Coming off a string of positive results including an entertaining goal-fest of a 5-2 victory over West Ham on the weekend, hopes were high that an almost wholly unchanged Liverpool side could put in a strong performance on the way to three points against the worst side in the Premier League. Spoiler: they couldn’t manage the strong performance part. Or the three points part. Anyhow…
Talking Tactics
Liverpool managed to hold Wolves without a shot attempt until the 78th minute, which some might be inclined to celebrate
as a reflection of the Reds’ defensive effort and structural solidity. A look at the table, though, where Wolves are currently twentieth (20th) in the table with the fewest goals scored (also the worst goal differential, for what it’s worth) in the Premier League does rather point to the fact that Wolves being very bad may have something to do with that.
Also, rather than celebrating the lack of attacking threat from Wolves, one might be more bothered at Liverpool not creating a whole hell of a lot in attack themselves. And also there was the part where when Wolves did get their first shot attempt in the 78th minute it was, a) on target and, b) ended up in the goal behind Alisson. Good job, Liverpool. Good effort.
Winners and Losers
Wolves Fans Chanting for Diogo
There’s not a lot of positive to focus on from a Liverpool point of view here, but it was genuinely heartening to hear the Wolves fans begin to sing and chant for the departed Portugal international on 18 minutes, with 18 being his shirt number when he played for the West Midlands club. Liverpool fans gave them a little space but then were quick to join in with a full throated rendition of his song once the home supporters had had their turn.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s Cornrows
Liverpool’s Hungarian midfielder/hirsute sex symbol found time in the two days between West Ham on the weekend and Wolves today to get himself a big ol’ set of cornrows. On his head. It was a bold choice, though most Liverpool fans were waiting to see how he played with them before passing final judgement. If he scored a hat trick there would probably have been a whole lot (or maybe like five is five a lot?) of Liverpool fans rocking new cornrows on Wednesday morning. So, with that in mind, how would Dom do?
Final judgement: Dominik Szoboszlai really shouldn’t have got the cornrows.
Liverpool’s Passing Patterns
It’s March and I still don’t know what this Liverpool side are trying to build towards like what are the passing patterns we’re training on what are the pressing patterns we’re drilling what exactly is it that we we’re working on in training and when will we get good enough at it to maybe not look mostly like garbage against the worst side in the league? Ah well, maybe things will get better in April in time to salvage a Conference League place.
Cody Gakpo’s Goal Line Clearance
Cody Gakpo’s got a lot of heat this season, some of it fair but a lot of it probably not, for a general lack of goal involvements combined with a desire to cut inside and blast it into the first defender and/or never passing it to Milos Kerkez on the overlap. So having him stretch to clear what would have been the game’s opening goal off the line in the second half as Curtis Jones was about to bundle it in from 304.8mm probably out won’t help.
Dissecting the Narrative
This is quite simply who Liverpool are at this stage under this manager (or head coach, if you’re the sort who finds the picking of nits to be particularly important in this instance).
This is who Liverpool have been going back to December 2024/January 2025 when, having all but wrapped the league in impressive fashion, the football started to go a bit stale. The months have passed and with each new one comes a new excuse or reason, but fundamentally this is who Liverpool are. A side that can put on a bit of a show against a terrible West Ham then two days later utterly shit the bed against an even more terrible Wolves.
They’ve been doing this for at least 14 months now. There’s little reason to think they won’t keep doing this the rest of the way this season and finish in either a Europa League or Conference League spot. Which is about what they seemed on pace for back in October and December and even, based on second-half form, in the latter stages of last season. There will always be just enough in their wins, just enough in the flashes of competence, for people to convince themselves that maybe this time this group under this manager are turning it around. And then, time and again, it will inevitably turn out to be another false dawn.
Fourteen months. Lather, rise, repeat.
What Happens Next
With Chelsea a point behind and taking on Aston Villa next, there’s a decent chance the Reds manage to hang on to fifth place (and the presumptive final Champions League place) this matchweek, but there’s just no positive way to spin a defeat to the worst side in the Premier League and we’re not even gonna try to find it (though I’m sure you can find someone out there who will).
As for the palate cleanser, well, we’ve got more Wolves, with the two sides facing off again at the Molineux on Friday in the FA Cup. Hopefully it’ll be a more enjoyable 90 minutes, though even if it is that won’t make this one a whole lot better.
