Lazar Markovic endured another day to forget during the Merseyside derby.
It is very early indeed in the Liverpool career of Lazar Markovic.
But, just a few games into his time at Anfield, the £20 million summer signing has already looked worryingly lacking in sharpness.
Markovic isn’t yet fully fit and is nowhere near accustomed the Premier League. With time, the Serb might just become one of the Kop’s greatest forwards. Maybe.
Against Everton, however, the 20-year-old delivered a frankly embarrassing statistical performance.
| Team | Pos | Chances Created | Dribbles Won | Accurate Crosses | Successful Final-Third Passes | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raheem Sterling | Liverpool | MF | 6 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 90 |
| Jordan Henderson | Liverpool | MF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 90 |
| Adam Lallana | Liverpool | MF | 1 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 90 |
| Philippe Coutinho | Liverpool | MF | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 30 |
| Lazar Markovic | Liverpool | FW | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 60 |
Indeed, as Opta stats show, Markovic did not create a single chance at Anfield on Saturday.
The Serb also won just one dribble (although that was more than Jordan Henderson) and completed a meager six final-third passes. An off-form Philippe Coutinho made more than double in half the amount of time on the pitch…
A different summer signing – Adam Lallana – fared a lot better. The £25m signing only created one chance but won two dribbles and completed 18 final-third passes, three times as many as his fellow Liverpool attacking midfielder.
Lallana’s performance was full of confidence and energy and the fact that he has played in the Premier League before is certainly benefiting him.
As for Markovic, the 20-year-old needs urgent work on his strength and needs something to lift his confidence. That something might be a spell on the sidelines, as starting him regularly doesn’t appear to be helping either him or the Reds as a whole early doors.
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