Lethargic Liverpool humbled by Hornets at Vicarage Road

Anyone who did not see this coming just haven’t been paying attention. Liverpool finally succumbed to their first league defeat of the season at the feet of Nigel Pearson and his Watford side on Saturday evening.

Troy Deeney and Ismaila Sarr hit the back of the net for the Reds, while Adam Lallana saw a shot cannon off the post as the Reds barely threatened.

When we look back on this illustrious campaign for the Reds, February will surely be a month to forget. Beginning at bottom dwellers Norwich City on the road, after the winter break, the Reds took 15 shots with six on target. But could only manage one goal in the 78th minute.

They would then travel to Madrid for the front end of a Champions League tie with Atletico, where they would be shut out for the first time this season as they managed no shots on goal.

Next, they played host to West Ham, and again their defensive woes were exposed as they gave up two goals against another side in the bottom three.

Uncharacteristically Jurgen Klopp’s Reds conceded on corners at Madrid and again against Hammers. The cracks, in an otherwise impenetrable defensive crew, who claimed 11 clean sheets in a row before that fateful trip to Madrid, reared their ugly head.

Liverpool have now shipped five goals in their last two league outings – something Klopp’s side has not done in over two years. Against 18th place Watford on the road, Klopp’s men managed only one shot on goal once again, and gave up three second half goals to an inspired Hornets side.

One of these goals, coming from a long throw in, into the box. When was the last time you saw Liverpool give up a goal from a throw in?

The steady decline in form, both defensively, and offensively since that winter break is palpable. With little to no imagination or creativity in offense and obvious drops in form across the defensive line; this is without doubt the poorest form we’ve seen from Liverpool in over two years.

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While they managed to scrape by at Norwich, and again against Hammers at home, there would be no last moment heroics at Vicarage Road.

Indeed, this is without doubt their poorest performance in quite a long stretch. And the steady decline in form against the cellar dwellers of the league should be a huge wake up call to Klopp and the Reds. Liverpool were, to a man, largely absent for both halves against the Hornets.

Now a drop in form in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it happens to most teams in any given season. But to see such a thing from this side going into the spring is not a good thing.

Teams are usually looking to reach peak form at this moment as spring approaches. For example, Bayern Munich destroyed Hoffenheim 6-0 on the road without arguably the best striker in the world in Robert Lewandowski sidelined with a knee injury suffered in their CL trip to Chelsea midweek past. They gave Chelsea a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool will need to find answers to these issues in a hurry, as the league sides they will face will certainly have paid attention; and will have ready questions for their defensive drop in form.

Offensively, Liverpool will need to get back to a hungry level of creative intensity they have been known for these past two campaigns. Having been shutout twice in a fortnight will and should be a cause for concern for Klopp.

With ten league matches remaining, Liverpool still need 12 points to seal the deal for the long awaited Premiere League title. The upcoming FA Cup tie with Chelsea come Tuesday, and the return fixture with Atletico at Anfield looms large.

A once miraculous campaign could come crashing down around them if they should drop points at Everton in the Derby, and again a few days later at Man City. And a relatively simple run in to the title could very well wind up as a dogfight for the Reds; with Arsenal and Chelsea still to be faced in April and May.

Liverpool need to find their form in a hurry now, beginning with the Cup tie with Chelsea come Tuesday and then against Bournemouth at home come the weekend. Atletico come to Anfield the following midweek. These three matches will very definitely determine whether Liverpool finish in championship form or go out with a whimper.

We are about to see just what kind of quality and character Klopp’s side have in these next three season defining fixtures.