Liverpool fans react to miserable Crystal Palace defeat

Liverpool succumbed to their sixth defeat of the season, dropping to twelfth in the Premier League and meaning they’ve now had their worst 12-game start since 1992.

Brendan Rodgers‘ side have a goal difference of negative three, have lost four games in a row in all competitions and are without a win in the Premier League since mid-October at QPR.

• Rodgers admits his Liverpool job is not safe without results

Here’s a roundup of media and fan reactions.

The (depressing) stats:

The media reaction:

Fan reactions:

.

petikan dari Liverpool FC, This is Anfield, Teamtalk

Continue Reading→

Liverpool were bullied by Crystal Palace, just like last season, says Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool lack leadership, are weak, too easily bullied, and have not improved despite their summer spending.

Brendan Rodgers’ men returned to Palace on Sunday for the first time since last season’s title challenge was ended by throwing away a three-goal lead, but a similarly uncompetitive showing resulted in a 3-1 defeat.

After Dwight Gayle cancelled out Rickie Lambert’s opener, Liverpool wilted in conceding late goals to Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak – and Carragher feels they lack in willpower rather than technique.

“Liverpool aren’t being beaten by quality, they’re getting bullied. They’re getting beaten by enthusiasm,” said the Sky Sports expert.

“This is more than just a poor start, there’s something wrong. Something’s not right, they’re getting bullied out of games.

“As a fan watching your own team the worst thing you can ever think of them is being bullied and being weak – that’s what we saw from Liverpool and not for the first time. It’s been going on all season.

“There’s no leadership and we had that last season at the end, it cost Liverpool the league. They conceded 50 goals last season. It hasn’t been rectified with the money that’s been spent and I’m very worried now as a Liverpool fan.

“There’s no men in the team. There’s not enough organising. You can’t always play well, it doesn’t happen like that, but sometimes you’ve got to grind results out. A game like that is a perfect illustration of that.

“Very rarely, if ever over the past few years, do Liverpool play poorly and win.”

Nothing's changed

The Reds legend was also critical of the limited impact that the club’s new signings have managed.

He continued: “We keep saying ‘new players need time to adjust’ but I’m not a big believer in that. I’ve never moved clubs and I’m sure a foreign player coming in takes a bit of time, but we’re getting to the stage where we need to see performances.

“You’re already looking at the players and thinking ‘Liverpool need four or five players’.

“Last season when they came here we said ‘mentally and physically weak’. Same again, nothing’s changed. £120m spent and Luis Suarez has gone – so what? – they’re still mentally weak with no leadership.”

petikan dari LiverpoolTeamTalk

Continue Reading→

Brendan Rodgers admits his Liverpool job is not safe without results

Brendan Rodgers says his Liverpool side are lacking in confidence after he saw them lose 3-1 at Crystal Palace on Sunday and admitted his job is not safe without results.

• SEE ALSO: Brendan Rodgers takes responsibility for Liverpool’s defeat at Crystal Palace

Liverpool looked like halting a run of three straight defeats when Rickie Lambert broke his duck for the Reds by tucking home a perfect Adam Lallana pass inside the opening two minutes.

With Mario Balotelli sidelined with a groin injury, fellow summer signing Lambert was handed just his second Premier League start and did not take long to take advantage of his chance.

But that was as good as it got for Rodgers' side as Dwight Gayle – who scored twice in the memorable 3-3 draw here last season – levelled after man of the match Yannick Bolasie saw a driven effort come back off the post.

The second half started slowly but two goals in a three-minute period were enough to seal a well-deserved and much-needed win for the Eagles and Yannick supplied Joe Ledley to put the hosts ahead before skipper Mile Jedinak bent home a 30-yard free-kick to seal a 3-1 win.

The defeat leaves Liverpool 18 points adrift of pace-setters Chelsea and just two ahead of Palace, and Rodgers conceded heads have dropped in his squad following a poor spell.

"It was bitterly disappointing," he said of the performance.

"You've seen a team low on confidence today. Not quite together as a team. We need to find a solution very quickly because it was very disappointing.

"I put the team out there, the best team to win us the game. We made a good start. You could see our passing was a wee bit tentative and then we make mistakes. Mistakes you wouldn't expect to see at a team that's supposed to be challenging.

