnett says it's time for the players to 'lock shields' at Anfield and dig in to get the club out of their slump.
When you've only scored 15 league goals it's because Luis Suarez has left and Daniel Sturridge is injured.
When your goal difference is minus three it's because the defence has not gelled yet.
When you lose four games on the trot in all competitions - alarm bells! alarm bells!
Where to start? At the beginning.
When Liverpool professionally dismantled Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on August 31 early fears about the Premier League runners-up suffering a hangover from their near miss were put the bed.
It turns out they were just having a day off from despair.
In truth that late summer's afternoon is the only time Liverpool have played well all season.
But November is setting the bar even lower. Played four, lost four. Two goals scored, seven conceded.
So what is the problem? Tepid upfront? Lightweight in midfield? Unsure at the back? An anxious goalkeeper? Take your pick, they're all true.
In a paradox to last season, when confidence ran through the side like an infectious trend, Liverpool are a nervous wreck on a turgid run that shows no sign of abating.
Even a miserable home defeat to Burnley at the weekend won't stop Mark Hughes from rubbing his hands at the thought of Stoke coming to Anfield on Saturday.
To make matters worse, Liverpool barely have time to lick their wounds before heading off to Bulgaria for a must-win Champions League encounter against Ludogorets.
It looks like a tricky match, but so did the last one and so does the one after. Liverpool don't look like winning and it's going to take something collective to change that.
Unsurprisingly, Brendan Rodgers has come in for a lot of flack with deficiencies highlighted all over the park.
Simon Mignolet has been poor but has no real challenge to his position. Dejan Lovren looks more like a rabbit in headlights than a defensive lynchpin.
The back four changes nearly every game but the only thing certain is uncertainty.
Rodgers refuses to put faith in playing two strikers in the absence of Sturridge, but he signed them all. Rickie Lambert finally scored for the club after training with them for four months.
Steven Gerrard continues to play in a role that protects the back four but is easy to take out of the game leaving a vulnerable defence open to exploitation - and boy is it exploited.
This Liverpool side lacks confidence, belief and aggression. They fold in the face of adversity. They look rudderless, devoid of leaders, each soldier looking hopelessly at the next.
The latest defeat at Selhurst Park was almost inevitable the moment Crystal Palace drew level. Neil Warnock's side are mediocre at best but against a side with no fight they can be winners.
So how can Liverpool stop the rot? Simply by choosing to.
It doesn't matter how Liverpool win their next game, they just need to win it. It doesn't matter who plays in defence, they just need to defend as one. It doesn't matter who has underperformed or not lived up to expectations they just need to trust each other and play for each other.
As a former US general once said its time to lock shields. Time to take a deep intake of breath roll up the sleeves and play with a grit and determination that was only remotely evident during the honourable defeat in Madrid.
For now the swashbuckling performances of last season can be forgotten. Liverpool just need to be a team again.
Time for the supporters to back the manager, the manager to back his players and the players to back each other. The alternative is certain doom.
By Liverpool FanZoner Richard Garnett. Follow him on Twitter here, and don't forget you can follow @FanZone too!
Liverpool FanZoner Rich Garnett says it's time for the players to 'lock shields' at Anfield and dig in to get the club out of their slump.
When you've only scored 15 league goals it's because Luis Suarez has left and Daniel Sturridge is injured.
When your goal difference is minus three it's because the defence has not gelled yet.
When you lose four games on the trot in all competitions - alarm bells! alarm bells!
Where to start? At the beginning.
When Liverpool professionally dismantled Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on August 31 early fears about the Premier League runners-up suffering a hangover from their near miss were put the bed.
It turns out they were just having a day off from despair.
In truth that late summer's afternoon is the only time Liverpool have played well all season.
But November is setting the bar even lower. Played four, lost four. Two goals scored, seven conceded.
So what is the problem? Tepid upfront? Lightweight in midfield? Unsure at the back? An anxious goalkeeper? Take your pick, they're all true.
