Liverpool legend reveals senior player dressing room outburst

MARK LAWRENSON has revealed that Liverpool's leading players let rip in the dressing room after they were thrashed 3-0 by Watford last week.

 

Lawrenson has been told that senior players took responsibility for the performance themselves

 

The Hornets' Nathan Ake stabbed in an early goal capitalising on stand-in goalkeeper Adam Bogdan's mistake before two goals from Odion Ighalo condemned Jurgen Klopp to only his third defeat as Reds manager.

But Lawrenson claims it was some of the players and not the German manager who produced the hairdryer treatment after Liverpool dragged themselves off the pitch.

"I'm reliably informed that as Liverpool traipsed back into the bowels of the stadium, some of the senior professionals took it upon themselves to declare one thing," Lawrenson wrote in the Liverpool Echo.

 

"'That simply cannot happen again.'

"They simply can't allow teams to run over them and knock them out of their stride.

"The older players realise that's a problem. And it has been a problem for a while.

"At Premier League level, if you have a soft centre then teams know they can bully you.

 

"Crystal Palace, West Ham, Stoke City and now Watford have all done that to us in recent times."

Lawrenson made 356 appearances and won five league titles at Anfield, but is now best known as a pundit.

A central defender in his day, the Republic of Ireland international has also cast his eye over Liverpool's injury-ravaged back four.

And despite the loss of Martin Skrtel with a torn hamstring, Lawrenson is confident much-maligned Dejan Lovren can successfully partner returning Mamadou Sakho.

 

"Despite being right-footed, Dejan Lovren prefers to play on the left side of defence, although he'll have to shift to the right to accommodate Mamadou Sakho," added Lawrenson

"It shouldn't be a problem.

"When I moved to Liverpool, Alan Hansen played on the left and I had played on the left for Brighton. I went over to the right, and it's simply a matter of going out and playing and learning the position.

"For both Lovren and Sakho, they know Skrtel is going to be out for six weeks – which will cover a lot of games at this time of the season – so it's a matter of going out and performing.

 

Liverpool's defeat at Watford was only Klopp's third while in charge of Liverpool

 

"Sakho needs regular football and once he gets that, he looks a decent player.

"Lovren is a bit similar only he has tended to let you down and then be dropped, time and again.

"This time is different, and he hasn't done anything wrong before missing out through injury.

"The pair of them can more than do a job, and then there's always Kolo Toure in case they need a rest."