Liverpool laboured to a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in their Premier League home opener.
Sadio Mane grabbed the goal, but familiar issues in attack and defence were apparent yet again.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
LIVERPOOL HAVE BIG PERSONNEL PROBLEMS
This was another poor performance from the Reds. They were far from convincing against a Palace side missing their best player, Wilfried Zaha, and who were beaten 0-3 by Huddersfield at home in their last start.
The Reds were fortunate not to go behind after Christian Benteke missed the sort of opportunity he often squandered while playing for Liverpool and Mane’s goal was equally fortuitous after it ricocheted off a defender onto his boot.
The Philippe Coutinho saga seems to have dealt a mental blow to the whole club and the team are playing with little belief and confidence.
It’s the sort of response you expect when your best player hands in a transfer request. The other players start to wonder what they are doing at the club, especially Mohamed Salah who just arrived.
The injury to Adam Lallana compounds the problem as he is the only like for like Coutinho replacement and he is out till November.
KLOPP IS TACTICALLY NAIVE
Liverpool’s fans were overjoyed when the likeable German arrived at the club. Here finally Reds fans felt, was a manager whose lofty ambitions matched those of their own, and who had the ability to deliver on his promises.
Now into his third season, Liverpool fans are starting to doubt him. The Anfield outfit had two big transfer targets in Naby Keita and Virgil van Dijk and failed to get either. They now are in grave danger of losing their best player.
More concerning is that Klopp, as great a PR boost to the club as he’s been, seems to have no distinct game plan now that Coutinho and Lallana are not available. The Reds looked limp in attack and as usual the defence was haphazard at best.
Klopp needs a plan B and fast. Compare their stumbling performance with Manchester United’s demolition of Swansea City and the gulf between the two clubs at the moment is clear. If the former Borussia Dortmund boss can’t see that, he is as deluded as some of the other recent Liverpool managers.
ROBERTSON COULD BE THE ANSWER
One positive in Liverpool’s stuttering defence was the starting debut of recent Hull City arrival Andy Robertson at left-back, who was among the best on the day.
He was dangerous going forward, whipping in some lovely balls from the left flank, and certainly much more reliable defending than his rival for the position Alberto Moreno, although that isn’t hard.
The Scot’s first half stats were impressive: 85% pass accuracy, seven crosses and three chances created. The rest of the Liverpool defence is again problematic with Ragnar Klavan and Joel Matip again failing to combine effectively in the middle and Joe Gomez out of place on the right.
Klopp may like to console himself by spouting the Reds third clean sheet at home in the Premier League, but it’s a very poor Palace side without their chief threat. No great triumph keeping them out.
