"Papered over the cracks" - Steve McManaman on Liverpool's start to the season

Pundit Steve McManaman has given his opinion on Liverpool's start to the 2022-23 Premier League campaign.

The Reds have only accumulated two points from a possible nine. Liverpool have gone 1-0 behind in their opening three top-flight fixtures this season.

McManaman has said the following about the club's start to the new campaign.

As quoted by AW on Twitter, he told the Liverpool Echo the following: "Last season when they went behind they were winning games so that papered over the cracks. Fulham, they were slow, (they) started great against Manchester City but subsequently they’ve started slow every time.

"You knew after five or 10 minutes (against Manchester United at Old Trafford) they were in trouble and at the races. The warning sign was (Anthony) Elanga’s chance when he ran down and cut between Trent (Alexander-Arnold) and (Joe) Gomez, they couldn’t deal with it and they still kept playing as if they were winning 4-0.

"It was only a matter of time (until they) get caught and when they did get caught that’s when it’s ‘uh oh, we need to sharpen up’ but it’s too late in games. These games are more than just playing nice and scoring goals, this is Liverpool versus Manchester United.

"Last season Liverpool battered them and got the glory, they have to take it because they were nowhere near good enough. Liverpool are languishing at the bottom of the league, they’ll get out of it, but they’ve got two points out of nine which is a massive problem."

Anfield Watch Verdict

McManaman is spot on. It is a real concern that Liverpool are starting matches slowly. The Reds have been chasing games, which is not what you want to be doing when you're trying to compete for the title.

It is frustrating to see how Liverpool have started the season. It wasn't that long ago Jurgen Klopp's team defeated title favourites Manchester City 2-1 at the King Power Stadium to secure the Community Shield.

Things can change very quickly in football. With that being the case, we are optimistic Liverpool can get back to their best sooner rather than later.