EPL 2016/17, Liverpool 0-0 Southampton: 5 Talking Points
Liverpool welcomed Southampton to Anfield in what was a crucial match for their top four hopes. After naming an unchanged team from the 1-0 victory against Watford at Vicarage road, Jürgen Klopp was expecting a routine win over a team they’re 28 points ahead of. However, Claude Puel and his players head other ideas.
Once again when their backs were against the wall, Klopp’s men failed to show any fight. The Reds stuttered their way to a 0-0 draw in front of a disappointed home crowd. The draw leaves Liverpool still in third place, only a point ahead of fourth-placed Manchester City.
Here are the five biggest talking points from the game.
#1 Divock Origi doesn’t warrant a starting place
When you have England’s most naturally gifted striker sitting on the bench, it’s a crime to start Divock Origi ahead of him. Daniel Sturridge is literally a loaded gun waiting to explode and Klopp has for some reason chosen to waste his talent.
Today in his 69 minutes, Origi attempted 0 shots on goal, created 0 chances and made not one pass in Southampton’s penalty box. Talk about effectiveness eh.
In stark contrast, when Sturridge came on he attempted two shots, completed six passes in the final third and created three chances. There is literally such a massive gulf in quality between the two. And the sooner Klopp realises this, the better it’ll be Liverpool’s top four hopes.