Liverpool vs Everton: Savage fans cry ‘the wind didn’t bring on Lallana’

Liverpool toiled to a 0-0 draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby and one of the main talking points was Jurgen Klopp’s decision to bring on Adam Lallana.

After Manchester City beat Bournemouth 1-0 on Saturday, the onus was on the Reds to secure all three points and return to the top of the Premier League.

So with the game deadlocked, Klopp turned to one of his most trusted men and brought on Lallana. But, as is the sad decline of the 30-year-old, he struggled to make a difference and the game finished as a draw.

With Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita kicking their heels on the bench, the manager had plenty of options available to him but still decided to use Lallana – who has looked a shadow of his former self after a season-and-a-half of injury problems.

Klopp has seemed like a master of his own fate this season. The former Borussia Dortmund boss has upset the odds before to win the Bundesliga, and for a long time it appeared as if he would do the same with Liverpool.

But if the Merseyside derby is anything to go by, when the going gets tough there will always be marginal calls to make. And Klopp got this one wrong.

Talking about the wind in the post-match press conference was an odd route to go down as well. There are plenty of controllable factors during each game, the weather is not one of them. And by airing those views it has unfortunate connotations attached.

But, Liverpool are only one point behind Manchester City – who are still in three more competitions. City have dropped points before and they can do it again. The Reds just need to keep their nerve and get the big decisions right.

Just maybe leave Lallana on the bench next time.