Liverpool have been absolutely flying this season. The Reds have won seven of their eight games in the premier league season and sit top of the table. Having scored 15 goals, it’s not their attack that’s flawless, their defensive aspect of the game has been immaculate as well. Liverpool have kept 5 clean sheet this season in the Premier League, which is the highest for any team in the league.
When a Merseyside godlike Jurgen Klopp vacates his throne, it’s natural to be skeptical of finding the ideal successor for someone as irreplaceable as the German, but Arne Slot has been the second coming of Jesus for the Scousers.
There was some lingering doubts about the Dutchman’s talent and pedigree to take on the mantle from someone as important as Klopp when he switched his allegiance to the Reds from PSV. But he has wasted no time to answer those claims by leading Liverpool to a historic start to the season.
But in spite of being literally flawless throughout the campaign, why has former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock left no opportunity to slate Slot’s side for their performances?
Is he just a bitter old man, or is there some truth to his recent opinions about this Liverpool side? Let’s dive deep into that context today.
Stephen Warnock: Liverpool’s forgotten man waiting for his Istanbul Payback?
Does Stephen Warnock right a bell to you? If you’re a Liverpool fan, you’d remember that a fellow Scouser born in the city of Ormskirk played for them from 2002-2007.
Originally from their youth academy, Warnock made 40 appearances for the club in his 5 years at Anfield. He later left the club in 2007, after a bunch of unsuccessful loan spells at various other clubs. (stats by Wikipedia)
The Liverpool Academy product was most recently in the news over social media platforms for his coverage and analysis of this week’s Liverpool games, and it seems like due to his comments he failed to keep himself in the good books of Liverpool fans.
The Englishman’s initial comments surfaced in his analysis of Liverpool’s home game vs. Chelsea this past weekend.
Warnock mentioned that Chelsea outplayed Liverpool throughout the game, whereas the general fan consensus and opinion was that Chelsea were good for the initial part of the game and that as the half and game grew older, Liverpool’s hold on the game increased, and both teams went neck to neck for the win and performed equally well.
Some XG stats even show that the home side created more clear-cut chances in that game. Thus, fans were annoyed with the defenders comment at this point of time.
But Warnock wasn’t done here.
Following his comments over the Chelsea fixture, the defender was quick to slate Slot’s men for their performance in the Champions League fixture vs. RB Leipzig as well.
He said on MOTD that the 1-0 away win vs. the German side was definitely something that Liverpool ‘got away with’ in terms of how they played and what result they got.
He went on to further express that he felt the side scored the only goal in the game against the run of play where Leipzig were dominating the game and that overall Liverpool were disjointed and easily being cut through open in defense.
This further led to more backlash for the defender from Liverpool fans, who have argued that was completely not the case as the statistics related to chance creation and XG told a different story with Liverpool outnumbering their German opponents.
Many fans have also suggested that Warnock is probably just bitter from his Istanbul horror show back in 2005 and can’t see his former side win or genuinely play well.
To put things into context, during his time at the club back in 2005, Liverpool played one of the most historic and legendary games in their history as a football club. The famous comeback victory in Istanbul against AC Milan in the Champions League final to seal their 5th Champions League trophy, ever.
Warnock was part of this squad but he never quite made it to the starting 11 or even the bench, as per then manager’s selection- Rafa Benitez.
What followed was heartbreak for the defender as he missed out on the Champions League Winners medal, as UEFA rules only allow the players either in the starting eleven or on the official substitute list (on the bench) for that game to be eligible for being awarded the UCL medal.
And this is why many Liverpool fans have started connecting the dots of the defender’s bias towards Slot’s side to his omission from the squad by the hands of Benitez on the most important night of his life, probably.
Liverpool fans have called out for Warnock to be removed from coverage and analysis of their club’s games, with their theory of the defender being bitter from the past troubles with the club might be true after all.
Warnock’s constant negative coverage of their play and performance substantiates that argument. Whether it’s his bias, bitterness, or not, one thing is for sure: the Englishman can forget receiving a resounding homecoming for his return if he wishes to come back and visit his old club anytime soon, that is.
