Liverpool: Man City defeat means it is crisis time for ‘weak’ Premier League champions, says Roy Keane
Roy Keane insists Liverpool are in crisis after producing a “weak” performance in defeat at Man City, while Gary Neville thought they looked like a team “there to be beaten” after Arne Slot’s side succumbed to a fifth Premier League defeat of the season at the Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool were second best at the Etihad, swept aside by goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and the outstanding Jeremy Doku, with Haaland missing a penalty to boot, as City put their hand up as Arsenal’s nearest challengers for the Premier League title.
The Reds, however, fell to a fifth defeat in 11 games to start this Premier League season and a seventh loss in 10 in all competitions.
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Gary Neville believes Florian Wirtz’s performances have become a ‘problem’ after he signed for Liverpool in the summer
The defending champions are already eight points behind leaders Arsenal after a tame display in Manchester and Keane told Sky Sports: “I think it is crisis time for Liverpool.
“It’s okay to lose to a club like Man City – it’s a tough place to come. But to lose seven in 10 – five league losses already – it has to be a crisis for a club like Liverpool.”
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“I thought Liverpool looked like a really weak team today,” he added.
“The manager said he was pleased with the second half, but the game was over! It’s easy to play well when you’re not playing for anything.
“I thought [Slot’s] assessment of the game was spot on. City looked stronger, technically better and more physical than Liverpool today.
“[Liverpool] still had moments, they’ve always got quality, but the goals they’re giving away – their decision-making – was not good enough.
“There was a lack of intensity, a lack of energy. The subs, when they came on, looked really soft.
“I think it is a crisis for Liverpool.”
‘Liverpool there to be beaten’
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool
Gary Neville also raised concerns regarding Liverpool’s physicality at the Etihad and described Slot’s men as a team that was “there to be beaten”.
Speaking during the game on co-commentary, Neville said: “Liverpool have played without confidence.
“They look leggy. Physically, they look well off it. Sluggish.
“Sometimes you can tell a team is there to be beaten.
“Liverpool’s legs are gone. They cannot get out. It is so, so poor.”
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool looks dejected after Liverpool’s fifth league defeat of the season
After Gonzalez’s strike deflected off Virgil van Dijk for City’s second goal, Neville added: “Van Dijk just lets it hit him. Really strange.
“They have lost every battle and it is really worrying.”
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast after the game, Neville added: “I thought it was a really, really poor performance. It was one of the worst that I’ve seen from a Liverpool team for a long time.
“It was a bit like they didn’t know what to do. I think it was a worry.
“They need to basically go and have a good look at themselves, because they’ve hit high standards, and they’re a group of players who know how to win things, and they’ll know that they’re nowhere near at the moment.”
Slot: Liverpool cannot think about title race
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Following Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed goal against Manchester City, Arne Slot compared it to John Stones’ strike against Wolves last season – with referee Chris Kavanagh in charge of both games.
Meanwhile, Slot admitted Liverpool cannot spend time thinking about the title race until they have fixed the issues which have seen them lose five of 11 in the league to fall eight points off the pace.
“(Five defeats) feels too many,” Slot said.
“The last thing I should speak about is the title race. We should focus on getting results before we can even think about that. The reality is we are eighth now. One team is quite far ahead, City are four points behind Arsenal.
“I said last season many times, even when we were leading, the best time to judge the league is of course after 38 games and then next best is after 19 games because you have played all the opponents.
“Our first focus should be on getting results and the last thing we should focus on is the title race…We need to improve, that is obvious.”
