Steven Gerrard singled out one Liverpool player after Wednesday night's defeat.placeholder image
Steven Gerrard singled out one Liverpool player after Wednesday night's defeat. | Getty Images
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard had his say at full-time after the Reds were put to the sword by PSV in the Champions League
Liverpool’s problems look no closer to being over as things went from bad to worse at Anfield on Wednesday night, after PSV Eindhoven departed with a 4-1 Champions League victory.
Three successive defeats by a three-goal margin and nine defeats in 12 in all competitions paint a troublesome picture, with the latter statistic representing a worst run of form for the club since 1953.
It has become a case of if, not when, Arne Slot and his players can turn things around after a run of form experienced by none of their big-hitting stars before.
Steven Gerrard criticises ‘criminal’ Liverpool star
Though pointing out issues across the pitch, Gerrard singled out Liverpool full-back Milos Kerkez for criticism after the 21-year-old struggled once again following his summer £40million move from Bournemouth.
Gerrard questioned the left-back’s positional sense and said he gave himself “no chance” in the encounter.
“It doesn't matter if it's Mo Salah or anyone, you can't get beat in a dribble in this situation. Kerkez to me is out of position for the majority of the game,” said Gerrard.
“It's criminal to be on that side of the attacker. You have to be on the inside. He gives himself no chance.”
Kerkez has found himself in and out of the side since his summer move from the south coast, with his adaptation to a club the size of Liverpool proving challenging despite his previous Premier League experience. But the Hungarian has returned to the starting XI for the last two matches and has hardly covered himself in glory in two comprehensive home defeats.
Gerrard hesitates to call Liverpool bad form a ‘crisis’
Gerrard struggled to label Liverpool’s form a “crisis”, considering their success last season, but conceded that it is heading that way if they find themselves in a similar state a few months down the line.
He said: “Crisis is a very strong word and disrespectful to some of the players that have delivered for this football club, and for the manager that's delivered three months ago.
“If this was six months down the line, a year down the line and we're further away from that success, maybe you can use that word. But you can't deny the team is struggling massively, they're on a terrible run, confidence is at an all-time low and they just keep bleeding.
“Unless the manager can find answers and stability in the team it's going to continue.”
He added: “Liverpool's problems become deeper, the pressure intensifies even more. There needs to be a lot of soul searching tonight for sure.
“The only way to go is to go through now. We need to face where we're in and fight really hard.”
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