In a paradox to last season, when confidence ran through the side like an infectious trend, Liverpool are a nervous wreck on a turgid run that shows no sign of abating.
Even a miserable home defeat to Burnley at the weekend won't stop Mark Hughes from rubbing his hands at the thought of Stoke coming to Anfield on Saturday.
To make matters worse, Liverpool barely have time to lick their wounds before heading off to Bulgaria for a must-win Champions League encounter against Ludogorets.
It looks like a tricky match, but so did the last one and so does the one after. Liverpool don't look like winning and it's going to take something collective to change that.
Unsurprisingly, Brendan Rodgers has come in for a lot of flack with deficiencies highlighted all over the park.
Simon Mignolet has been poor but has no real challenge to his position. Dejan Lovren looks more like a rabbit in headlights than a defensive lynchpin.
The back four changes nearly every game but the only thing certain is uncertainty.
Rodgers refuses to put faith in playing two strikers in the absence of Sturridge, but he signed them all. Rickie Lambert finally scored for the club after training with them for four months.
Steven Gerrard continues to play in a role that protects the back four but is easy to take out of the game leaving a vulnerable defence open to exploitation - and boy is it exploited.
This Liverpool side lacks confidence, belief and aggression. They fold in the face of adversity. They look rudderless, devoid of leaders, each soldier looking hopelessly at the next.
The latest defeat at Selhurst Park was almost inevitable the moment Crystal Palace drew level. Neil Warnock's side are mediocre at best but against a side with no fight they can be winners.
So how can Liverpool stop the rot? Simply by choosing to.
It doesn't matter how Liverpool win their next game, they just need to win it. It doesn't matter who plays in defence, they just need to defend as one. It doesn't matter who has underperformed or not lived up to expectations they just need to trust each other and play for each other.
As a former US general once said its time to lock shields. Time to take a deep intake of breath roll up the sleeves and play with a grit and determination that was only remotely evident during the honourable defeat in Madrid.
For now the swashbuckling performances of last season can be forgotten. Liverpool just need to be a team again.
Time for the supporters to back the manager, the manager to back his players and the players to back each other. The alternative is certain doom.
By Liverpool FanZoner Richard Garnett. Follow him on Twitter here, and don't forget you can follow @FanZone too!
We look back at the weekend's statistics, including details of Wilfried Bony and Angel Di Maria's Premier League and European records for 2014.
Chelsea continued their seemingly relentless march towards the Premier League title with another routine, this time over West Brom, over the weekend.....but Southampton and Manchester City at least ensured the gap was not stretched as they beat Aston Villa and Swansea City respectively.
Manchester United are up to fourth after winning at Arsenal, while Burnley are off the bottom after making it back-to-back victories with a 2-1 success at Stoke City.
We take a look at the key Opta statistics from the 12th round of fixtures.
Chelsea 2 West Bromwich Albion 0
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League matches (W12 D3 L0).
Cesc Fabregas has reached 10 assists in just 12 PL games this season, faster than any other player in a single PL campaign.
Diego Costa has scored 11 goals in 10 Premier League matches this season.
Eden Hazard's last nine Premier League goals have all been scored at Stamford Bridge.
Only one team has ever had more points after 12 games of a Premier League season than Chelsea currently have (Man City 2011-12 with 34 points).
West Brom have won just three of their last 15 Premier League games (W3 D4 L8).
The Baggies have yet to win away at Chelsea in the Premier League, losing eight (D1).
Everton 2 West Ham United 1
Romelu Lukaku has found the back of the net in each of his last three Premier League games West Ham United.
Mauro Zarate has scored in both of his Premier League clashes with Everton, with his previous goal against the Toffees coming back in April 2008 for Birmingham City (that game ended 1-1).
West Ham have now shipped 1000 Premier League goals.
Leon Osman has scored two in his last three games (all competitions) for Everton after failing to find the back of the net in his previous 17 appearances for the Toffees.