"Overall, that intensity and togetherness in our game isn't there. When you don't get the results, that affects you. That leads to (damaged) confidence. We have to work harder but we go away bitterly disappointed with the result. At this moment, we're just not good enough."

The draw here last season was ultimately damaging to Liverpool's title tilt as Palace struck three times in 11 minutes to snatch an unlikely result.

Luis Suarez was left in tears on the pitch following that game and since his departure the Reds have struggled for the type of form which turned them into challengers.

Rodgers invested the money received for Suarez into his squad and now wants to see more from them, insisting he knows results must improve if he is to avoid facing questions about his future.

"I'm not arrogant enough to think that I will be in a job through anything," he added.

"Any manager will tell you that you have to win games and you have to get results, especially after how we've been developing as a football club.

"But I have a great communication line with the owners. We've been honest enough with each other, but ultimately you have to get results. You have to perform.

"There's no doubt as a manager you have to get results. That will support the confidence to the owners and you take it from there.

"I will only ever do my best. The best has seen us develop well. Now I need to fight even harder and take the responsibility, because as manager full responsibility comes down to me. Any pressure comes on to me.

"We've brought in very good players. Some of them are very young and are not going to be ready for a few years, but they're in now. We have to do better in our performance level."

What is Rodgers doing wrong and how can he fix it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

PA

.

petikan dari Liverpool FC, This is Anfield, Teamtalk

Continue Reading→

Brendan Rodgers takes responsibility for Liverpool’s defeat at Crystal Palace

An abject Brendan Rodgers says he will take full responsibility for Liverpool’s dismal 3-2 defeat at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Liverpool travelled to Selhurst Park in the midst of a three-match losing streak in all competitions. Rodgers' side last won in the league with a 3-2 triumph at QPR on October 19 and have collected just one point since.

Goals have been in short supply this season for the Merseysiders since the departure of striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona.

Rodgers added: "We're low on confidence at the moment in terms of the results and I think that sort of tempo and intensity of our game has just dropped right off and obviously we concede pure goals but we have no one to blame but ourselves.

"As the manager I take full responsibility for that.

"We aim to be tighter and more resolute defensively. Obviously we get the goal – and a number of the games this season – we've led a goal in front, and that should be enough.

"We work on defending, we work very hard on being compact, but we never managed the game.

"We've got a lot of young players and players who are new to the club but we have to be better than that."

Liverpool travelled to Selhurst Park in the midst of a three-match losing streak in all competitions. Rodgers' side last won in the league with a 3-2 triumph at QPR on October 19 and have collected just one point since.

Goals have been in short supply this season for the Merseysiders since the departure of striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona.

Rodgers added: "We're low on confidence at the moment in terms of the results and I think that sort of tempo and intensity of our game has just dropped right off and obviously we concede pure goals but we have no one to blame but ourselves.

"As the manager I take full responsibility for that.

"We aim to be tighter and more resolute defensively. Obviously we get the goal – and a number of the games this season – we've led a goal in front, and that should be enough.

"We work on defending, we work very hard on being compact, but we never managed the game.

"We've got a lot of young players and players who are new to the club but we have to be better than that."

What should Rodgers have done differently at Selhurst Park on Sunday? Let us know your post-match thoughts in the comments section below.

PA

.

petikan dari Liverpool FC, This is Anfield, Teamtalk

Continue Reading→

Crystal Palace 3-1 Liverpool: Player Ratings

Liverpool were deservedly beaten 3-1 by Crystal Palace on Sunday, on yet another dismal afternoon for Brendan Rodgers and his side.

SIMON MIGNOLET (out of 10)- 6

The Belgian could do little about any of Palace’s goals, and his handling was solid all afternoon. His kicking remains shambolic, however.

Vote Mignolet as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

JAVIER MANQUILLO- 6

The young Spaniard made a couple of crucial interceptions in the first-half, but he was given a torrid time by Yannick Bolasie all afternoon. One of Liverpool’s better players, but that’s not saying much.

Vote Manquillo as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

MARTIN SKRTEL- 4.5

The Slovakian was extremely poor from start to finish, showing poor positional sense and typically erratic defending. Gave away a needless foul for Palace’s third goal. The back-line will be always be shaky with the 29-year-old in it.

