Daniel’s Debrief: Liverpool 0-1 Crystal Palace

They say our days are numbered.

And they’d be correct.

This team’s race is run. We may only be two points from the top of the league, but it’s as clear as day that this Liverpool team is out of juice and has got nothing left to give.

Their admirable efforts earlier in the season, particularly from January to mid-March, when we were missing so many players, have caught up with them.

People won’t want to hear this, but we’re not as good as Man City or Arsenal and we haven’t been all season. 

At times, we’ve produced better football and been more enjoyable to watch, but this title charge has always felt like we were punching above ourselves to be in it.

And the reality has come. But, it’s come in an ugly fashion.

The last seven days have been horrific and this season that has given us so many memories is threatening to unravel.

The manager and the players are equally culpable to me.

It was probably the right team selection from Jurgen Klopp but tactically Liverpool are all over the place.

Jean-Philippe Mateta is in great form and is allowed to cause Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk problems.

It’s the second game in a row where Liverpool face a team playing a back three and desperately struggle to figure out what to do.

It was painful watching Tyrick Mitchell get down the flank time after time without anything being done to halt it.

Why is Darwin Nunez pulling off into channels when there’s a back three that contains a 33-year-old full-back in Nathaniel Clyne and a midfielder in Jefferson Lerma?

Why is Wataru Endo, who’s best work has been done when receiving the ball and moving it quickly, been used as our orchestrator for build-up play in the last two games?

How does it take until the last ten minutes for Harvey Elliott, always so influential from the bench, to come on?

The manager has had a great season but he’s had a very bad few games now and looks all out of ideas tactically. Gian Piero Gasperini and Oliver Glasner have outdone him this week.

He looks just as done as the players and it’s starting to look more and more like he’s made the right call about his future.

So much of this season has been running on fumes and vibes but they’ve both run out. When it’s come down to needing pure football, we’ve looked sorely lacking.

Every game this season has been work. We’re 32 games in and I reckon we’ve won comfortably a maximum of six times.

It takes its toll, we’ve been climbing mountains week after week. Once again, we start slowly and go a goal down.

Fourteen times in the league we’ve conceded first. Twenty-one in all competitions. Why can’t we just start a game well? Or at least not concede in the first half hour? 

It’s another really bad goal to concede. Unlike the Danny Welbeck, Bruno Fernandes or Kobbie Mainoo goals of recent weeks, where individuals were to blame, this was another systematic failure of Klopp’s defence.

Curtis Jones’ press is ineffective, Conor Bradley is miles out of position, Endo doesn’t do enough, and the gap between Konate and Van Dijk is ridiculous.

It’s great work from Mitchell but he doesn’t cross for someone, he just puts it into an area and of all people, Eberechi Eze is awarded daft amounts of space to finish past Alisson Becker.

It’s not good enough. Individually and collectively, this shouldn’t be so easy. Had they never watched a Glasner team before? Didn’t they know what to expect?

The first half is diabolical. I’ve mentioned about how badly we’ve used Endo in the last two games and while he looks like his race is run, he’d still be more effective if used properly.

The first half sees him struggle desperately with the ball, continually taking too long on it. He tries to be the one that we build through but Palace trap him well.

It reminded me of a game in December where Endo was used as the first point of progression, and he was pressed to within an inch of his life. His loss of the ball led to a penalty that day and he was hooked at half-time.

That game was away at… Crystal Palace.

Honestly, Klopp’s tactics for this game were arrogant and costly.

Palace have players in Eze, Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen that could play for Champions League teams and yet Liverpool think that aura alone will be enough. Again.

Will Hughes and Adam Wharton are superb all day and limit the time on the ball for Alexis Mac Allister and Jones, and so it is a difficult day for the midfield.

Endo, Mac Allister and Jones have possibly been our three best midfielders this season but as a trio, I’m not sure they work. Dominik Szoboszlai’s pace and dynamism is important.

That being said, it may just be that they’re out of form. 

Every fucker is.

Van Dijk and Mac Allister, who looked to be carrying the team as recently as ten days ago, are nowhere near those levels now.

Mohamed Salah is way off it since his return from injury, Nunez is bereft of confidence, Jones has been horrendous this week, Bradley and Endo look like their race is run and Diaz looks out of juice.

It’s not a pretty team to watch right now. 

They’re conceding chances at a comical rate and whilst I’m going to come on to discuss the attack and the finishing, it’s worth saying that the fragility at the back is just as big a problem.

What’s a bigger issue - registering over 3xG and not scoring once, or conceding 1.9xG at home to a side whose last away win was in November?

Every element and department of the team is way off it at the minute.

Andy Robertson and Cody Gakpo come out of today with credit, as does Alisson for an unbelievable save from Mateta in the second half.

I’m not really sure what to say about the finishing that’s not been said, but the biggest issue now is that it’s catching.

Nunez. Salah. Diogo Jota. Diaz. Jones. All of them miss gilt-edged opportunities.

Alexander Isak, Ollie Watkins or Erling Haaland would’ve won this and the United game on their own for Liverpool.

Dean Henderson makes some great saves today and there’s some chances that don’t even come to a shot - the one where Szoboszlai rolls it and Jones doesn’t shoot springs to mind - but the reality is that it’s just not good enough.

It’s a team that’s out of energy but also one that’s not coping with the pressure at all.

To be honest, one thing we’ve never done well under Klopp is handle pressure. This might be an unpopular opinion but think about it - our only league title under him came when we were miles in front in 19/20.

Each time it’s gone close - 18/19, 21/22, 23/24, we’ve been unable to replicate Man City’s consistency in the pressure moments.

We’ve got to be more ruthless in the next era. We’ve got to be more like City.

So, barring a miracle on Thursday or Liverpool somehow getting form and energy back in the league, and City and Arsenal both faltering, that’s it.

This highly-memorable era has underachieved in terms of trophies and while we were never favourites for this league title, it’s astonishing how easily we’ve fallen to the back of the race.

The job Klopp has done at this club is not equally matched with the silverware he’s brought home.

The next manager might not be as revered as Klopp, he might not connect with the fans as well as Klopp, he might not be here as long as Klopp.

But he’s got to win more. My head’s already there now.

Because it felt like this season and this era ended today.

Daniel