David Lynch: Liverpool’s collapse against Man City was ‘inevitable’

Liverpool’s Anfield Defeat to Man City: Brutal Reality Check for Arne Slot’s Side

In the latest episode of Media Matters on Anfield Index, David Lynch joined Dave Davis to reflect on Liverpool’s painful 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at Anfield. The result leaves Liverpool sixth in the Premier League and, as Lynch bluntly put it, “it will take a miracle from here to be honest.”

With their Champions League ambitions hanging by a thread, Lynch did not sugarcoat his analysis: “Liverpool have lost to worse teams this season but this was truly a dreadful day.” He highlighted the statistical domination by City, noting, “City were without doubt over the 100 minutes the far better side in an Anfield game where Liverpool needed to win it.”

No redemption in defeat

Despite Liverpool taking the lead, Lynch stressed that a strong 35-minute spell wasn’t enough. “You can’t come away from an Anfield game having played well for half an hour of it and go, ‘God, we had hard lines there.’” He added, “The collapse kind of felt inevitable,” especially when City’s expected goals and shot count far outstripped Liverpool’s.

Lynch was critical of the overall mentality and tactical discipline. “This is not a flash in the pan or a poor patch. It’s been pretty consistently awful for a number of games now,” he said, pointing to an alarming trend of late goals conceded. “They’ve kind of dropped eight points in the 90th minute plus, basically.”

Misfiring leadership and tactical flaws

The discussion turned to Arne Slot’s tactics and Liverpool’s sluggish first halves. “How poor is your pre-match messaging that that tactical plan worked to justify your selection in some sense, but your players were not executing it in the first half?” Lynch asked, questioning the quality of analysis and preparation.

He was equally unimpressed with post-match rhetoric, including Virgil van Dijk’s comments about the team being in “transition.” Lynch was clear: “I’m absolutely fine with accepting this as a transition season, but I think the floor for Liverpool in a transition season should still be top four.”

Photo: IMAGO

Bright spots and off-field shadows

One consistent positive Lynch acknowledged was Dominik Szoboszlai, who continues to impress. “He’s been brilliant all season. His work rate we know about, the quality’s starting to show, and the danger from free kicks is massive,” Lynch said. He also praised Milos Kerkez’s performance, calling him “a really good player” who brought “the right kind of intensity.”

However, hope was dampened by concerning signs off the pitch. Lynch highlighted uncertainty surrounding Curtis Jones, pointing out Slot’s lack of enthusiasm about keeping him. “He missed an open goal there in terms of saying he wants him to stay,” Lynch remarked. “It’s truly depressing.”

A club adrift with no signs of turnaround

As the episode closed, Lynch didn’t hide his pessimism. “There’s no chance that Liverpool get in the Champions League this season,” he said. Referencing the Premier League form table, he added, “Over the last 20 games, they’ve picked up 24 points… that’s six wins, six draws, eight defeats. Fulham, Brighton, Newcastle, Sunderland, Everton, Brentford… all these sides have picked up more points.”

Slot’s record came under direct fire too: “Roy Hodgson had 25 points in 20 games. Slot’s sitting on 24. He’s got a far better squad. How is it this bad?”

Even the club hierarchy came under scrutiny. Lynch challenged the direction under Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes: “I don’t think Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards are immune from criticism… but this squad is better than it’s showing.”

In what might be the most damning statement of all, Lynch concluded: “If they get to the end of the season and this form is continued, the call has got to be to make a change to the manager. It just has to be.”