Vote Skrtel as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

DEJAN LOVREN- 5.5

The £20 million man was actually slightly better than of late, but he is still way short of the player we expected to see when he joined in the summer. His partnership with Skrtel looks, quite frankly, calamitous.

Vote Lovren as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

GLEN JOHNSON- 5

The 30-year-old was at his infuriating worst, showing a lackadaisical attitude all afternoon, and simply not offering enough quality defensively or going forward. He looks like a player who knows he’s leaving and the sooner Rodgers stops playing him, the better for all concerned.

Vote Johnson as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

STEVEN GERRARD- 5

The skipper was not at the races all day, whether it be his shooting, defensive work or general influence on the game. His below-par form continues, and question marks remain over his regular place in the side. Still played the full 90 minutes though. Again.

Vote Gerrard as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

JOE ALLEN- 7

Allen divides opinion, but there can surely no doubting that he was the Reds’ standout player on the day. The Wales international used the ball intelligently, worked extremely hard and defended well throughout. Palace equalised because the 24-year-old was off the pitch receiving treatment. Unfairly subbed for Can when Gerrard was far more off form.

Vote Allen as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

ADAM LALLANA- 6

The 26-year-old was neat and tidy, but he seemed to be on the periphery of things from start to finish. Terrific ball for Lambert’s goal though.

Vote Lallana as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

PHILIPPE COUTINHO- 5.5

The Brazilian often looked the most likely to open up the Palace defence, but too often he lost the ball or tried the impossible. You couldn’t question his effort, but he was very frustrating.

Vote Coutinho as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

RAHEEM STERLING- 5

The 19-year-old is way below his best at the moment, and he was poor again against the Eagles. He continually ran down blind alleys, and he inexcusably lost Joe Ledley for Palace’s second goal.

Vote Sterling as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

RICKIE LAMBERT- 5.5

Lambert’s afternoon got off to the perfect start, taking his first goal for Liverpool expertly, but he was pretty ineffective from that point on. If it had been Mario Balotelli producing that performance, he would have been slaughtered by some.

Vote Lambert as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

Substitutes

FABIO BORINI (on for Lallana 71)- 5.5

Barring one awful cross, the Italian was unnoticed.

Vote Borini as your Man of the Match on Twitter:

---

EMRE CAN (on for Allen 74)- n/a

Did nothing of note.

MAKE YOUR RATINGS

.

petikan dari Liverpool FC, This is Anfield, Teamtalk

Continue Reading→

Crystal Palace 3-1 Liverpool: Awful Reds Lose Yet Again

Liverpool succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, as their woeful start to the 2014/15 Premier League season continues.

Crystal Palace 3-1 Liverpool

Premier League / Selhurst Park / Sunday, 23rd November 2014

Goals: Lambert (2); Gayle (17), Ledley (78), Jedinak (81)

By Henry Jackson

Liverpool returned to Premier League action, following the last of 2014’s painful international breaks, for the first time since the 2-1 loss to Chelsea at Anfield. Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park, the scene of last season’s three-goal capitulation, was the venue.

Brendan Rodgers made four changes to the side that lost to Jose Mourinho’s men two weeks ago. Javier Manquillo came in at right-back, with Glen Johnson replacing Alberto Moreno at left-back, while Joe Allen, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert also started.

Mario Balotelli and Jordan Henderson were missing through injury and illness, respectively, while Emre Can had to make do with a place on the substitutes’ bench.

The Reds’ season was in great need of a momentum boost, and the game got underway in front of a typically passionate south London crowd.

Liverpool got off to an absolutely perfect start, and it was a moment Lambert will never forget. The 32-year-old latched onto Adam Lallana’s superb pass to calmly slot past Julian Speroni. It was his first goal for his boyhood club, after a frustrating first few months at Anfield.

Former Red Martin Kelly fired wildly over the crossbar, but it was the hosts’ only chance of note in the opening exchanges.

The scores were level after 16 minutes, however, as last season’s scourge Dwight Gayle fired home, after Yannick Bolasie’s effort had come back off the post. It was a very avoidable goal, not helped by the fact Allen had been receiving treatment for a head injury at the time.

