Liverpool, on the other hand, dominate the ball and spend plenty of time trying to protect leads. They have scored the first goal in 14 of their 25 games so far but have won only eight of those. In cup competitions they have also thrown away leading positions against Bordeaux, Sion and lowly Carlisle. The 12 Premier League points they have dropped after going ahead this season is the second most in the Premier League behind Bournemouth’s 14.
PL points dropped from winning positions 2015/16
| Team | Ahead Points Lost |
|---|---|
| Bournemouth | 14 |
| Liverpool | 12 |
| Chelsea | 12 |
| Newcastle | 12 |
| Everton | 11 |
| Swansea | 11 |
| Tottenham | 11 |
| Aston Villa | 10 |
| Southampton | 10 |
| Crystal Palace | 8 |
| West Brom | 8 |
| West Ham | 8 |
| Arsenal | 7 |
| Leicester | 7 |
| Man Utd | 7 |
| Sunderland | 7 |
| Watford | 7 |
| Norwich | 5 |
| Stoke | 4 |
| Man City | 3 |
There is a problem with mentality at Anfield – as well as the goalkeeping of Simon Mignolet – but perhaps they are also struggling with the physical demands placed on the players by Jurgen Klopp’s pressing regime.
Liverpool should be able to see out the final 10 minutes against Sunderland without fuss; the Norwich game should not have descended into such pandemonium; a 77th-minute Christian Benteke strike at home to Southampton should have been the winner. Not so for this Liverpool side.
You can sympathise to some extent with the teething problems that would come with adapting to a new manager’s philosophy and building up the fitness to do so, but given the quantities spent and talent available, surely something as simple as playing out 10 eventless minutes against one of the top flight’s worst teams should not be beyond them.
For Liverpool to get their season back on track on any front, Klopp faces what is arguably his greatest challenge for the rest of the season; he needs to build up belief in his squad.
While Bournemouth’s own travails might be a little more understandable given their status as Premier League new boys and often as underdogs, Chelsea’s issues have stemmed from an inability to hold on to leads that just shouldn’t be the case for the reigning champions.
Twelve points have been dropped over the course of the season, including four under Guus Hiddink. Although they have improved under the Dutchman, holding on to three points remains an issue.
Perhaps the strongest argument for Tottenham to be considered title challengers is that they seem to have learned from past lessons.
They have conceded a league-low nine second-half goals but eight of them have come in the final 15 minutes of games. Eleven points have been dropped from winning positions as a result.
However, they haven’t conceded a lead since the freak defeat to Newcastle in early December; a worrying feature of the beginning of their season has been diminished in recent weeks.
It can feel gut-wrenching to see your team give up a lead that feels like it was once within your grasp, and it would be even more disappointing for Liverpool fans to look back at the season and wonder what could so easily have been. There is plenty of work to be done but Jurgen Klopp would do well to start here.
Liverpool beat Sunderland
- Telegraph