Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool are lagging behind his Swansea City side in key areas.
After a solid start to the season over the opening three games, Liverpool have suffered back-to-back defeats – and looked woeful doing so.
The Reds have lost to West Ham and Manchester United by a combined scoreline of 6-1, but more worrying was not just the result but the performance.
When Brendan Rodgers was appointed as Liverpool boss, there were reservations over his pulling power in the transfer market as an inexperienced boss at the top level – but style of football was not one.
His Swansea City side were highly respected for their easy on the eye passing style and results above expectations.
Liverpool this season are well below the standard he set in 2011/12, despite investing in expensive players like Roberto Firmino.
| Season | Passing Accuracy | Touches per game | Accurate Passes per game | Goals per game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swansea | 2011-2012 | 86% | 744.74 | 468.76 | 1.16 |
| Liverpool | 2014-2015 | 83% | 719.79 | 422.11 | 1.37 |
| Liverpool | 2015-2016 | 79% | 668 | 367.2 | 0.6 |
His Liverpool side so far this season average 101 accurate passes per game fewer than Swansea City did in 2011/12.
Their passing accuracy ranks under 80 per cent, seven per cent lower than Swansea’s did, while their goals per game tally is just 0.6 compared to 1.16.
Last season over 38 games Liverpool were below Rodgers’ Swansea side, but the drop this time around has been more substantial.
Fans will hope that because it is just over five games that Liverpool will improve, but selecting players – like Firmino – played out of their natural roles make a cohesive passing side hard to implement.
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