Roy Keane insists Liverpool are in crisis after a “weak” performance against Man City, while Gary Neville believes Liverpool look “the team to beat” after Arn Slott’s side suffered their fifth Premier League defeat of the season at the Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool were second in the table against the Etihad but were pushed aside by goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and the outstanding Jeremy Doku, with Haaland’s missed penalty handing City their hand as the closest challenger to Arsenal’s Premier League title.
However, it was the Reds’ fifth loss in their first 11 games in the Premier League this season, and their seventh loss in 10 games in all competitions.
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Gary Neville believes summer signing Florian Wirtz’s performance has become a ‘problem’
The defending champions are already eight points adrift of leaders Arsenal after a subdued display in Manchester, and Keane told Sky Sports: “I think it’s a crisis period for Liverpool.
“I don’t mind losing to a club like Man City. It’s a difficult place to come from. But to lose seven out of 10 games, five in the league already, it must be a crisis for a club like Liverpool.”
“I thought Liverpool looked a really weak team today,” he added.
“The coach said he was happy with the second half, but the game is over! It’s easy to play well when you’re playing without any purpose.
“I thought (Slot) was right in his assessment of the game. City looked stronger, technically better and physically better than Liverpool today.”
“(Liverpool) still had chances and they always had quality, but the goals they gave, the decisions they made, weren’t good enough.
“There was a lack of intensity, a lack of energy. When the subs came on, they looked really soft.
“I think it’s a crisis for Liverpool.”
“Liverpool have no choice but to lose”
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Premier League match highlights between Manchester City and Liverpool
Gary Neville also voiced concerns about Liverpool’s physicality at the Etihad, describing Slott’s side as a team “set to lose”.
“Liverpool are not playing with confidence,” Neville said in co-commentary during the match.
“They look leggy, they do well physically, they’re sluggish.
Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk seems disappointed after his fifth league defeat of the season
“Sometimes you find that teams are there to lose.
“Liverpool’s legs are dead. There’s no getting out. They’re really, really poor.”
After Gonzalez’s shot deflected off Virgil van Dijk to score City’s second goal, Neville added: “Van Dijk just let it hit. It’s really strange.”
“They’re losing every battle and I’m really worried.”
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Following Virgil van Dijk’s canceled goal against Manchester City, Arne Slott compared it to John Stones’ goal against Wolves last season, with both matches refereed by Chris Kavanagh.
After the match, Neville added on the Gary Neville Podcast: “I thought it was a really, really poor performance. One of the worst performances I’ve seen from a Liverpool team in a long time.”
“It was like they didn’t know what to do. I think they were worried.
“They basically need to take a hard look at themselves because they are a group of players who have achieved high standards and know how to win things. And they will know that they are not far from there at the moment.”