This was Everton's 200th home win in the Premier League.
The Merseysiders are unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League games against West Ham United (W9 D4 L0).
Leicester City 0 Sunderland 0
Sunderland have won just two of their last 13 Premier League matches (W2 D7 L4).
The Black Cats have never won away at Leicester in the Premier League losing three and drawing two of their five visits.
The Foxes 0-0 with Sunderland ended a run of 55 league games without a goalless draw. Only Fulham (68) were on a longer run in the top four tiers.
Leicester City have won none of their last seven Premier League matches (W0 D2 L5), failing to score in six of those games.
Gus Poyet's charges have failed to score in five of their last eight Premier League games.
The Black Cats have won four and lost none of the last six league meetings with Leicester City.
Manchester City 2 Swansea City 1
Wilfried Bony has netted three goals in his two Premier League meetings with Manchester City.
Courtesy of his 17 goals, Bony is the top scorer in the Premier League in 2014.
Man City have kept just one clean sheet in their last six home league games.
Eight of Stevan Jovetic's nine goals for Manchester City in all competitions have come at the Etihad.
The Citizens have scored in 12 of their last 13 Premier League games at the Etihad.
Yaya Toure has scored in each of his last two Premier League games against Swansea.
Swansea have thrown away a league-high 11 points from leading positions this season.
Manchester City have won five and lost just one of the seven Premier League meetings with Swansea City.
Newcastle United 1 Queens Park Rangers 0
Newcastle United have won five consecutive Premier League games for the first time since April 2012.
Newcastle United have won their last seven Premier League games in November.
The Magpies have won six and lost none of the last seven Premier League meetings with QPR.
QPR have the worst away record in the Premier League with no points, just two goals scored and 15 conceded in six games.
QPR have picked up just one point from their last 11 PL games on the road (D1 L10).
Moussa Sissoko scored his first Premier League goal in 19 games.
Alan Pardew's side have scored the highest proportion of second-half goals of any team in the Premier League this season (79%).
Newcastle United have scored fewer first half goals than any other PL side this season (3).
Ryan Taylor's last Premier League start came against Sunderland in March 2012 - 993 days ago.
Stoke City 0 Burnley 2
Burnley's recorded their first away win in the Premier League since April 2010 v Hull, ending a run of seven without a victory.
Burnley have won six and lost just two of their last 10 away matches against Stoke City.
The Clarets have won back to back Premier League games for the first time since August 2009.
Jonathan Walters is Stoke's leading scorer in Premier League history with 29 goals, two more than any other player.
After failing to score in his first five PL games, Danny Ings has bagged three in his last four.
Stoke have gone six games without a PL clean sheet.
Burnley have conceded more headed goals than any other team in the Premier League this season (9).
Arsenal 1 Manchester United 2
Wayne Rooney has scored more goals against Arsenal than any other player in Premier League history (11).
This is Arsenal's worst start to a Premier League campaign after 12 games (17 points), beating their previous worst in 1994-95 (18 points)
Manchester United have lost just one of their last 15 matches against Arsenal in all competitions (W11 D3 L1).
Angel Di Maria has now recorded 20 league assists in 2014, more than any other player in the top five European leagues.
Olivier Giroud has scored four in his last five Premier League games at the Emirates.
Arsenal have lost their first home games in 24 Premier League matches, the longest run since 2008 when they went 25 without defeat.
This was Louis Van Gaal's first away league win as Manchester United boss (D3 L2).
Crystal Palace 3 Liverpool 1
Dwight Gayle became the first Crystal Palace player to score four Premier League goals against a single opponent.
Four of Gayle's nine Premier League goals have come against Liverpool. He has hit three of his four home PL goals against the Reds.
Adam Lallana provided his first Premier League assist for Liverpool, for a player he has now laid on five PL goals for (Rickie Lambert).
Liverpool have only had fewer points at this stage of a Premier League campaign on one occasion,1992-93, when they had 13.
