National media react as Liverpool 'worse than Roy Hodgson' with positivity 'non

National media react as Liverpool 'worse than Roy Hodgson' with positivity 'non-existent'

How the national media reacted to Liverpool's 1-1 draw against Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon

Well that was boring, wasn't it? Liverpool saw their hopes of Champions League qualification suffer a setback when they were held to a dismal 1-1 draw against a poor Chelsea side in the Premier League at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

Ryan Gravenberch gave the Reds the perfect start with an early goal only for the visitors to be gifted a way back into the game when Enzo Fernandez's free-kick missed everybody and went in off the far post.

It made for a 90 minutes that felt about 89 minutes too long. And while the ECHO was in attendance and provided our usual level of coverage, here's how the national media viewed a middling result for Arne Slot's side.

Paul Joyce, formerly of this parish, picked up in The Times on the pining for the past that continues to affect the very real present.

OPINION

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"Some of Liverpool’s all-time greats, including Sir Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush, will reconvene on Sunday for a trip down memory lane," he writes.

"It will be 40 years to the day since the club completed the league and FA Cup Double in Dalglish’s first season as player-manager and the duo will be among those reminiscing about a remarkable campaign at the city’s M&S Bank Arena.

"Memories will abound about beating their neighbours Everton at Wembley having claimed the title, and the event is sure to draw crowds.

"The past will always remain so alluring while the present is like this."

Another ex-ECHO scribe, Andy Hunter, looked in The Guardian at the jeers and boos that were prevalent at Anfield.

"Liverpool are crawling towards Champions League qualification with dissent on their backs," he says. "There were boos on the final whistle, louder boos when Arne Slot withdrew Rio Ngumoha for Alexander Isak and jeers while Chelsea were dominating possession. And that was in the 39th minute. Protests over rising ticket prices may have been abandoned but unrest remains audible at Anfield.

"For Liverpool this was another taxing afternoon. Deep-rooted frustrations over the team’s style of play and Slot’s substitutions bubbled to the surface. Ngumoha had cramp, the head coach explained.

"Liverpool fans were not to know that at the time and made their discontent clear when the 17-year-old’s number went up. The sound of Anfield captured Liverpool’s performance to perfection."

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Someone else who used to work in these parts, Dominic King, is now at The Telegraph and believes there are Roy Hodgson vibes from the home supporters.

"Much water has passed under the bridge since January 1, 2011, but that bleak afternoon must be revisited following Liverpool’s latest false step," he opines.

"The context: Liverpool played host to Bolton Wanderers and Roy Hodgson was manager. A few days earlier, his side had been beaten 1-0 by Wolves at Anfield and The Kop erupted, singing “Hodgson for England!” as the contest petered out – the chant, to be clear, wasn’t complimentary. A week later, Hodgson was gone.

"That’s only 15 years ago and, truly, that was a time you could describe as being one of the worst in the club’s history. Why, then, does the feeling around Anfield now make it impossible not to draw the conclusion this is worse?

"Feeling is a key word. In the tunnel, there is a slogan proclaiming to players that “it’s the emotion that gets you” before they head onto the pitch – Anfield is different in terms of the energy that can be drawn from emotion but, at present, positivity is non-existent."

Finally, the tall man Paul Gorst wrote in the ECHO about how Liverpool need to start winning over again fans who have become accustomed to winning over the past decade.

"It's hard to know at this stage of a tired, underwhelming season just who is the most desperate for it to end," he reckons. "Is it the exhausted Liverpool players, punch-drunk after 18 defeats in 55 games? Or is it the supporters? Those who are growing increasingly weary at such an ordinary brand of football.

"It may be the latter because Anfield has been an angry place lately.

"Need a result? Come to Anfield it seems. This is not quite the fortress it once was. Arne Slot must find a way to restore this place’s fear factor next season, but that may take some time based on the noise that greeted the final whistle of this draw."

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