Murphy: Air of complacency behind inconsistent form of Liverpool

[TLW]

Danny Murphy believes complacency is at the heart of the patchy early season form of Liverpool but it is something that can be fixed.

 

A hallmark of this Liverpool squad has been its remarkable consistency in finding ways to win matches even when not firing on all cylinders.

 

However this campaign has seen a distinct lack of that element, admittedly there have been mitigating circumstances with mulitiple absentees through injuries, but those who have been out on the pitch have failed to reach their peak level.

 

One of the most glaring issues has been the drop of form of Trent-Alexander Arnold.

 

So often seen as a barometer of Liverpools fortunes and undoubtedly one of the finest attacking fullbacks in world football, a telltale sign of his sluggish form is that he has yet to register an assist in six league games.

 

While on the defensive front he has looked lacklustre, bordering on disengaged at times.

 

Speaking on Talksport’s kick-off program, Murphy says a level of complacency within the squad is behind the drop in form, but when it comes to Trent also it has to do with the unsettled state of the starting lineup.

 

“We’ve got to be careful to not go too overboard on this but my feeling is there’s an air of complacency among some of the players.

 

“They’ve fallen into what some managers call a ‘comfort zone’. Of course they go out with good intentions but when you know you’re going to play nearly every game… I think that can cause complacency at times.

 

 

 (With Trent) “I think it’s a mixture of a little bit of complacency, a couple of problems in midfield and not having your best three fit and Fabinho not being at his best and putting Henderson in there means Trent becomes isolated.

 

“Trent’s generally got Jordan Henderson covering him on the right of a three and helping him out when he gets forward.

 

“Harvey Elliott, who’s been superb, likes to get forward and makes things happen but the problem is when he’s on the right of a three and Trent’s forward, that left side can become really vulnerable for Liverpool. We’ve seen it in numerous games.

 

“I think physically he’s not doing the same things that he did when he was doing better in terms of his running back and defensive mindset, ie, desire to get back in. That’s the complacency I’m talking about.

 

“He just needs a little reminder, a little kick up the backside from the manager.”

 

Last week Murphy stated that he thinks Virgil Van Dijk is playing ‘within himself’ with his ACL injury subconsciously still on his mind.

 

Another key member of the squad is Mo Salah who has yet to come close to his usual elite standard, and there has been some commentary that he is ‘comfortable’ after signing his big contract in the summer, but Murphy does not believe that is the case.

 

 

“Salah’s another one, Salah needs a kick.

 

“It’s nothing to do with the contract he signed but sometimes you need it. When you’ve scored that many goals and do what he’s done sometimes you just need upstairs to say ‘come on.”

 

Speaking after the disastrous Napoli performance, Jurgen Klopp alluded that Liverpool may need to ‘reinvent themselves’ to get their season going.

 

However Murphy said such measures are certainly not required in his view.

 

“Does it need a complete reset? No, of course it doesn’t.

 

“This team was two games away from winning the quadruple. The only difference between the squad this season is three months of players who are supposedly past it, which is nonsense, and Sadio Mane’s gone.”

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[VladimirIlyich]

Shut up you know nothing rent a mouth.

[dockers_strike]

Always thought Murphy talked shite.

[the chimp]

I can't stand Murphy; one clueless, annoying, fuck nugget.

[Chris]

Does he ever fucking think before he opens his mouth? 

[Mark M]

42 minutes ago, Chris said:

Does he ever fucking think before he opens his mouth? 

Its a requirement to work for Talksport that you don't 

[El Rojo]

Don't think he's said much that can be proven wrong by looking at most of our performances this season, unfortunately. 

[Guest]

If only we had a coach who knew what he was doing like Murphy obviously does. Klopp just Tell Salah ‘come on’ give him a kick and we’ll be back firing again.

[CrownPaints]

And to think he gets paid for this.

[Numero Veinticinco]

Stopped reading at Murphy. Well, almost. I stopped reading at complacency. Danny Murphy wouldn't know his arse from his mouth hole, which has got him in a lot of trouble over the years. 

 

Apparently.