We did try until the end but we lacked a bit of stability.
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Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has said that the defence was not to blame after Liverpool almost let a three-goal lead slip in their 4-3 win over Arsenal on Sunday.
“Scoring four goals is wonderful, conceding three is the opposite of emotions”, he said.
There were brief doubts as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calum Chambers reduced the deficit but Liverpool held out without further alarm for only their second win in 21 visits to the London club. We opened the path for them again.
Sadio Mane excelled on Liverpool debut verses Arsenal, producing the kind of performance on the right wing that will hopefully help propel us to a top four finish this season.
Instead, it needed an ugly challenge by Liverpool left back Alberto Moreno on Walcott in the area to potentially change the game. “It’s always hard winning in London against Arsenal”.
“And finally does the player want to come to Arsenal?”.
Wenger was without centre-backs Per Mertesacker, Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny due to injury and fitness concerns.
Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud were also missing from the matchday squad following their travails in France, and a bad day for Wenger was exacerbated as he confirmed Ramsey and Iwobi had suffered respective hamstring and thigh problems.
“We are not ready”. I thought if we concentrated and continued to play well we were going to win the game but, within a 15-minute spell, they scored three and decided the game. They are not ready to play this sort of game and get injured, like Ramsey, or you give them a rest and not have them for the start.
“We’ve done that [spent big] before, but it’s about identifying the players and the availability of the players”.
But Klopp said he had been most pleased by “staying in the game” after a tough start.
He would not be drawn on questions over the implications of the result for two of the biggest contenders for the title and focused on his team’s tactical shortcomings.
By Crooks’ standards it isn’t the most ridiculous line-up – that honour goes to this 3-1-1-5 formation (or is is a 3-1-6) which would test Kurt Zouma’s midfield abilities to their limit.
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“Improvement in my understanding is about training and using the quality you have”.
