Liverpool’s unbelievable profitable run of type got here to a worrying halt by the hands of Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
Amazingly, this is not the one time this season the Eagles have unnerved Arne Slot’s title-defending Reds, with final marketing campaign’s Premier League winners additionally coming unstuck in opposition to Glasner and Co in a dramatic Group Protect ultimate again in August.
Not much more late heroics might information the Merseyside outfit to a end result on the street, as Federico Chiesa’s 87th-minute equaliser was made redundant by Eddie Nketiah’s heartbreaking winner proper on the loss of life.
This can be a bitter capsule Liverpool aren’t used to swallowing, however Slot will hope his table-topping facet can bounce from this setback at Selhurst Park with assured shows shifting ahead.
Nevertheless, loads extra is required from Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah shifting ahead to stay within the Dutchman’s good books.
Wirtz & Salah’s worrying performances in numbers
No less than Salah has some important credit score within the financial institution, contemplating his insane tally of 29 objectives and 18 assists final season within the Premier League alone noticed Slot’s males romp house to the title.
Alternatively, Wirtz has little or no wiggle room in terms of the rampant criticism heading his path, with the whopping £116m buy nonetheless but to choose up a purpose or help for the Reds from seven aggressive outings, away from his Group Protect ultimate help.
Journalist Mark Odgen has overtly commented on Wirtz “struggling to make an impression” since swapping the BayArena for Anfield, with one huge likelihood missed at Selhurst Park not serving to his dented fame one bit.
Salah missed two huge possibilities of his personal in East London, too, with the out-of-sorts Egyptian now with out a purpose from open play within the Premier League this season for the reason that opening day 4-2 conquer AFC Bournemouth.
But, within the case of the skilful quantity 11, you would not financial institution in opposition to him getting again to his finest very quickly, even after such a sluggish begin to this marketing campaign. On high of that, Wirtz would possibly simply want time to settle earlier than proving to everybody why he price such an astronomical charge.
Maybe extra worryingly, away from the unsatisfactory duo, there may be additionally one other underperformer who has fallen approach beneath his common requirements, a lot in order that he’ll now be scared of being axed from Slot’s first group image.
Liverpool’s 3/10 star may very well be dropped
Liverpool had been dancing on a tightrope heading into the Palace loss, having wanted a staggering quantity of last-minute objectives to then encourage late wins.
Off the again of a defeat now lastly occurring, Slot may very well be tempted to shake up his beginning lineup for some difficult contests to observe within the Premier League and past, with Alexis Mac Allister one face who might drop out of his plans consequently.
On high type, Mac Allister is a shoo-in for the beginning XI week in week out, along with his 5 objectives and 5 assists final season in league motion very a lot serving to Liverpool clinch a primary Premier League triumph below Slot.
His constant excellence for the Reds has even seen ex-Chelsea star turned pundit Joe Cole label the South American as a “famous person”.
Nonetheless, as has been clear with Salah, even Liverpool’s brightest sparks are prone to rusty shows, with Mac Allister approach off his vibrant and energetic peak at Selhurst Park.
|
Mac Allister vs Palace |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Mac Allister |
|
Minutes performed |
64 |
|
Targets scored |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Touches |
48 |
|
Pictures |
1 |
|
Correct passes |
37/42 (88%) |
|
Profitable dribbles |
0 |
|
Interceptions |
0 |
|
Tackles |
0 |
|
Whole duels gained |
3/5 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
|
Certainly, when trying on the desk above, it is clear that Mac Allister struggled to match the depth of Palace livewire Adam Wharton, with the Palace quantity 20 a standout performer from the center of the park for Glasner’s males.
Quite the opposite, his Argentine counterpart failed to finish a single profitable dribble, did not register a single interception, and did not hit a single on-target effort on the Palace purpose.
This stark drop-off in type – which has seen Mac Allister win simply 9 of his 21 floor duels within the league thus far – has even seen one Reds-based content material creator state that the ex-Brighton and Hove Albion man seems a “shadow of himself”, with Liverpool World’s Will Rooney additionally not holding again when doling out a low 3/10 post-match score to the sub-par quantity ten.
For context, that very same post-game score was handed to central defender Ibrahima Konate who was fairly run ragged in London on Saturday afternoon.
Slot should significantly think about what number of first-team minutes Mac Allister will get shifting ahead – with Champions League motion additionally about to congest the Reds’ fixture listing – with a while out of the beginning XI maybe doing him the world of excellent in the long term.
