Liverpool have been underwhelming on the eye, but statistics show just how bad things really are.
The Reds look nothing like themselves this season, with their title defence going about as badly as it possibly could.
They have won just four of their last 14 matches, with this piling the pressure on Arne Slot and giving the Liverpool hierarchy a lot to think about.
Who was your Man of the Match against Sunderland?
Reds fans can clearly see how bad things are going, with there being no signs of much improvement either, but there are some statistics that sum up how their season is going.
Their expected goals (xG) is something that really highlights their issues, and at both ends of the pitch too.
Liverpool are underperforming in goals scored and goals conceded
Liverpool are usually a team that score plenty of goals and strike fear into their opponents’ eyes, but this year has been a little different.
They are struggling to find the net as much as they used to and have conceded far too many goals, with the stats showing just how bad they have been.
Liverpool have an xG of 10.08 across their last five games, yet they have scored just four, showing a significant underperformance by six goals.
As well as this, their opponents in the same time have had an xG of 6.52 but Liverpool have conceded 11, showing weaknesses at both ends of the pitch.
Although this stat does not mean everything, it does show how they are giving up far too many opportunities to teams they play against, as well as not taking enough of the ones they are creating themselves.
Liverpool need to play Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak together to solve their xG issues
Some people have questioned the amount of chances Liverpool are creating, but based off the stats, they are generating enough opportunities, they just are not taking them.
What is the answer to the left side of Liverpool’s attack?
Cody Gakpo vs Sunderland:
- 0 chances created
- 0.04 xG
- 0/1 shots on target
- 26 touches
- 0/1 successful dribbles
- Dispossesed twice
- 1/4 ground duels won
Disasterclass
This might be because they are playing too many creative players at the same time, for example having Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai starting the last two games together.
Instead, perhaps Slot should change formation or at least personnel to allow Hugo Ekitike to play instead of one of them, with the Frenchman a more natural goalscorer.
He also poses a threat creatively too, so they would not miss too much in this department, but having him on could just help them take the chances they clearly are not at the moment.
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