Mile Jedinak played 34 Premier League games without scoring; he has five goals in his last 15 appearances.
Liverpool have failed to win in four Premier League games (single PL campaign) for the first time since September 2012 (five matches without a win) - that winless run was in Brendan Rogers' first five games as manager.
Palace scored more than one goal in a game against Liverpool once in their first nine Premier League games against the Reds - they have hit three in both of the two most recent meetings.
Liverpool have conceded 21 goals in their last 10 Premier League away matches, keeping just one clean sheet in that run.
Hull City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Hull have received five red cards in the Premier League in 2014 - only Tottenham (six) have received more.
Hull have scored exactly one goal in five of their seven Premier League games against Spurs.
Spurs have won their last two Premier League away games 2-1 after trailing to a team that was reduced to 10 men when ahead (also Aston Villa).
Tottenham's last four Premier League games have ended in a 2-1 scoreline (won two, lost two); none of their preceding 26 matches finished with this score.
Hull lost a Premier League game when leading at half-time for the first time - they had won 12 and drawn 12 before this 2-1 reverse.
Spurs had 14 shots at goal in this game, the most they have managed in a Premier League match this season.
Tottenham's 73.3% share of possession in this match was their highest in a Premier league game this term, the fifth highest of any team.
Aston Villa 1 Southampton 1
Five of the six goals Villa have scored in the Premier League this term have been netted in the first half and they have not netted after the 50th minute at all.
Gabriel Agbonlahor's goal ended a run of 439 minutes without conceding in the PL for Southampton.
Nathaniel Clyne has scored two goals in 12 PL apps this season, after managing only one in 59 PL apps before 2014-15.
Eleven of Darren Bent's last 12 Premier League appearances for Villa have come as a substitute.
Southampton's first shot of the second half came in the 67th minute.
Villa only hit one shot on target in this game (but scored with it). They have managed only 24 all season.
Villa have conceded two goals both scored & assisted by full-backs in the Premier League this season (Baines for Coleman vs Everton and Bertrand for Clyne tonight).
Only two players have scored for Villa all season in the Premier League (Weimann & Agbonlahor).
Graziano Pellè managed only one shot for Southampton.
This game saw Villa's lowest home attendance (25,311) in the Premier League since December 1999.
We look back at the weekend's statistics, including details of Wilfried Bony and Angel Di Maria's Premier League and European records for 2014.
Chelsea continued their seemingly relentless march towards the Premier League title with another routine, this time over West Brom, over the weekend.....but Southampton and Manchester City at least ensured the gap was not stretched as they beat Aston Villa and Swansea City respectively.
Manchester United are up to fourth after winning at Arsenal, while Burnley are off the bottom after making it back-to-back victories with a 2-1 success at Stoke City.
We take a look at the key Opta statistics from the 12th round of fixtures.
Chelsea 2 West Bromwich Albion 0
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League matches (W12 D3 L0).
Cesc Fabregas has reached 10 assists in just 12 PL games this season, faster than any other player in a single PL campaign.
Diego Costa has scored 11 goals in 10 Premier League matches this season.
Eden Hazard's last nine Premier League goals have all been scored at Stamford Bridge.
Only one team has ever had more points after 12 games of a Premier League season than Chelsea currently have (Man City 2011-12 with 34 points).
West Brom have won just three of their last 15 Premier League games (W3 D4 L8).
The Baggies have yet to win away at Chelsea in the Premier League, losing eight (D1).
Everton 2 West Ham United 1
Romelu Lukaku has found the back of the net in each of his last three Premier League games West Ham United.
Mauro Zarate has scored in both of his Premier League clashes with Everton, with his previous goal against the Toffees coming back in April 2008 for Birmingham City (that game ended 1-1).
West Ham have now shipped 1000 Premier League goals.
Leon Osman has scored two in his last three games (all competitions) for Everton after failing to find the back of the net in his previous 17 appearances for the Toffees.
This was Everton's 200th home win in the Premier League.
