ALISSON’S AT IT AGAIN
Alisson fluffs lines again as brittle champions fall apart
AT the peak of Liverpool’s dominance a year ago, this seemed unimaginable. The impregnable, all-conquering red machine of last season have two wins in 10 League games.
Indeed, they have five defeats from the past seven games in all competitions. Even more worryingly, they fell apart here in a seven-minute spell of calamity, confusion and controversy surrounding VAR.
They l ook utterly beaten now. Like Manchester City last season, the speed of their fall from the mountain top of excellence to this chaotic, shambolic title defence is startling. Jurgen Klopp conceded again that the title is beyond his team.
No-one thought to ask Brendan Rodgers, whose Leicester City side now sit second. His tactical bravery and his team’s determination meant this victory was ultimately deserved, for all Liverpool’s dominance.
For at least three-quarters of this match, it looked as if Liverpool had responded well to last weekend’s 4-1 home defeat by Manchester City. This was Liverpool on full throttle, pressing high up the pitch, never allowing their opponents to settle and forcing a succession of corners, free-kicks and chances.
They weren’t exactly cruising up to 78 minutes — how could any side relax with a onegoal lead against a Jamie Vardy-led attack? — but they were in control. Rodgers had switched his system, playing a diamond midfield and bringing on Ayoze Perez on 74 minutes. Suddenly, all hell broke loose.
What will worry Klopp most is how quickly Liverpool capitulated. In addition, problems are mounting. Alisson, virtually infallible for two seasons, compounded last weekend’s errors, with another awful misjudgment. And Ozan Kabak, signed on loan — with an option to buy for £22million — to fill the hole caused by injuries to three centre halves, endured a torrid debut alongside Jordan Henderson.
Klopp conceded some of those points. ‘The 2-1 (goal) had too big an impact,’ he said. ‘It was maybe 13 minutes to go [actually, with added time it was 12]. Then we’ve shown a different direction. I did not like the reaction to the second goal.’
Most people, though, will not mark the second goal on 83 minutes as the turning point. Rather, it was five minutes earlier, when Harvey Barnes jinxed past Thiago Alcantara and Trent Alexander-Arnold and the Spaniard stuck out an injudicious leg, which precipitated an extraordinary seven-minute spell.
Initially, Barnes thought he had won a penalty but multiple replays showed Thiago was just outside the box. While the midfielder was reprieved, a more import ant point remained: Liverpool’s most import ant signing of t he summer looked ill at ease amid the intensity of this game.
James Maddison, on free-kick duties, drilled the ball across goal. No-one committed except Daniel Amartey, but he couldn’t get a touch. Yet the ball rolled across goal and into the far corner for an equaliser. Or so we thought. A rogue offside flag was raised. Maddison fumed before a further minute of video replays showed Roberto Firmino’s foot just playing Amartey onside so the goal stood. Klopp was convinced it was offside, saying: ‘Everyone on the pitch, even after watching it back ,( saw) it was offside. Accepting that with a smile is not easy. It’ s gone with a tough decision.’ The reality, close though it was, is that Amartey was onside. But it triggered Liverpool’s collapse. Along Youri Tie le man sb all caught Kabak and Alisson in a tangle, the goalkeeper racing from his box when he could have left it and colliding with his new team-mate. Into the void stepped Vardy, who simply walked the ball into the net. From the restart, Liverpool looked abject, as though they might concede with every attack. A wonderful double save from Alisson denied
Vardy on 84 minutes. Seconds later Salah lost possession and Wilfried Ndidi’s ball left Kabak helpless and Barnes in on goal to make it 3-1.
Perhaps such vulnerabilities are inevitable. Who hasn’t suffered from psychological fatigue during the time of Covid?
Having achieved what Liverpool have over the past two years, it might seem inhuman to expect young men to maintain such rigorous standards. More to the point, their defence has gone missing, in a literal rather than metaphorical sense. With Virgil van Dijk and one of Joel Matip or Joe Gomez, they would clearly not be so fragile.
Leicester are the last side you want to meet when you’re brittle. Fine quarterback though Henderson is at centre half — his range of passing was exceptional — no-one wants to go up against the energy of Vardy as a makeshift defender, not with Barnes and Maddison in the form of their lives.
‘The way we played after going 1-0 down is a measure of the development of this team,’ said Rodgers. ‘A year ago that would have disappointed us.’
It was about this time last year that Leicester’s Champions League challenge faltered, winning just three games from late January.
‘The players have shown maturity and consistency this season,’ said Rodgers. ‘I’ve said this group had big potential, they just need time. But, long way to go.’
Liverpool had dominated the first half, but Vardy had the best chances to open the scoring with a header on 36 minutes and a shot against the bar when played in by Maddison’s flick after Kabak’s slip.
Alexander-Arnold’s free kick on 55 minutes deflected off the wall and rebounded off the bar. Liverpool went ahead on 67 minutes when Alexander-Arnold’s cross was deflected for Firmino, whose swivel and double backheel was exquisite and Salah finished from 12 yards. But this is not the Liverpool of old.