It had all been going so well for Alberto Moreno.
The Liverpool full-back was frozen-out of the first-team last season, after making several errors in the final few months of Jurgen Klopp’s first campaign in-charge. Most expected him to be sold in the summer transfer window, but he stuck around and has become a regular in the first-team. Moreno appeared to have cut the errors out of his game, and he looked a more reliable player than the one who lost his place to midfielder James Milner. The 25-year-old even earned a recall to the Spain squad.
But then came Tuesday’s Champions League tie away to his old team Sevilla.
"He is an accident waiting to happen" https://t.co/4W0VCP1hGI
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) November 22, 2017
Liverpool were leading 3-0 at half-time, but somehow managed to draw the game 3-3. The collapse was a collective failure, but Moreno was noticeably suspect for two of the home side’s goals. The Spanish full-back gave away the free-kick that resulted in Sevilla’s first goal, and was beaten to a header from the free-kick. He then conceded a penalty when he committed a foul after failing to control a pass from Philippe Coutinho.
According to Jamie Carragher, it was a performance from Moreno that “we’ve seen for the last three or four years.” The former Liverpool defender also said that the club still needs a new left-back, and that Moreno is unlikely to ever remove the errors from his game.
“He’s had a lot of credit this season because he’s performed a lot better than he has done,” Carragher told Viasport.
“But he’s been at the club now for three or four years, and I don’t think a run of seven, eight games should cloud people’s judgement of what you think of him as a player. I still think Liverpool need a left-back. He has done a lot better this season but he still has those moments where he makes rash decisions and rash tackles, and I don’t think that will ever go out of his game. It was actually a very good decision by Klopp to bring Milner on, because at that stage I thought Liverpool were going to lose the game, never mind draw. To be fair he has done well, we haven’t seen that a lot this season, but again it goes back to the Moreno we’ve seen for the last three or four years.”
Carragher also said Liverpool’s second-half performance was “a shambles” and “it was like watching children play.”
You can watch him here:
.@Carra23: – Thankfully I'm not allowed to swear also, because I'd like to swear when I see that second half.
(@JanAageFjortoft) pic.twitter.com/gwLHiMA8BN
— Viaplay Fotball (@ViaplayFotball) November 21, 2017