Liverpool got off to a poor start at Anfield in the Premier League round of 16 against underdogs Fulham. The Kop conceded an early goal in the 11th minute, and just a few minutes later, Andy Robertson received a red card for a very rough tackle.
"Robertson's red card in the 17th minute put the home team in a very difficult position. When losing such a full-back, Liverpool's formation was shaken. On the opposite wing, Trent Alexander-Arnold has never been the type of defender who can defend well.
In the situation of receiving a red card, Robertson must blame himself. First, it was a very poor handling of the ball. Then it was a rough tackle in a situation where if the opponent had escaped, he could have scored. Therefore, the red card was deserved" - Commentator Quang Huy commented.
Late November and early December were Liverpool's best times. They beat Real Madrid 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League in midweek. With the same result, just 3 days later, The Kop continued to beat Man City in the Premier League.
However, after the win over Man City in early December, Liverpool began to show signs of slowing down. They were held to a 3-3 draw by Newcastle. The next match against Everton was postponed without a replay date due to bad weather conditions. After that, Arne Slot's team only won 1-0 against Girona in the Champions League in an unconvincing match. This weekend, the "Red Brigade" continued to lose points to Fulham at home.
"The schedule is so tight that no team can confidently say they can handle it. I have said that with this schedule, it is not surprising that a team plays well in one match but poorly in the next. Therefore, the road ahead for the red team may be full of thorns.
Many Liverpool fans also admit that in recent weeks, the rate of boring matches of The Kop has been quite high. Liverpool's dominance may not be maintained in a unique way in the near future" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
Liverpool have had a big problem with the centre-forward position recently, with Diogo Jota injured and Darwin Nunez in poor form. There was a time when Arne Slot had to use Luis Diaz for this position. The Colombian winger adapted for a while but was only a temporary replacement.
"In the absence of the striker, Arne Slot returned to the 4-3-3 formation from 4-2-3-1 to have 3 strikers, thereby supporting each other in scoring. This way of playing still takes advantage of Mohamed Salah's leadership ability.
4-2-3-1 helped Liverpool play very flexibly at the beginning of the season, but the current situation does not allow them to do that anymore" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
The draw with Fulham also showed the fatigue of Liverpool's midfield when Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai were not as active as before, especially with some being replaced due to lack of assurance. When the midfield was more fragile, with the weak defensive wings, Liverpool were constantly under pressure.
"When the midfield was tired, Liverpool's defense was on red alert. In particular, the home team did not have the service of Ibrahima Konate in this match. The French center-back could not play, making Virgil van Dijk more tired than usual. There is still a huge gap in skill between Konate and Gomez.
I really admire Robertson and Alexander-Arnold because no other pair of wings has been able to contribute consistently at a high level like them for many years. However, Arne Slot's Liverpool are not as purely attacking as Jurgen Klopp, so their playing time is limited. At the end of this season, Alexander-Arnold can also leave Anfield, which may be a reasonable decision for everyone" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
