#A CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

The seemingly obvious cancer in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, came back to haunt them as they squandered a 3 goal advantage at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Where goals by Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino(2) gave them the lead going into the break, but in familiar circumstances for the Anfield faithful, who have experienced many breathtaking encounters most notably at Athens in May 2005. Where the words of inspiration of the then Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, galvanized his players to pull off one of the most entertaining comebacks of all time, and go on to claim a fifth CL crown in spectacular fashion, However this time the message emanated from the Sevilla dressing room at the hands manager Eduardo Berizzo at the break which delivered the required effect as his side pulled level.

Sevilla came out in the second half all guns blazing, with Wissam Ben Yedder scoring a header from an Ever Banega freekick, before adding another after Alberto Moreno fouled him in the box. It wasn’t until the 93rd minute in stoppage time, when Guido Pizzaro clinched the equalizer for Berrizo’s men to leave qualification from the group wide open, hence gifting Russian side Spartak Moscow a chance of qualifying for the last 16.

Dejan Lovren, has been made a scapegoat of their defensive woes, most notably against Spurs where he was subbed off in the first half with only a third of the game gone. The ex-southampton man has his critics, but it should be noted that football is a team game and there are two important sides to it defending and attacking, but it seems this Liverpool side are only interested in only the attacking facet of the game, and should learn to be more responsible defensively. Their manager also has faults with him switching between goalkeepers creating a constant gap in communication between the back 5.
There have been signs of improvement though, with three clean sheets in as many games and only a solitary goal being conceded against West Ham, after the defeat at Wembley but their defensive issues now seem to be a collective problem, and the manager would hope that it was just for a single game, as his side host a resurgent Chelsea team on Saturday evening at Anfield.