After a rather tiresome draw against West Brom last weekend, Liverpool’s season slipped into further trouble with a loss away from home to Watford. While it was not expected to be a walk in the park for the Reds, the ability to get results in such tough games differentiate the sides in the top four from the rest and Liverpool were awful.
Adam Bogdan – 3
It all started horribly for the Hungarian keeper. While the first goal remains open to controversy, it must be noted that he failed to collect the ball in the first go. He did not dictate the terms in the box and every set piece looked like a mishap ready to happen with him in between the sticks. The only notably positive moment of his evening came when he denied Ighalo a one on one chance in the second half.
Martin Skrtel- 5
The Solvakian centre-backs’ evening came to an early end with hamstring injury requiring him to leave the game in the 40th minute. While he did the right thing tracking Ighalo’s run for the second Watford goal, he got out-muscled, which is rather ironic for a player always regarded as one of the strongest in the league by many.
Mamadou Sakho- 3
We adore Sakho, but today, he was awaful, twisted and turned mercilessly by the duo of Deeney and Ighalo. He looked out of his depths at time and was caught napping more than once. For us, if Liverpool are to get anywhere near the coveted Champions League spot, they need Sakho to provide the much needed solidarity at the back. Today was an exhibition of how erratic the Frenchman can be on some days.
Nathaniel Clyne- 4
Clyne has been Liverpool’s most consistent player over the course of the current season, more often than not defying the form of the team. However, today was different as Clyne performed in sync with his team. He got run over at times and was opened up in a positioning sense at times. He did not bring a lot to the attack and was mediocre to describe at best.
Alberto Moreno- 3
Well, to be honest, going by the ratings we are dishing out, the score line should be more than just a 3-0. Let’s just admit that it was Watford’s generosity that saved Liverpool from further misery. Moreno started the evening well, making some nice runs and adding to the attack of the side. However, he was caught out of his position way too often, outmuscled and bullied by the Watford players throughout the game.
Lucas- 5
Lucas was way too immobile for anyone’s liking failing to close down gaps in defence and unable to add to the attack. He was dribbled past on numerous occasions and like all the other Liverpool players showed an inability to deal with highly intensive and physical football. While he has performed admirably for his side, there is definitely the need to upgrade at the earliest for a more powerful and assertive defensive midfielder.
Jordan Henderson- 6
The Liverpool captain was one the two positives for the Merseyside club. He made some beautiful diagonal balls opening up the Watford defence and created 2 chances in the game apart from testing the resolve of the Watford defence with a couple of shots. He did his fair bit in the midfield, launching in duels to stop the marauding Watford players, but it did not yield any result.
Emre Can- 5
In contrast to most of his teammates, the German showed some desire to turn things around. He made 3 successful tackles, 1 interception and 2 blocks apart from creating a single chance early in the second half. However, all in all it was a rather timid performance by Emre.
Adam Lallana- 4
Lallana has been one player we have been pleasantly surprised since the appointment of Jurgen Klopp. He has functioned as the creative force of this side. However, today, he tried his best to twist and turn into crucial areas but to no avail.
Firmino- 1
If we could summarize the Brazilian’s evening in one word, it has to be invisible. Deployed as the false 9, he failed to bring anything to the side. To be honest, he has had only a couple of marvelous outings, with the rest best described as mediocre. Today, however, he was horrendous.
Coutinho- 7
The Brazilian along with his captain Henderson was the only one who could have had any positive impact on the game. He made space for himself and tried to get into crucial areas. However, the over dependence on the Brazilian might cost the side in the long run as he is being overburdened with no real quality to function alongside him.
Divock Origi- 5
The striker who featured for more than 50 minutes tried his best to open up the Watford defence but the centre-backs and defensive midfield duo of Capoue and Watson handled him with admirable calm.
Jordon Ibe- 4
Brought on in the 70th minute with the side already 2-0 down against a resilient side, Ibe could not do a lot to turn the tide for his side. His most notable contribution came in the 90th minute when he cut inside and had a pop at the Watford goal.
Christian Benteke- 4
The fact that Liverpool paid in excess of £32 million for Belgian has no impact on Klopp’s team selection. The Belgian has looked out of sync with this side and the story continued through his short spell against Watford.
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