The Merseysiders are unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League games against West Ham United (W9 D4 L0).
Leicester City 0 Sunderland 0
Sunderland have won just two of their last 13 Premier League matches (W2 D7 L4).
The Black Cats have never won away at Leicester in the Premier League losing three and drawing two of their five visits.
The Foxes 0-0 with Sunderland ended a run of 55 league games without a goalless draw. Only Fulham (68) were on a longer run in the top four tiers.
Leicester City have won none of their last seven Premier League matches (W0 D2 L5), failing to score in six of those games.
Gus Poyet's charges have failed to score in five of their last eight Premier League games.
The Black Cats have won four and lost none of the last six league meetings with Leicester City.
Manchester City 2 Swansea City 1
Wilfried Bony has netted three goals in his two Premier League meetings with Manchester City.
Courtesy of his 17 goals, Bony is the top scorer in the Premier League in 2014.
Man City have kept just one clean sheet in their last six home league games.
Eight of Stevan Jovetic's nine goals for Manchester City in all competitions have come at the Etihad.
The Citizens have scored in 12 of their last 13 Premier League games at the Etihad.
Yaya Toure has scored in each of his last two Premier League games against Swansea.
Swansea have thrown away a league-high 11 points from leading positions this season.
Manchester City have won five and lost just one of the seven Premier League meetings with Swansea City.
Newcastle United 1 Queens Park Rangers 0
Newcastle United have won five consecutive Premier League games for the first time since April 2012.
Newcastle United have won their last seven Premier League games in November.
The Magpies have won six and lost none of the last seven Premier League meetings with QPR.
QPR have the worst away record in the Premier League with no points, just two goals scored and 15 conceded in six games.
QPR have picked up just one point from their last 11 PL games on the road (D1 L10).
Moussa Sissoko scored his first Premier League goal in 19 games.
Alan Pardew's side have scored the highest proportion of second-half goals of any team in the Premier League this season (79%).
Newcastle United have scored fewer first half goals than any other PL side this season (3).
Ryan Taylor's last Premier League start came against Sunderland in March 2012 - 993 days ago.
Stoke City 0 Burnley 2
Burnley's recorded their first away win in the Premier League since April 2010 v Hull, ending a run of seven without a victory.
Burnley have won six and lost just two of their last 10 away matches against Stoke City.
The Clarets have won back to back Premier League games for the first time since August 2009.
Jonathan Walters is Stoke's leading scorer in Premier League history with 29 goals, two more than any other player.
After failing to score in his first five PL games, Danny Ings has bagged three in his last four.
Stoke have gone six games without a PL clean sheet.
Burnley have conceded more headed goals than any other team in the Premier League this season (9).
Arsenal 1 Manchester United 2
Wayne Rooney has scored more goals against Arsenal than any other player in Premier League history (11).
This is Arsenal's worst start to a Premier League campaign after 12 games (17 points), beating their previous worst in 1994-95 (18 points)
Manchester United have lost just one of their last 15 matches against Arsenal in all competitions (W11 D3 L1).
Angel Di Maria has now recorded 20 league assists in 2014, more than any other player in the top five European leagues.
Olivier Giroud has scored four in his last five Premier League games at the Emirates.
Arsenal have lost their first home games in 24 Premier League matches, the longest run since 2008 when they went 25 without defeat.
This was Louis Van Gaal's first away league win as Manchester United boss (D3 L2).
Crystal Palace 3 Liverpool 1
Dwight Gayle became the first Crystal Palace player to score four Premier League goals against a single opponent.
Four of Gayle's nine Premier League goals have come against Liverpool. He has hit three of his four home PL goals against the Reds.
Adam Lallana provided his first Premier League assist for Liverpool, for a player he has now laid on five PL goals for (Rickie Lambert).
Liverpool have only had fewer points at this stage of a Premier League campaign on one occasion,1992-93, when they had 13.
