Jurgen Klopp hopes Liverpool’s 3-0 drubbing at Watford will prove the low point of his Anfield career.
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Meanwhile, they only possess one genuine winger in youngster Jordon Ibe, while the quintet of James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Emre Can, Lucas Leiva, and Joe Allen all offer similar traits in midfield – tidy on the ball, decent energy, but little goal threat.
Bogdan, in for the injured Simon Mignolet, appeared set up to fail in his EPL debut after Liverpool sent a Snapchat photo of him in pre-game warm-up with a “safe hands” caption.
Bogdan dropped a routine third minute corner and Nathan Ake poked home as the Hungarian tried to regain possession of the ball.
Bruising hitmen Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney suffocated Liverpool’s slipshod defence as Watford prevailed 3-0 at Vicarage Road for a fourth-successive Premier League victory.
The same can not be said of Mamadou Sakho, who had (arguably) his worst game in a Liverpool shirt.
And the Nigerian sealed a deserved victory with his 12th of the season, nodding in from Valon Behrami’s cross.
Speaking after the game, Bogdan was matter-of-fact about the mistakes he made, starting with the first goal howler.
“I am very honest”, said Leicester’s former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, who is now being quizzed on a weekly basis about his side’s chances of staying top. I think that’s the situation, but that’s what happens – mistakes, faults, refs, players, that can happen, that’s football, the reaction has to be better. Watford was really good today.
While Liverpool are some way short of the finished article, Quique Sanchez Flores’s Watford are enjoying their best season since the golden Graham Taylor era in the 1980s. “Of course we want to dream but we want to remain humble”.
“We’re just doing our stuff and people have got to be anxious to come here now”.
“Ighalo is the biggest scorer this season”, he added.
They nullified the starting trio by instantly closing down whoever was the first of them to receive the ball, with both defensive midfielders immediately snapping into them while the closest member of the back four raced forward to cut off the last potential means of escape. “He makes it easy for me because he’s so quick and strong”.
Jurgen Klopp: “I would say hopefully it is the most disappointing moment in my whole Liverpool FC life, from now”.
Ighalo’s second goal in the 85th minute rounded off a fine move.
Liverpool never threatened a response as Watford wrapped up their first home win over the Reds since 1986 when in-form Ighalo headed home in the closing minutes.
So Watford continue to confound critics who forecast a grim struggle against relegation following a return to the EPL in May after an eight-year absence.
Whether they maintain the current momentum will be tested in the next fortnight with fixtures against Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City.
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In the day’s other game Swansea and West Ham drew nil-all… Watford also remain in seventh place with 28 points in 17 matches. We work on it. After Southampton everyone thought “wow”. Now we’ve seen the complete other side.
