With Liverpool losing their first Europa League game of the season, there was plenty to mull over from the Reds’ 3-2 loss vs. Toulouse
As Jurgen Klopp said after the game, even a point “wouldn’t have made the game better” in hindsight.
It was probably the Reds’ worst showing of the season and, despite fielding a rotated team, the players massively underperformed.
Here, Sam Millne (@sam_millne), Patrick Allen (@P_Allen21) and Tom Eves (@TomEvesJourno) discuss where things went wrong for Liverpool’s against Toulouse.
Did Liverpool deserve anything from the game?
Paddy: No, absolutely nothing. How do you beat a team so comfortably only to go and lose there a fortnight later? It was a dreadful performance, up there with the worst under Klopp for me.
Tom: I don’t think we really deserved anything from that game; I thought we were poor and potentially underestimated Toulouse a bit.
We just didn’t seem to show any desire and barely created anything for ourselves – perhaps one of our worst performances under Jurgen Klopp.
Sam: Not much more to add from Tom and Paddy’s feelings. Despite dominating possession, Liverpool deserved to drop points. Having said that, they should have still come away with a point.
Where do you think we went wrong?
Tom: As I said previously, I feel we possibly underestimated Toulouse a bit too much.
Maybe the lads are already aware that we will more than likely be going through and did not show as much fight as we usually would. It’s a worrying result, especially after what happened in Luton on Sunday. We need to bounce back on Sunday.
Paddy: Like Tom, I thought the attitude was totally wrong and it’s becoming somewhat of a problem.
They thought they’d pull up, step onto the pitch and win the game comfortably, just like they did at Luton. That’s obviously not how this works and some of them need to really have a look at themselves.
Sam: Personally, I don’t think there was a lack of effort or desire; Liverpool just looked blunt.
Constant rotation doesn’t help the team’s rhythm but, even so, the Reds had enough quality there to beat a relegation-threatened Ligue 1 side.
Are the midfield injuries becoming a problem?
Sam: On paper, the individuals who played in Toulouse should have had no problem coping with the opposition. So, in theory, the squad is good as it is when injuries strike.
However, the issues come when you compound Curtis Jones‘ absence with Andy Robertson‘s, as well as a lack of dominating No. 6. Liverpool soon look very easy to overrun.
Paddy: Like Sam, I don’t think it’s necessarily the injuries, I think it’s the personnel.
Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Jones and even Harvey Elliott are all good options, but the lack of a defensive midfielder is blatant.
Wataru Endo, as much as he’s an experienced head, has shown precious little so far and could’ve been sent off this evening, and Alexis Mac Allister clearly isn’t the answer in defensive midfield.
Tom: The injuries are certainly looking a bit worrying at the moment.
That’s Gravenberch, Jones, Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic all out now and, with Mac Allister serving a suspension for Brentford, our midfield is looking quite thin.
Thoughts on the disallowed equaliser…
• READ HERE: UEFA’s own guidelines explain why Jarell Quansah’s goal was WRONGLY disallowed
Paddy: It’s incredibly harsh and it just adds to the consensus that the implementation of VAR really isn’t working at the moment.
It’s almost as like they’re analysing every single goal looking for a reason to chalk it off. The worst part about it is the referee appeared to give the goal initially!
Sam: Whether Mac Allister’s ‘handball’ was indeed a handball is debatable. What is also bizarre, though, is how far back the VAR went to disallow the goal.
Toulouse even won the ball back in the time between the incident and Jarell Quansah putting the ball in the net.
Who would you play at left-back vs. Brentford?
Paddy: Joe Gomez. Look, Kostas Tsimikas has had his chance and, as an out and out left-back, you’d think he’d have taken it.
But, the error for their first is indicative of him as a footballer in my opinion – lackadaisical, always one step behind, and he hasn’t really shown anything since 2021/22 that says he’s a long term option.
Tom: Honestly, I love Tsimikas but he has been off it recently. I would maybe think about starting Gomez there instead against Brentford.
Sam: For matches at Anfield, I’d usually have stuck with Tsimikas, despite the recent poor showings.
However, with Brentford‘s Bryan Mbeumo and Frank Onyeka potentially causing trouble on that side, I’d prefer to see Gomez there.
Neither are ideal, and I’d have played Luke Chambers on Thursday, personally.
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