EPL

Liverpool improving despite underwhelming Premier League start, Alisson claims

By Sports Desk September 04, 2022

Alisson believes Liverpool are improving despite making their worst start to a Premier League season under Jurgen Klopp, after the Reds were held to a frustrating Merseyside derby draw by Everton.

After missing several clear-cut opportunities in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, Liverpool have picked up just nine points from their first six games of the campaign – their lowest tally since they claimed eight under Brendan Rodgers in 2015-16.

Liverpool's 25th Premier League outing of 2022 was also the first in which they failed to find the net, with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz both hitting the woodwork amid an inspired performance from Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

The England goalkeeper's tally of eight saves against the Reds is the highest he has ever recorded while keeping a Premier League clean sheet.

Alisson was also forced into fine saves by Neal Maupay and Dwight McNeil in a lively encounter, but has chose to remain upbeat about Liverpool's performances.

"We are really focused on getting the victories back. It was really important we won the last game [against Newcastle United on Wednesday]," he told the club's official website.

"Not always do you get the results that you want, but you have to fight for that. You need to have consistency in your performances, and we are getting there. 

"We are improving in respect of the last games we had, each game we are improving a step.

"Players are coming back from injuries, so that is really important and that is the good side of everything."

Asked whether Liverpool had done enough to come away with the three points against Everton, the Brazil international added: "We didn't win, so the answer is not.

"But we did quite well, we improved our performance in respect of the last matches. We created chances, so many clear chances. 

"We could have scored, but the opponent as well had their opportunities.

"We defended well, enough to keep the clean sheet – that is the common goal for the team, we work hard for that. For today, we get a point and just keep on going."

Liverpool will turn their attentions to the Champions League when they travel to Napoli on Wednesday, before hosting Wolves in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday.

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    Sean Dyche claimed putting in "the hard yards" is what ultimately got Everton over the line when it came to securing their Premier League status.

    Everton beat Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Brentford in the space of six days in April to ensure their place in the top flight for another season.

    That is despite two separate points deductions, worth eight points overall, having been dished their way this season. Everton are set to appeal the second decision at some point in May.

    Last week's 1-0 win over Brentford saw Dyche's team move 11 points clear of 18th-placed Luton Town, meaning Friday's game against the Hatters no longer has so much riding on it for the Toffees, though Dyche will not let the hard work stop.

    "I took over midway through so it is a bit different to last season. You try to re-model a group that's already been modelled, which is a challenge," Dyche told reporters.

    "This season I think the biggest part of the success overall has been pockets of all different reasons. It is the work, work of the team I think we have got back to.

    "We may lose it so much due to good performances when we were not winning but the hard yards as I call it, just doing the graft. The organisation, the will, the thirst and desire to work, to really work.

    "I feel we still have good quality players here but it has to have a base to work from. You have to have a tactical understanding, you have to work, you have to do the hard yards, you have to cover the ground.

    "Stats show for 60 minutes the ball is in play, if you're a player you're probably going to have it for one minute so what are you doing for the rest of it, for the other 59 minutes? You better be working because that's what the modern game demands."

    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    Luton Town – Ross Barkley

    Barkley – who made 150 league appearances for Everton between 2011 and 2017 – has scored just one goal in 10 Premier League games against sides he has previously played for in the competition. However, that strike did come in a match at Kenilworth Road this season, a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea.

    Everton – Idrissa Gueye

    Gueye played a crucial role in Everton's survival, scoring in the matches against Forest and Brentford. The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has netted three times this season, and the Toffees will be hoping to tie him down to a new contract.

    MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

    Everton are winless in nine away Premier League games (D3 L6) since beating Burnley 2-0 in December. Indeed, while five of the Toffees' first eight league wins this season came away from home, each of their last four have all been at Goodison Park.

    Luton have beaten Everton twice this season, once in the league and once in the cup, with both of those 2-1 wins coming at Goodison Park.

    The Hatters have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games (D3 L10), with no side picking up fewer points than the Hatters since the start of this run (six). Despite this, they have only failed to score in one of their last 23 league games, a 2-0 defeat at league leaders Arsenal last month.

    This is Everton's first away match against Luton since a 1-0 win in the League Cup in October 2007, with Tim Cahill netting an extra-time winner. Their last league visit to Kenilworth Road also ended in a 1-0 victory back in November 1991 thanks to a Robert Warzycha goal.

