Steven Gerrard reckons that his boys did not have enough hunger in the European Cup fixture against the Swiss club FC Basel the other day.
The Reds lost that match by 0-1 to slip to no. 3 in Group B. With a win versus Ludogorets Razgard, they had made a great start, but, the outing against Basel did not seem to have impressed Gerrard even a single bit.
In the post match interview, Gerrard said, “I think they were hungrier than us. We were not up to the task. It’s gutting obviously.”
“You’ve got to be tough playing in big games like these, but, that was not the case with us. We were loose on a number of occasions. We conceded again and unfortunately, this time around, that one goal was the difference.”
The margin of defeat might not have been that broad, but, the fact is that Basel appeared to be a far better team on the pitch than Liverpool at St. Jakob-Park.
There was just no organization in Liverpool’s play. There was not even a single instance of them having a clear-cut opportunity during the whole game. They were mostly playing the long balls.
When asked about the set-piece defence, Gerrard said, “There have been a lot of talk about it in the camp, a lot of planning as well, but, eventually, it has to be done out there. Your execution during the game is what matters.”
Mario Balotelli, whom many felt could be the stand out player for the Reds, had probably one of his poorest days on the park as he hardly got any of his shots spot on.
Liverpool’s next challenge is going to be against the defending champions Real Madrid. If they go the same way against the Los Blancos too, they would be ripped apart to shreds.