Liverpool were thoroughly embarrassed in a 3-0 thrashing defeat against Watford on Sunday, which marks the third consecutive game in which the Reds have failed record a victory in the Premier League.
It was by far Liverpool’s worst performance under Jurgen Klopp. There were no signs of progression from the Reds as their defensive and attacking woes continued. Watford displayed more quality in all facets of the match, and truly outclassed Liverpool for the full 90’.
From the outset, Liverpool were pressed deep into their defensive half and struggled to fight for stability in possession.
With the absence of injured goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, second-choice keeper Adam Bogdan got the nod and within five minutes from the kick off, was responsible for Watford’s first goal as he couldn’t handle a routine cross delivered inside the six yard box.
From then on Watford dominated possession and kept the Liverpool defenders under enormous pressure. Odion Ighalo scored Watford’s second and third goals with ease because of extremely poor one on one defending from the Reds centre backs.
Many could question the way in which Klopp’s tactical substitutions late in the first half affected the remainder of the game. He subbed on striker Divock Origi for the injured Martin Skrtel, which meant that his counterpart Mamadou Sakho was left alone to struggle in the center of the defense.
Arguments can be made that Klopp should have brought on centre back Kolo Toure for Skrtel, as it would have produced better organization and discipline in defense.
Consistency has been the biggest issue for Liverpool this season. For this match at Watford, big money signings Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino were once again virtually anonymous for extensive spells throughout the match.
Jurgen Klopp insists the first goal against Liverpool was a foul and shouldn’t have counted, but does admit that his side should throughly deserved the defeat at Vicarage Road.
“Bad start, very difficult first half. Little better second half, but didn’t score.
“I know the rule. It’s a foul [on Bogdan]. But we made more bad decisions. We lost our mind after the first goal. We don’t feel good today, of course. We came here to do something very different to what you saw.”
Regardless, the players that Klopp has at his disposal are simply not good enough to display consistent quality performances week in and week out. Jurgen will have to make some crucial singings next month in the January transfer window if his side wants to maintain any hope of qualifying for the Champions League.
Liverpool’s fixtures do not get any easier as they host league leaders Leicester City on Boxing Day in the Premier League this Saturday.
