Gerrard reveals when he first noticed Liverpool decline
It’s not always easy to pinpoint when things start to drift, but Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool’s current struggles didn’t suddenly appear this season.
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Instead, the former captain has suggested the warning signs were there long before the recent dip in form under Arne Slot.
With the club legend saying how open he is to a return to Anfield, these comments feel very pointed.
Gerrard pinpoints when Liverpool issues began
Speaking on Stick to Football via The Overlap, the Liverpool legend reflected on a specific moment that changed his perception of the team.
He said: “The first signs of the issues they have got now, I saw in the League Cup final [against Newcastle last season],”
That admission is telling, because from our perspective, that period was often brushed aside given we still went on to secure the league title.
Gerrard continued: “I travelled over and took my lad to the game. I travelled over confident that Liverpool would win, even though I like how Eddie Howe sets his teams up.”
What followed clearly stuck with the former No.8.
“I knew it would be a difficult game, but they just bullied them from start to finish. That was the first time I thought they were so far away from what I was watching before.”
The 45-year-old then expanded on how those performances weren’t isolated.
“As the league finished, there were a lot of these types of performances. Quite passive, disconnected, out of shape, easy to get through, giving big chances up. You’re seeing it a lot more in recent weeks.”
Issues carrying into Slot’s current campaign
That’s where Gerrard’s comments become even more relevant to what we’re seeing now.
He added: “I think some of the issues they’re having this season, for me, watching as a fan from the outside and from afar, and going to some games, it’s been happening at the back end of last season as well.”
That aligns with what many of us have felt watching this campaign unfold, particularly after the recent defeat to Brighton where we again looked vulnerable.
The former England international did acknowledge there are positives, especially in Europe.
“I have really enjoyed watching them in the Champions League and they look like a completely different team,” he said.
However, his overall verdict on league form was far more concerning.
“They look as if they’ve got a lot of issues to fix and after the game it’s been difficult to put a finger on one issue that they have got.”
That lack of a clear, single problem arguably makes things more complicated for the Dutch head coach, even though Paul Joyce has reported that Slot still firmly believes he will turn things around.
“They have quite a few and they are all over the pitch. They are very mixed and two-faced this season. There are a lot of these types of performances that don’t look like the previous Liverpool team.”
For us, that’s probably the most worrying part of all.
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