Whiteley: Liverpool Lacked “Belief”
Liverpool’s interim gaffer had some thoughts after a difficult outing at the Emirates.
Liverpool’s visit to second-place Arsenal wasn’t quite the follow-up to their famous win over the Gunners in the FA Cup that the Reds would have hoped. Merseyside’s best were made to look, well, like they were playing against a side that boasts an 18 point advantage over them.
Even given that, though, it’s understandable for fans to have walked in with a bit more optimism given that Cup result and, based on the words from interim manager Amber Whiteley, it doesn’t seem like a stretch that the club would have felt any different. The club, of course, expected to find its way towards a result today.
“I think we just needed to be braver with the ball too. It wasn’t like us tonight, we didn’t look like we had the same belief going forward. When you defend for long spells and you’re under pressure, sometimes you get into a habit where you’re turning the ball over quickly. We definitely needed to be better with the ball tonight and look after it a bit better.”
That sense of not quite living up to internal standards and looking a bit unrecognizable is a familiar refrain in sports - a euphemism for “just didn’t have it.” But the gaffer also gave some insight into some tactical issues that came up during the match.
“I think it was the distances, if we were a little bit lower we would have been able to manage the space in behind a little bit better. And then you’re in a better position to defend in front, like we have been doing so well in the past few weeks. Like I said, second half I thought we were a lot better at that and more difficult to break down.”
Liverpool will need to gather itself before their tilt against Aston Villa next week. Here’s hoping they can find a way back to the positive form they’d experienced immediately under Whiteley.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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