The sheer level of dissatisfaction at Liverpool is reaching boiling point. Liverpool fans have to suffer the indignity of being 19th in the Premier League Table, having a manager in whom nobody seems to have any faith and players who either aren’t good enough or don’t appear to care about the Liverpool cause. At the moment things are all doom and gloom around Anfield – unsurprising considering this is Liverpool’s worst start to a campaign for about 60-years. At this stage Liverpool’s derby loss against Everton at the weekend appears to be another nail in a coffin that is becoming increasingly difficult to pry open. Now another Liverpool star has spoken out regarding their catastrophically bad form, but isn’t it time that these players started delivering on the pitch, not off it?
Joe Cole, who signed for Liverpool this summer, has been something of a let-down. In the first game of the season he picked up a red card and a three game ban against Arsenal. Since his return Liverpool fans have bemoaned a general lack of inspiration and application from the sprightly winger. Tottenham and Arsenal, who were also after Cole over the summer, may feel as if they dodged a bullet by missing out on his transfer. But, credit where it’s due, Cole knows he has not been up to scratch and is desperate to turn both his career and Liverpool’s fall from grace around. He told the Liverpool Echo “We are not playing well. I’m not playing well. I know that. I expect better from myself,” before going on to add, “I need to find my form somehow. I’m sure I will and it will come soon.”
By this stage, Liverpool fans are no doubt fed-up of their players talking a good game without transferring it onto the pitch. However, it’s positive to note that some of the players realise they need to up their games and find their form – the quicker the better. Fans may point to the body language of players like Torres and suggest that they aren’t giving their all for the team. The flip side of this is that there are players like Joe Cole who recognise the problem and are willing to work to combat Liverpool’s decline.
Of course the adage “actions speak louder than words” rings true here. Liverpool fans turn up week in, week out expecting their players to perform to the best of their abilities and in recent times they have largely been disappointed. Cole receives a healthy pay-check from Liverpool and to this extent fans have a right to expect him to perform to the best of his ability. How do Liverpool work their way out of this slump? “The right thing to do is try to grind out the first win, then take it from there,” says Cole. Yes, that’s a start, but you get the feeling that what Liverpool fans really want is their star players to perform well on a week-by-week basis – if this were the case you get the feeling that results would follow. Let’s hope that Cole’s words act as an impetus for an improvement in his game and of the performances of those around him.
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