When does a slump become a full-blown crisis? I think we're about to find out. Here's the RAAAAAAAAAAAATTTIIIIIINNNNGGGS!
Wasn't at all confident about this game, and rightly so. We were well beaten by the better team. Chelsea looked sharper, passed the ball better and when your midfield is totally bossed by a Scottish teenager who has only been with the first team for 3 weeks, you know you're struggling. Ironic that Klopp was one of the loudest and biggest cheerleaders for the winter break, and gave the players the full two weeks off, and we've come back from that and been fucking dire ever since.
Klopp picked a team mixed with youth, squad players and first-teamers, but nobody was really great, and half of the team who started last night are clearly not good enough to play for Liverpool.
Adrian (4) Made some good saves, but it doesn't really matter if you also fuck up and let in shite goals that are hit right at you. Unreliable, needs treplacing.
Williams (6) Solid display, and he can be pleased with how he played, even if his delivery wasn't quite accurate enough. Had a decent battle with Pedro and worked hard all night.
Virgil (5) Better than the horrorshow against Watford, but still looked below his usual level and was occasionally troubled by Giroud, which wouldn't normally happen. So by his standards, he was fairly average
Gomez (5) Came back into the side, but looked a bit tentative at times, and not aggressive enough as Chelsea ran at us. Like everyone else, needs to step it up, and quick.
Robertson (5) Fairly secure in the first half, but he was kept from attacking too much by Willian's prodigious workrate on the right. Didn't do enough with what attacking possibilities he had, and was another who was slack with his passing.
Fabinho (3) What has happened to him? Since he returned from injury he's been so shit I wish he was still injured. Dozy as fuck all night, useless in and out of possession, and Barkley and Gilmour made him look about 100 years old. Fucking dreadful. He needs to be dropped, but we don't really have too many options, as Keita is shit (and always injured), and Milner is 34.
Lallana (4) Usual silken touches, but the problem is that, while he was never exactly blessed with pace, now he seems almost incapable of running at all, and he was about as robust as an empty bag of fucking crisps as Chelsea breezed past him at will.
Jones (5) Won't be that happy, especially with a very passive first half in which he was hardly involved. Improved for a spell after halftime and tried to influence things more, but wasn't enough and was hooked for someone. Can't remember who. Don't care.
Mane (6) Best attacking threat by far and caused Chelsea a few problems, but wasn't clinical enough with the chances he had, and Kepa made several good saves to deny him a goal.
Origi (4) Think he had one decent effort, and then just ambled around in his usual clumsy fuckwitted fashion. Nowhere near good enough.
Minamino (5) Started brightly enough with a couple of sharp passes and movement, but presented almost zero genuine threat, and did fuck all after the break. Looks exactly like a £7m footballer and isn't good enough to be near the first team on this evidence.
Subs: Pffffft.
