“Unacceptable” – Steven Gerrard speaks bluntly after Liverpool slip up once more

Steven Gerrard didn’t hold back after Liverpool dropped more points at Anfield on Saturday.

The Reds were held to a 1-1 draw by 19th-placed Burnley, extending their unbeaten run to 12 games across all competitions, but also leaving them winless in the Premier League for four straight matches.
After this result, all three promoted sides have now visited Anfield and left with a point. Meanwhile, victories for Manchester United and Chelsea have reduced Liverpool’s lead over the teams chasing the final guaranteed Champions League spot.
Gerrard: Home draws “not acceptable” for Liverpool

Speaking on TNT Sports after the match, Gerrard acknowledged that Arne Slot has improved Liverpool’s form since their crisis in November, but insisted the manager must accept criticism for this result.

The former Liverpool captain said:
“Even though they’re on a better run in terms of unbeaten games, draws at home to teams like Leeds and Burnley aren’t acceptable. That will bring a lot of criticism for the manager again.
“Credit where it’s due — the last time we discussed this, you [Lynsey Hipgrave] asked if the team was in crisis and I said I didn’t think it was. I felt the manager could steady the ship and improve things. He has taken them from mid-table back into the Champions League positions. That should be his priority — a minimum top-four finish this season — but that doesn’t remove the criticism he will face.”

Liverpool’s home form has been alarmingly poor

Last season, Liverpool dropped points at Anfield just five times in the entire league campaign, and two of those were after they had already secured the title.
This season, they have failed to win five of their 11 home league games, drawing against all three promoted teams and losing to Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.
Worse still for Slot, Lewis Steele’s claim that Liverpool’s style of play has become “hard to watch” will likely be echoed by many fans, and there were even boos at full-time as supporters showed their frustration.

Gerrard is right to highlight the issue of too many draws — they make up half of Liverpool’s current unbeaten run and have stopped them from distancing themselves from the top-four chase.

The xG numbers from today’s 1-1 draw — 2.96 for Liverpool and just 0.4 for Scott Parker’s Burnley (Sky Sports) — underline how wasteful Liverpool have been in the final third. If that isn’t fixed, Liverpool may not even be represented in next season’s Champions League.