Liverpool 0-0 Southampton: 5 things we learned

5 things we learned from Liverpool 0-0 Southampton!

Here you can read 5 things we learned from Liverpool vs Southampton 0-0. Liverpool’s Champions League hopes took a huge knock today as they drew 0-0 at home to Southampton. It was a snooze-fest at Anfield as Reds dropped more points at home.

A missed penalty for Reds captain James Milner was the big chance of the match, as Southampton showed very little ambition to win the game.

Despite having Champions League qualification in their own hands before the match, Liverpool also showed a true desire to get a goal and take 3 points. The first half provided very few chances for the home team, and there was little improvement for the second.

Liverpool 0-0 Southampton: 5 things we learned

Here are 5 things we learned from a game that proved to be one of the dullest of the season.

1) Reds missing Mané’s width and pace

One of the clear issues for Liverpool, and the way they play, is that they are too narrow. Their starting front three of Coutinho, Origi and Firmino do not get themselves out wide to cause their opponents problems. It’s a problem that Jurgen Klopp must’ve seen coming after Sadio Mané was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. But that system suited Southampton today, they defended comfortably for pretty much the whole duration of the match. Not even Liverpool’s main creative men such as Phlippe Coutinho could provide a spark to unlock the defence, and that’s just not good enough for a team chasing a top 4 finish.

2) Southampton happy with the point

The Saints have very little to play for today, that much was clear. Claude Puel’s side were happy to park the bus, stick 10 men behind the ball and play for a point. And it worked. You can’t blame them, no team want to lose any football match. It was always going to be Liverpool who needed to bring the game to them today, and the home side did not do that sufficiently.

3) Klopp needs to make changes sooner

Both Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge both sat on the bench for 68 minutes today. They were brought on after the penalty miss, but judging on the action in the first half, they should’ve been brought on much sooner. It’s very difficult to understand why Jurgen Klopp waits so long in matches to use his options from the bench. He needs to react in games sooner, and give his substitutions more time to prove they can make a difference. Sturridge in particular provided a brighter spark than most after coming on, but he would’ve been much more effective if he’d been introduced at half time.

4) Milner’s penalty woes

Milner has had a superb season scoring from the penalty spot. Before today, it was 7 out of 7 for him so far this season. In fact, looking back even further, the Liverpool defender hasn’t missed a career penalty since 2009. The save from Forster proved to be the difference in the game today, and a good save later on from Marko Grujic’s header also helped deny Liverpool the win. How costly will this penalty miss from Milner come the end of the season?

5) Champions League back out of Reds hands

The fate of Liverpool now rests in the hands of Manchester United. The Red Devils have two games in hand on Liverpool, and if they win both, they will go a point above them. Will Liverpool be able to hold their nerve and do their job in the final games of the season, while praying United drop points somewhere along the road? Read our predictions for how the top 4 race will conclude here. It’s going to be a very interesting final couple of weeks in the race for Champions League football.

 

By Ben Kelly – Like my Facebook page for more articles!