Liverpool Countered To Death By Leicester

After a lengthy break (around 16 days), Liverpool returned to action.  They seemed to have everything set up for a victory but that's why we play the games.

Liverpool was going up against Leicester.  The Reds had their form back with a strong win over Tottenham, Leicester was reeling from the unpopular firing of Claudio Ranieri and the Foxes had not scored a Premier League goal in 2017.

All set up for Liverpool right?  Not so fast my friend.

The Foxes came out with a lot of energy in the first few moments.  Liverpool looked shaky on the backline and just a step slow.  Their goalkeeper kept them into the contest with a couple early saves, but it would not last long enough.

Liverpool's defensive lapses were clear when Leicester scored the opening goal in the 28th minute.  Lucas, who has played valiantly but is not a defender, was charged with marking Jamie Vardy.  However, he was shoulder to shoulder with the striker as the through ball was played and Vardy scored on a breakaway with, really, only Simon Mignolet to beat.

Liverpool did not hang their heads.  They almost came up with a moment of brilliance just a short time later.  Coutinho was denied the equalizer only a minute or so later when Kasper Schmeichel made himself big, diving to stop the Brazilian's one timer.

Despite the Reds dominance through midfield, they could not really spring things on the attack.  That left too much room for the Foxes to feel they were in the game.  The Liverpool defensive woes continued as well.

In the 40th minute, the Reds failed to fully clear the ball from the penalty area.  Liverpool looked lost when defending their own 18 yard box and Danny Drinkwater managed to make them pay.  With the ball falling perfectly to him, he volleyed it from about 22 yards and curled it perfectly into the side netting.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, the Foxes looked like the team that won the 2016 Premier League title as opposed to the team that was in danger of being relegated.  Liverpool came through the tunnel to open the second half with spirit, but spirit does not win games alone.

At one point, the Reds had 79% of the possession.  They were pressing up the field and trying to probe the defense.  They could not find a hole though.

Like the previous season, Leicester were not interested in playing an open game once they had a solid lead.  The Foxes had plenty of players back to defend each push up the field.  Then Leicester poached another one.

Against the run of play, a cross found Vardy.  Vardy headed it home for his second of the game and a 3-0 lead with less than 30 minutes to go.

Liverpool tried some things, including some subs and brief formation changes.  None of it was enough though.

There were bright spots.  A bit of brilliance with some solid passing along the left and a good run by Emre Can was finished off by Coutinho.  The forward's first goal in 16 games made the score 3-1.

In the end there was not enough moments of brilliance by the Reds.  Schmeichel made some good saves to deny Liverpool any attempts at a comeback, but you just never felt like it was going to happen.

From a neutral perspective, it was a fine game to behold.  There was solid defending, good countering and enough offense to keep even borderline fans entertained.  Even as a non-neutral, it was hard not be taken in by the storyline of it all, especially with the fans salute to Ranieri.

From a Liverpool perspective, it was a disappointing performance.  Even with a manager as good as Jurgen Klopp, this team continues to come out flat at the most random times.  You can chalk it up to the time off, but that's no excuse.

Liverpool must find a way to defend better even when they have the current players on the field.  The Reds have to be more cognizant of counter attacks, because that has almost crept up to a level spot with set pieces as the team's biggest weakness.

The Reds could have lept over Arsenal back into the top four.  Now they remain a point behind with the Gunners having a chance to push the gap to four with a game in hand.  Fortunately, Liverpool face Arsenal next and can keep their fate in their own hands.

Random Thoughts:
- Where is Ragnar Klavan?  I appreciate the talents of Lucas and James Milner, but you cannot have two midfielders comprising the left side of your defense?  Liverpool brought this guy in and it seems hard to imagine that even a young central defender is not preferable to a midfielder out of position.  Who knew that we would all be clamoring for Dejan Lovren.

- As far as I'm concerned, the biggest issue missing from Liverpool after their break, other than the speed level, was killer instinct.  Possession does not mean a thing if you can't finish.  Liverpool seemed hesitant to let fly in an attempt to keep pushing further or find that extra bit of space that never materialized.  The Reds are at their best when they feel free to have a go from anywhere.

- I mentioned it above, but it bares repeating - Liverpool have to keep counterattacks to a minimum.  It's impossible to have none, especially against good teams.  Still, when the Reds did enough through the flow of the game to earn some points but looked absolutely lost at times when Leicester flung balls over the top, it's a big problem.

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