Gerrard's Stark Assessment After Anfield Humiliation
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has delivered a brutal assessment of his former club's current plight, though he stopped short of labelling the situation a crisis following their 4-1 Champions League defeat to PSV at Anfield. The loss on Wednesday night marked a staggering ninth defeat in just 12 games for Arne Slot's side, continuing a nightmare run of form that has plunged the club into deep concern.
The Reds were comprehensively outplayed by the Dutch visitors, with the scale of the defeat prompting many home fans to leave their seats early. "The seats were empty with 10 minutes to go," Gerrard observed during his analysis for TNT Sports, highlighting the palpable frustration within the famous stadium.
Defining 'Crisis' and Liverpool's Current State
Despite the alarming statistics, which place Liverpool on their worst run of form since November 1953, Gerrard resisted using the word 'crisis'. He provided a clear definition of what constitutes a genuine crisis for a football club. "Each defeat, especially the manner of defeat, you become closer to the crisis," Gerrard admitted. "I don't like using the word crisis because a crisis to me is a club that needs years to get back to the top."
He pointed to the recent success of the squad as a reason for optimism, stating, "This is still the majority of a squad that won the league a few months ago. So I think crisis is too strong. But you can't deny that this team is struggling massively."
Identifying the Problems on the Pitch
Gerrard did not hold back in his criticism of the team's defensive performance, pinpointing specific tactical and personnel issues. "They're conceding too many goals, they're wide open in transition, look very vulnerable and unstable as soon as the ball turns over," said the former England captain.
He was particularly scathing about the defensive setup, suggesting the problems are systemic. "The personnel's not right in the back four. It's going to be like Deja vu for Arne Slot tonight because he's going to watch it back and go: 'Yeah we had periods of control, we looked okay at times.' But individual mistakes again, wide open on transition, wide open for counter-attacks and conceding too many goals."
A significant moment in the match was the substitution of centre-back Ibrahima Konate, whose poor form continued. Gerrard interpreted this as a major statement from the manager. "I think the substitution of Konate was huge. I think that sends a story because you look at the back four you finish with. Curtis Jones, [Ryan] Gravenberch, [Virgil] Van Dijk and [Milos] Kerkez. That's not a Liverpool back four and never will be."
While giving credit to PSV, who he said "totally deserved the victory," Gerrard emphasised the need for immediate action at Liverpool. "They need to stop the bleeding," he warned. "Liverpool's problems become deeper, the pressure intensifies even more and there needs to be a lot of soul searching tonight, for sure."
