It was a frustrating night for Liverpool at St. James' Park on Sunday. A 2-0 loss to Newcastle United is not how anyone envisioned the evening playing out. Not only was it a loss to a poor side, but the Reds were not unlucky or unfortunate. They were just not very good on the night.
Liverpool misplaced 124 passes vs. Newcastle, most in a league game in any of the last 5 seasons. Gegen-depressing. pic.twitter.com/DgHTnQlyZ4
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 7, 2015
I don't care what advanced statistics you abide by or don't, misplacing 124 passes in a single match is just plain bad.
There's no doubt that Jurgen Klopp will be furious with the performance and eager to get back to the training ground to iron out the issues. Christian Benteke was one of the most noticeable under-performers with just a 55% pass rating, misplacing 13 total passes. Even though he's a striker, he has to be better with the ball at his feet if Liverpool are going to be successful.