Gary Neville has noticed something about Liverpool that they need to ‘get rid of’ immediately
Gary Neville has urged Liverpool to ‘get rid of’ what he believes to be a self-pitying attitude on the pitch during this chastening season.
The Reds’ nightmarish campaign hit another low on Saturday when they lost 3-2 at Bournemouth, a defeat which saw them drop to sixth in the Premier League table following Sunday’s matches, and it was the fifth occasion in four months that they conceded a result-altering goal in stoppage time.
Shortly after full-time, Virgil van Dijk angrily claimed that he was fouled just before Amine Adli struck the winner, but Jamie Redknapp’s analysis showed that the only contact on our captain came from Curtis Jones.
Neville urges Liverpool to dispense with ‘whingey’ attitude
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, the ex-Manchester United defender – who feels that Liverpool have become ‘soft’ – has warned the Reds not to get drawn into a mindset of the whole world being against them, in what seemed like a veiled riposte to the skipper’s post-match protestations.
The Sky Sports pundit said: “It’s unlike them, I must say. I won’t say they’re a whingey bunch on the pitch, but I’m looking at them and there’s an element of feeling like they’re being hard done to. They’ve got to get rid of that attitude, if that’s what’s developing inside.”
Liverpool can’t afford to wallow in self-pity after bad results
We can understand Van Dijk feeling aggrieved so soon after the final whistle on Saturday, but once he’s watched back the winning goal from Adli, we’re sure he’d acknowledge that there was no wrongdoing from Bournemouth in that passage of play.
Between the defender’s post-match complaints and Arne Slot’s incessant moaning about coming up against low-block defences, externally it can seem as though Liverpool’s head coach and senior players are citing tame excuses for so many poor results this season.
Admittely the Reds haven’t had the kindest of fortune on the injury front this term, but that’s something which affects every team in the Premier League and only partially explains why there’s been such a catastrophic drop-off from 2024/25.
In winning the title last time out, LFC showed the fortitude to come from behind and win on numerous occasions. That has only happened once in all competitions in the current campaign (against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League).
Contrast that with how often Liverpool have let in costly late goals, or nearly thrown away a 2-0 lead to just about get over the line, and it strongly hints at an unfavourable mentality shift over the past 12 (even nine) months.
The tragic shadow of Diogo Jota’s death is inescapable during this toughest of seasons at Anfield, but the cold reality is that Slot and his players can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves if they’re to climb back into the top four and secure Champions League football for next term.
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