Mile Jedinak played 34 Premier League games without scoring; he has five goals in his last 15 appearances.
Liverpool have failed to win in four Premier League games (single PL campaign) for the first time since September 2012 (five matches without a win) - that winless run was in Brendan Rogers' first five games as manager.
Palace scored more than one goal in a game against Liverpool once in their first nine Premier League games against the Reds - they have hit three in both of the two most recent meetings.
Liverpool have conceded 21 goals in their last 10 Premier League away matches, keeping just one clean sheet in that run.
Hull City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Hull have received five red cards in the Premier League in 2014 - only Tottenham (six) have received more.
Hull have scored exactly one goal in five of their seven Premier League games against Spurs.
Spurs have won their last two Premier League away games 2-1 after trailing to a team that was reduced to 10 men when ahead (also Aston Villa).
Tottenham's last four Premier League games have ended in a 2-1 scoreline (won two, lost two); none of their preceding 26 matches finished with this score.
Hull lost a Premier League game when leading at half-time for the first time - they had won 12 and drawn 12 before this 2-1 reverse.
Spurs had 14 shots at goal in this game, the most they have managed in a Premier League match this season.
Tottenham's 73.3% share of possession in this match was their highest in a Premier league game this term, the fifth highest of any team.
Aston Villa 1 Southampton 1
Five of the six goals Villa have scored in the Premier League this term have been netted in the first half and they have not netted after the 50th minute at all.
Gabriel Agbonlahor's goal ended a run of 439 minutes without conceding in the PL for Southampton.
Nathaniel Clyne has scored two goals in 12 PL apps this season, after managing only one in 59 PL apps before 2014-15.
Eleven of Darren Bent's last 12 Premier League appearances for Villa have come as a substitute.
Southampton's first shot of the second half came in the 67th minute.
Villa only hit one shot on target in this game (but scored with it). They have managed only 24 all season.
Villa have conceded two goals both scored & assisted by full-backs in the Premier League this season (Baines for Coleman vs Everton and Bertrand for Clyne tonight).
Only two players have scored for Villa all season in the Premier League (Weimann & Agbonlahor).
Graziano Pellè managed only one shot for Southampton.
This game saw Villa's lowest home attendance (25,311) in the Premier League since December 1999.
“I’m not arrogant enough to think that I will be in a job through anything.”
A season is at stake, a job is at stake and only 13 games on from almost achieving the unthinkable.
The elusive Premier League title became just that – but it propelled expectation, and an air of optimism was renewed. Six league defeats from 12 and four straight losses at this stage of the new season would have seemed, well, unthinkable.
Let’s get this straight. We all bought in to Brendan Rodgers and his brand of high octane attacking football, even at the detriment and disregard of actual defending. The opposition was beaten in the tunnel, before they touched the turf. But that was last year; our defensive deficiencies are no longer masked by a mantra of ‘we’ll score more than you’. It will not be replicated either, so let’s stop trying to and get back to basics.
What’s gone wrong? Let’s get it out of the way – we all know who we lost. His name hangs over us, mentioned by every broadcaster and ex player – even Brendan seems inclined to do so at any opportunity. Forget him; his brilliance is with Barca now.
The injury woes of Daniel Sturridge are unfortunate but not unexpected. From dining with fine wine in SAS, we’re now relegated to drinking Lambrini in, well, Lambert and Borini.
But we are not the victims of bad luck. We are not the victims of circumstance, this ‘crisis’ extends much further than that.
Many will point to our signings; I’d point to our transfer strategy. Too many players brought in for the future when we needed players for the now. Easy to say in hindsight of course, especially when those expected to make an immediate impact have failed to do so and in such calamitous fashion – here’s looking at you Dejan Lovren.
On the pitch bares no resemblance to the dazzling displays of last year. No tempo or intensity, no speed in transition and a lack of creativity not helped by little or no movement in attack.
We’re tentative in possession and bereft of ideas. And that’s just going forward; our defending is a car crash.