    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    Luton Town – 36.7%

    Everton – 34.6%

    Draw – 28.7%

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    Jack Grealish credits Manchester City’s togetherness for their recent success ahead of another crucial run-in in the Premier League. 

    Pep Guardiola’s men are second in the table, just one point behind Arsenal with a game in hand, as they aim to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title.

    City have already won the Club World Cup this season, beating Fluminense to earn the trophy, and they will also play in the FA Cup final against Manchester United for the second year in a row later this month.

    Despite the hopes of back-to-back trebles being ended by their Champions League quarter-final exit to Real Madrid, Grealish is confident that City will finish the season successfully, highlighting the crucial strong bond amongst the team.

    "I've said in a lot of interviews that, for me, the team I'm in now - and especially last year - it's just unbelievable, the togetherness we have. Over the years, there have been so many top teams in the Premier League that haven't done what we've done," he told Sky Sports.

    "Even City's team in 2018-19, with David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne and Man United's team in 2008-09, with Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez - none of these teams won the treble.

    "That says something about our team because you can have all of the talent in the world, but you need to have the other side of it as well, like that togetherness of the pitch. That's something we had so much of, and we've got it this season as well.

    "With the experience we have and the quality we have, we don't really doubt ourselves.

    "I feel like everyone knows how hard it is to win a treble. We did it last year, and it was one of the best feelings I've ever had in football, especially having played such a big part in it.

    "I just want to finish the season strongly, try and win every competition we're in at the moment."

    Grealish has struggled with injuries this season, managing 33 appearances in all competitions, and scoring just three goals.

    Since making his return against Arsenal at the end of March, the 28-year-old has played in all but one of City’s eight games, and he is determined to make a successful finish to the season.

    "When I'm injured, I start watching clips of myself and just remember how many good moments I have had in football. It brings back my love for football," he said.

    "There's nothing that beats it. It's what I'm used to, and it's what I've done my whole life, so when I'm stuck indoors while the team are out training for a month or six weeks, it is difficult at times.

    "Being injured certainly gave me that extra motivation to come back and just play well again and try and succeed with City. I'm over the moon to be back and, hopefully, I can have a strong end to the season."

  • Howard Webb admits Forest should have had penalty in controversial Everton defeat Howard Webb admits Forest should have had penalty in controversial Everton defeat

    Howard Webb admitted officials got one of the big decisions wrong in Nottingham Forest's controversial Premier League defeat to Everton this month.

    Forest were beaten 2-0 at Goodison Park on April 21 but were left fuming that referee Anthony Taylor did not award a penalty despite three separate calls involving Ashley Young.

    Following the game, Forest released a controversial statement on the social media platform X - formerly Twitter - that hinted at the fact VAR Stuart Attwell was a fan of relegation rivals Luton Town and should not have been involved in the game.

    Webb was speaking about the incidents on the Mic'd Up TV programme and claimed that while the first decisions were "really subjective calls", the third one , which saw Young challenge Callum Hudson-Odoi, should have resulted in a penalty for Nuno Espirito Santo's team.

    "The referee waves away the penalty appeal. The VAR looks at it and asks himself the question, 'Was the non-award clearly and obviously wrong?' and came to the conclusion it wasn't," Webb said.

    "He doesn't see a clear action by Young that he considers to be worthy of intervention, one that reaches the threshold of being very clear.

    "But we would have preferred an intervention for the referee to go to the screen to make a judgement for himself in this situation and probably would have come out with a different outcome if that would've happened."

    "The game is played by human beings, it's officiated by human beings. And obviously our job is to try to ensure that we have a positive impact on the game by identifying correct decisions on the field. This wasn't one.

    "But of course they're humans making judgements as well, so we always are trying to reduce the number of errors that we that we make."

    Webb also said referee Michael Oliver will have been "really disappointed" to have not originally spotted a foul by Declan Rice on Ben Davies as Arsenal beat Tottenham 3-2 in the North London derby on Sunday, with a VAR intervention eventually awarding a spot-kick.

    "I know Michael [Oliver] will be really disappointed," added Webb.

    "He had a really good game. He's one of our top referees and one of the top referees in the world."

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