Risk analysts use a metaphor called the Swiss cheese model to explain how seemingly robust systems can suffer catastrophic failures.
Imagine stacking layers of random slices of Swiss cheese to create a solid structure with no end in sight. The more holes there are, the more similar their positions are, and the larger the holes, the more likely they are to line up.
it is liverpool, That is. And at the moment you can pass the Premier League trophy and the Europa League trophy all the way down the cheese heap.
Crystal Palace exposes Liverpool's weaknesses
We acknowledge at the top what an impressive, bold and incisive move Crystal Palace took in the first half to take the lead and come close to snatching a deserved second goal from a panicking Andy Robertson. There must be.
After the break, Oliver Glasner's side did a great job of putting themselves out there, getting in the way of crosses and shots, and scrambling in front of them as Liverpool put more and more pressure in the penalty area.
Don't take anything away from the palace by criticizing their opponents. It was a near-perfect performance for the away team, who were considered to be a far superior opponent. It was a cause for concern, especially for a team that had failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five games and only took two points, looking nervously over their shoulders. That has now been reduced considerably. Palace have not won away from one of the Premier League's current top three since beating Manchester City in October 2021.
Inevitably, however, our focus will be primarily on the team meant to challenge for the Premier League title, and not the team that currently looks to be sitting fairly comfortably in the mid-table once again.
So, Liverpool. For the second game in a row, and not to mention the first time this season, they were disastrous.
Loose, loose, loose, loose, loose. In every department, whether it's their marking at the back, their passing in midfield or especially their work in front of goal, are Liverpool a Championship team fighting to get themselves out of the bottom three? (believe me, I know what I'm saying), but a few weeks ago they still weren't a team with ambitions of achieving a quadruple.
Now, Jurgen Klopp's final season as manager is in tatters. They were eliminated from the FA Cup. They face an almost hopeless task of remaining in the Europa League. And their title bid will require both Arsenal and Manchester City to have the same level of wobble. One of them? perhaps. both? Not likely. The era of heavy metal football is quickly coming to an end.
The depth of Liverpool's decline is surprising.
Alisson's return from injury made the headlines after the team sheet was released, but at least eight of Liverpool's outfield players appear to be returning from significant injury layoffs, so don't overdo it. It seemed like he was trying to get back into the fight without much effort. .
Late in the first half, Alexis Mac Allister receives the ball halfway, looks up to assess his options, appears in disbelief at the lack of movement forward, and fires a long ball over goal. There was nothing that symbolized them more. Darwin Nunez took the lead purely because there were no other viable options.
The pass actually worked, as Dean Henderson was stopped on his way out of the line, allowing Nunez to cross to Luis Diaz at the back post. However, the Colombian was unable to control his slightly misdirected cross cleanly, allowing Dias enough time to narrow the angle and capitalize as Palace scrambled back.
That trend continued throughout the second half, with many of Liverpool's players committing sloppy work when it mattered most. Nunez fired straight at Henderson from Virgil van Dijk's knockdown, Diogo Jota had his shot blocked from Dominik Szoboszlai's square ball and Curtis Jones incredibly missed. One-on-one with the palace guard. The list of wasted opportunities continued to grow.
The depth of Liverpool's decline is shocking, but it's no surprise that they are facing these problems. It's been in the post for quite some time.
Liverpool's team, once a tightly intertwined machine of fine-tuned parts, is now too full of wayward players, with heavy touches, poor finishing, and the inability to score at the right moment. There is a possibility that you may not be able to do so and end up spending a long period of time in the match. Mo Salah has always been that player – the idea that he became that way after his injury is exaggerated at best – but now half the team fits into that mold. It was only a matter of time before these holes lined up again.
Salah, Nuñez and Diaz can be very fun to watch at times, but in this era of close margins both in the game and in title contention, a worthy champion complements those talented players with something else. They are often a team that can do a lot of things. You need players who have the consistency and efficiency of a robot, or who are willing to work incredibly hard and defeat their opponents when everything goes wrong.
In the past, they have had the characteristics (to varying degrees) of Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Roberto Firmino and especially Sadio Mane. If Salah was playing a game where he has barely kicked the ball before, they would make sure holes didn't appear elsewhere. The players who have replaced them, whether they come from the transfer market or from the academy, have not been able to live up to that to the same extent.
Liverpool's position in the league makes it clear that, in the grand scheme of things, they are still a very good team. But what was once a hunk of top-quality cheddar cheese is now Swiss to the core.
That's why the injury crisis is hitting them so hard this season.that's why They have had to come from behind many times this season to win.. And that is why they are currently relying on their rivals' lapses to keep their Premier League title hopes alive.
