Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson believes the Reds need to have some backbone and mental strength away from home if they want to finish in the top six. A lack of leadership in the team in away performances, according to Lawro, needs to change if they want to compete at the top of the table again. Writing in his column for the Liverpool Daily Post, he said:
“It’s when you’re up against it, especially away from home, that you need more players to take responsibility as leaders. Even with Gerrard and Carragher back in the team, those players can’t just be looking for them to provide the inspiration. Everyone has to start putting their necks on the line. As it is, the past week has summed up Liverpool’s season for me. At home everything is absolutely fine. They have shaken off those early jitters that saw them lose to Blackpool at Anfield, and that remains their only home defeat of the campaign. Victories over Chelsea, West Ham and Aston Villa have shown that they can find their groove and smash teams into submission in front of the Kop. But what Roy Hodgson has to somehow instil is the ability to be mentally strong enough to respond to adversity and bounce back when you’re under the cosh. If they had that they would have won at Spurs and at Newcastle, never mind drawn. It could come from him it could come from within the players. But either way, if it doesn’t happen soon then I won’t be changing my early season opinion that Liverpool are a top 10 side – but not a top six one.”
Lawrenson also compared the Reds team to the former ownership issue at the club:
“John W Henry took ownership, now it’s time some of the Liverpool players did as well. What struck me about the game at Newcastle was that the team appeared rudderless. When Fernando Torres missed that great chance to make it 2-1, they should have built on that moment and sensed the game was there for the taking. But nobody was prepared to step up and really grab it by the scruff of the break.”
This week it is former Liverpool player Danny Murphy’s wife Joanna Taylor!
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Totally agree, it’s nice to see something come out of Lawro’s mouth that isn’t just pure bollocks.
does he mean fernando torres actually trying to tackle for the ball, close a defender down, smile, win try a header ? no finer sight in football than fernado in full flow – no worse sight in football than fernando sulking, moaning, skiving.
Hey Lawro, how about making a comment about Roy’s facial and body language these days? Does he act like the leader that this article says we need so badly or is he part of the problem? What you got to say lad?