It has been a theme of the Reds season so far that they have
given away sloppy goals, and it was the case again on Thursday as first a slip
from Glen Johnson helped the Italian side equalise at the start of the second
half at Anfield, before Sebastian Coates scored an own goal to give the
visitors the lead.
Liverpool could do little about the third goal but suddenly,
after another impressive first half, Rodgers' side found themselves behind
after the break in a game that sport betting pundits thought they should havesewn up in the first 45 minutes.
The Northern Irishman continues to watch as his side's
defending lets them down, and did not mince his words after the 3-2 defeat,
saying "We are conceding too many goals", before even labelling some
of the play in their own half "lazy".
Despite a mixed start to his tenure, which has seen plenty
of positives with the emergence of talented youngsters - Raheem Sterling, Suso,
and Andre Wisom among them - Liverpool have now suffered three back-to-back
defeats at Anfield in all competitions, and things clearly need to improve
overall.
Going forward, there are plenty of good signs that Rodgers'
passing and pressing philosophy will bear fruit, as the impressive 5-2 victory at
Norwich last weekend hinted at but, even in that game, they conceded two poor
goals from a defensive point of view.
There was much made about the Reds' tricky start to the
season and it is true they should have more points on the board than five, with
their performances in the six league games to date deserving of more.
When they have the ball, Liverpool look assured, bright, and
inventive, with Joe Allen and Steven Gerrard pulling the strings, and Luis
Suarez already on five goals for the season; it's when they have to defend that
problems emerge, and Rodgers knows, so far, in that respect, they have fallen
way below the standards expected.
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