Rio Ferdinand slams Alisson for failing ‘to take control’ and ‘lacking confidence’ after goalkeeper’s latest howler in Liverpool’s 3-1 capitulation at Leicester… as Jurgen Klopp admits it was a ‘misunderstanding’ between new boy Ozan Kabak and Brazilian
- Alisson collided with Ozan Kabak while trying to intercept a Leicester City pass
- Collision resulted in Jamie Vardy scoring and seeing Liverpool fall 2-1 down
- The Reds would eventually lose 3-1 to suffer third consecutive defeat
- Rio Ferdinand hit out at the poor mentality from the Premier League champions
- Jurgen Klopp claimed Alisson’s error was a simple ‘misunderstanding’
Rio Ferdinand claims Alisson was fully to blame in Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat at Leicester City and that the Reds were suffering a crisis of confidence after capitulating late on at the King Power Stadium.
Mohamed Salah had given the Reds the lead in the 67th minute as they looked to get back to winning ways in the Premier League following defeats at home to Brighton and Manchester City.
But Jurgen Klopp’s side capitulated spectacularly late on, conceding three times in the final 12 minutes.
Leicester turn the game on its head with two goals in the blink of an eye!
A breakdown in communication at the back and Jamie Vardy pounces! pic.twitter.com/LVooLj3Dtr
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 13, 2021
Alisson looks on after his howler allowed Leicester City to go 2-1 up against Liverpool
It was Leicester’s second goal to take the lead though that will stand out.
A high ball from Wilfried Ndidi saw Alisson rush out of his penalty box and in a clear communication error with debutant Ozan Kabak, collided with his centre-back team-mate before allowing Jamie Vardy to pounce and turn the game on its head.
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand pinned the blame on the under-fire Reds stopper, whose latest blunder comes after making two high profile mistakes in the 4-1 Anfield defeat by City, before citing his concerns over the mentality of the Premier League champions.
Alisson raced out of his penalty box to try and intercept a long pass played by Leicester
But the keeper only succeeded in colliding with debutant Ozan Kabak as the ball bobbled clear
Ferdinand said: ‘That situation there, the keeper has to take control of that situation. That’s a lack of confidence,’ he told BT Sport.
‘I would be more concerned about the fact they concede and the team capitulates, that for me is a big concern.
‘This team was one you talked about leaders, mental strength, resilience, robust. They are anything but that at the moment. When that goal went in they became a soft touch.
Is there a hangover from the last gam? No communication. These are little details that cost you points.
They’ve got big long term injuries. I don’t see it turning around dramatically. They don’t look as potent as a group.
The team-mates shook hands after but it proved costly for Liverpool who went on to lose 3-1
Former Manchester United defender has criticised the mentality of out-of-form Liverpool
Klopp was more defensive of Alisson following his mix-up with Kabak, insisting that it was down to a misunderstanding, before claiming Liverpool were unfortunate to lose after they had ‘dominated’ the game.
‘It was a turning point, the second goal is a misunderstanding. We said before we have to get used to each other,’ Klopp told BT Sport.
‘It was a really good football game, yes they were one position ahead of us but that was not obvious, on the pitch we were the clear dominant side.
‘We scored a really nice goal and had chances. Then the third goal, that’s something I don’t like we were much too open and I told the boys that’s not ok.’
Klopp put Alisson’s error down to a misunderstanding following his side’s third straight loss
On social media, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher praised Liverpool’s performance before their collapse, but was critical of Thiago Alcantara’s defending and Alisson’s recent form.
The Reds defender said on Twitter: ‘Liverpool outstanding up until 1-1. Thiago a liability defensively! The Keeper’s decision making gone awol last 2 games!!’
Meanwhile former Leicester City striker Gary Lineker chose to praise the resilience of his former side, saying: ‘What a bonkers 5 minutes of football. It’s not good on the heart at my age. What a turnaround for Leicester.’