Most alarming is that despite the performance or lack of at Palace, Lovren, Martin Skrtel and Steven Gerrard will start vs Stoke next Saturday regardless.
Gerrard can argue he’s a quarterback without a receiver and I sympathise, but in his primary role as a much needed screen for a hapless defence he is a passenger. This is just one big decision that has to be made by Brendan. It’ll be big decisions that will save his job, after all.
It’s time to accept the failings of a team in disarray and look for change. Change things in the Champions League on Wednesday, but don’t revert back come Saturday.
Bad results don’t make bad managers overnight; see Jurgen Klopp for case in point. Rodgers deserves time – we are not out of the Champions League, we are somehow only five points off fourth – and yes I am the eternal optimist.
If FSG were to go looking for a new manager, they’d be after another Brendan Rodgers. And we’ve already got him here.
So back yourself, Brendan. Be bold, make the decisions, upset people and take the blame if they don’t work out. Become more than just one season of overachievement. Don’t allow two years of progress to dwindle to mediocrity, because we all bought in. Here’s hoping at the end of this storm, there’s a golden sky for Rodgers.
.
“I’m not arrogant enough to think that I will be in a job through anything.”
A season is at stake, a job is at stake and only 13 games on from almost achieving the unthinkable.
The elusive Premier League title became just that – but it propelled expectation, and an air of optimism was renewed. Six league defeats from 12 and four straight losses at this stage of the new season would have seemed, well, unthinkable.
Let’s get this straight. We all bought in to Brendan Rodgers and his brand of high octane attacking football, even at the detriment and disregard of actual defending. The opposition was beaten in the tunnel, before they touched the turf. But that was last year; our defensive deficiencies are no longer masked by a mantra of ‘we’ll score more than you’. It will not be replicated either, so let’s stop trying to and get back to basics.
What’s gone wrong? Let’s get it out of the way – we all know who we lost. His name hangs over us, mentioned by every broadcaster and ex player – even Brendan seems inclined to do so at any opportunity. Forget him; his brilliance is with Barca now.
The injury woes of Daniel Sturridge are unfortunate but not unexpected. From dining with fine wine in SAS, we’re now relegated to drinking Lambrini in, well, Lambert and Borini.
But we are not the victims of bad luck. We are not the victims of circumstance, this ‘crisis’ extends much further than that.
Many will point to our signings; I’d point to our transfer strategy. Too many players brought in for the future when we needed players for the now. Easy to say in hindsight of course, especially when those expected to make an immediate impact have failed to do so and in such calamitous fashion – here’s looking at you Dejan Lovren.
On the pitch bares no resemblance to the dazzling displays of last year. No tempo or intensity, no speed in transition and a lack of creativity not helped by little or no movement in attack.
We’re tentative in possession and bereft of ideas. And that’s just going forward; our defending is a car crash.
Most alarming is that despite the performance or lack of at Palace, Lovren, Martin Skrtel and Steven Gerrard will start vs Stoke next Saturday regardless.
Gerrard can argue he’s a quarterback without a receiver and I sympathise, but in his primary role as a much needed screen for a hapless defence he is a passenger. This is just one big decision that has to be made by Brendan. It’ll be big decisions that will save his job, after all.
It’s time to accept the failings of a team in disarray and look for change. Change things in the Champions League on Wednesday, but don’t revert back come Saturday.
Bad results don’t make bad managers overnight; see Jurgen Klopp for case in point. Rodgers deserves time – we are not out of the Champions League, we are somehow only five points off fourth – and yes I am the eternal optimist.
If FSG were to go looking for a new manager, they’d be after another Brendan Rodgers. And we’ve already got him here.
So back yourself, Brendan. Be bold, make the decisions, upset people and take the blame if they don’t work out. Become more than just one season of overachievement. Don’t allow two years of progress to dwindle to mediocrity, because we all bought in. Here’s hoping at the end of this storm, there’s a golden sky for Rodgers.
.
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