There was a better balance about the Reds, despite lingering issues over the defence, and they had just been the better team in the first 25 minutes. Palace’s robust style was always a threat.

Lambert missed two decent chances with his head, and at the other end Bolasie forced Mignolet into a good save from range. The visitors were improving.

Steven Gerrard drilled an effort over from 30 yards out, while Manquillo produced a brilliant block to deny the electric Bolasie on the counter-attack.

At the end of an intriguing first-half, the scores were level at 1-1. It hadn’t been a bad performance by Liverpool, but improvements were still needed, especially at the back.

The second-half got underway, and there were no changes for either side at the break. Palace were the better of the two sides in the early minutes.

Martin Skrtel had a half-chance from an angle, but skewed it wide, while Gerrard’s shooting boots continued to evade him, as he failed to hit the target from distance.

With 30 minutes remaining the game was finely poised, but Liverpool weren’t really looking like heading back up north with all three points. Neil Warnock’s side definitely looked the more likely in that respect.

Manquillo horribly dragged a shot wide with 20 minutes remaining, as the Reds pushed for a winner. Palace looked ominous on the break, but the visitor’s were now on top. Rodgers tweaked his system slightly, and Fabio Borini and Can were introduced.

In the 78th minute, Liverpool were behind. Brilliant work from Bolasie led to Joe Ledley stroking the ball past Mignolet. Jedinak then curled a sublime free-kick into the top corner to make it 3-1, as a miserable afternoon for the Reds was complete.

Rodgers is now under real pressure, and will have serious questions to answer with regard to his side’s current form. A pitiful afternoon.

Man of the Match: Joe Allen

Tactical Overview

Rodgers went with a 4-4-2 diamond formation, with Coutinho at the top of the midfield quartet and Gerrard at the base of it. Sterling started alongside Lambert in attack.

There was a slightly better balance to the side than of late, but he changed back to 4-2-3-1 at half-time and moved Sterling wide. Then took off the best player, Allen, leaving Gerrard on for the full 90 minutes – again.

Liverpool: Mignolet, Manquillo, Lovren, Skrtel, Johnson, Gerrard (c), Allen (Can 74), Lallana (Borini 71), Coutinho, Sterling, Lambert.

Subs not used: Jones, Toure, Moreno, Lucas, Markovic.

Crystal Palace starting XI: Speroni, Kelly, Delaney, Dann, Ward, Jedinak, Ledley, Bolasie, Puncheon, Chamakh, Gayle.

petikan dari Liverpool FC, This is Anfield, Teamtalk

Continue Reading→

Premier League: Brendan Rodgers admits confidence is low at Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers admits confidence is in short supply at Liverpool but says they did themselves few favours at Crystal Palace.

Back at Selhurst Park, the ground on which their title dream died last season, Liverpool endured more capital misery on Sunday.

They got off to the best possible start, as Rickie Lambert netted his first goal for the club inside the opening 90 seconds, but Palace hit back through Dwight Gayle, Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak to claim a memorable scalp.

Rodgers concedes that his side are struggling, following a run of one win in seven in all competitions, but he also believes that they need to start doing the basics better if they are to turn the corner.

He told Sky Sports: “It was a terrific start to the game for us, to get up so early.

“And well done to Rickie Lambert, great movement, touch and finish to get his goal. I thought he was excellent today, he worked tirelessly up front, touch and movement, he worked very well.

“We are obviously low on confidence at the moment in terms of the results and I think the intensity of our game just dropped right off.

“We concede poor goals, but we’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves. As manager, I take full responsibility for it.”

Rodgers added: “We aim to be tighter and more resolute defensively.

“We get the goal and in a number of games this season we’ve gone a goal in front, and that should be enough. We work on defending, very hard on being compact.

“We never managed the game. We were down to 10 men (with Joe Allen receiving treatment) and were too fast trying to work the ball out from behind, it gets cleared and then the distances are too big and they end up getting an equaliser.

“The management of the game, that’s experience. We’ve got a lot of young players and players that are new to the club, but we have to be better.”

petikan dari LiverpoolTeamTalk

Continue Reading→