Liverpool

BBC Radio Merseyside discussed whether Liverpool are "too nice" and need to embody Arsenal's "win at all costs mentality" going forward.

It comes after Sunday's defeat to the Gunners in which several decisions went against the Reds.

Host Paul Salt, said: "One of the really infuriating things about that game was Arsenal, who were on the deck more than they were on their feet.

"But is that the win at all costs mentality that Liverpool don't seem to have at the moment?"

Chris Coughlin, added: "It's desire and aggression. Liverpool don't have a number six who drives those dark arts.

"Is it something that is part of the game now? Yes. Is it something that helps teams to be successful? Yes.

"It's something for a while now that Liverpool haven't really mastered."

Hear more from BBC Radio Merseyside on the matter above

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Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Ryan Gravenberch has been ruled out of Liverpool's trip to Fenerbahce with a heel injury.

The midfielder did not feature during the Reds' loss to Arsenal on Sunday and will not travel with the 22-man squad to Istanbul, instead remaining at the AXA Training Centre for treatment by the club's medical team.

In his absence, Trey Nyoni is set to get more minutes. The 19-year-old has featured regularly under Andoni Iraola and made his first Premier League start against the Gunners.

Liverpool travelling squad: Alisson, Gomez, Van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Isak, Mac Allister, Gakpo, Tsimikas, Munoz, Mamardashvili, Woodman, Barcola, Araujo, Nyoni, Chambers, McConnell, Koumas, Ngumoha, Danns.

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk believes that with VAR, there should be no need for players to fall down if they want a penalty.

The Reds were denied a spot-kick in Sunday's defeat by Arsenal when Alexander Isak had his shirt pulled by Jurrien Timber in the box but VAR chose not to intervene. After the game, Andoni Iraola said he would tell his players to go down in future.

Asked if Isak should have made more of the shirt pull, Van Dijk said: "There are so many angles and cameras, and we are using VAR, so why should you make an extra theatrical move?"

Van Dijk added that Liverpool will continue to play out from the back despite Alisson's error leading to Kai Havertz scoring the only goal of the game.

"I don't have the goal exactly in my mind and what went wrong but I think we tried to play out from the back, which we have to keep doing and keep encouraging each other to do. We have the quality," he said.

"But it was also a very good cross and we could have definitely done things better, but we conceded a goal. After that, we have to react and I think we reacted well.

"We obviously troubled the champions but we played at home, and we wanted to win. We had opportunities to score but, in the end, we came away with nothing. That is frustrating and we are all disappointed."

Liverpool's two losses this season have come against Manchester City and Arsenal and Van Dijk insisted that his side are still going through a transition under Iraola.

"We have to just focus on ourselves. I don't think it is good to think about the other two and even Brighton. We are in a process," he said.

"We have been together now for four months but we play at Liverpool and we want results every three days, especially at home. The main thing is we keep working very hard and that we see improvement, but the fact of the matter is we are in a transition."

"It is still a work in progress. We are training a lot but eventually it is about doing it in the games. There was a lot of good things, by the way, but you need results and we didn't get the result that we wanted," he added.

Iraola's side travel to Istanbul on Tuesday before facing Turkish side Fenerbahce in the Champions League on Wednesday (17:45 GMT).

Liverpool may just be a bit too timid in attack.

That's the view of the team on BBC Radio Merseyside's The Red Kop podcast.

The Reds drew a blank in defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, with few clear openings despite plenty of effort.

Take in a clip of the show above.

Listen below to the full episode or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Liverpool content on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Arsenal.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans

Rob: Excellent display after a nervous start. We looked competitive and dominant so plenty of reasons to be cheerful. Stonewall penalty not even looked at, which is another VAR disgrace. Also, the nonsense about a "defensive masterclass" from Arsenal - no, they parked the bus and Liverpool just lacked a finishing touch. Besides, Arsenal could and maybe should have been 3-1 down at half-time.

Paul: Penalty aside - it was a day for experienced heads and, sadly, Trey Nyoni, Rio Ngumoha and Lewis Koumas are just not good enough. A learning lesson.

Faisal: Very good, based on a well-executed strategy. Somewhat unlucky not to get away with at least a draw from this match, but overall were the better side. It will be a two-horse battle between Arsenal and Liverpool, as Manchester City will be heavily penalised after their appeal.

Ian: Team has too many non-aggressive, weak players. Isak should be throwing his arms in the air after that shirt pull. Winners have controlled aggression. This is not a trophy-winning team.

Arsenal fans

Charles: Arsenal showed maturity, a strong winning mentality and composure. Shoutout to Arteta and the technical team - this is the kind of character to win big matches and titles. What a period to be an Arsenal fan.

Vince: Another monster defensive performance. It's always nail-biting when Arsenal score early, because you know that hands all the attacking impetus to the opposition. But Gabriel, Konsa, Timber and Calafiori were simply magnificent, repelling all that was thrown at them. Was that a kitchen sink I saw?

Dapo: 1-0 to the Arsenal... It was a gritty encounter but Arsenal showed resilience in the face of it. Anfield away wins don't come easily.

Kofi: It was a good performance and a good win, but we're lucky not to have conceded a penalty. The players have to be aware of unnecessary actions such as time-wasting and getting involved in a brawl they did not start but that results in yellow cards.

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai has said Reds players may need to dive in future after Alexander Isak was denied a penalty in Sunday's 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal.

Isak's shirt was pulled by Jurrien Timber but the Liverpool striker stayed on his feet and referee Andy Madley didn't point to the spot. Stuart Attwell on VAR chose not to intervene.

"I don't know what they expect from us - to dive or something. I don't think we are the type of team or players to do that, but from now on we might need to do it," said Szoboszlai.

"If Alex falls down it's a clear penalty. Timber doesn't really care about the ball and maybe if he doesn't pull Alex's shirt, Alex can head it in the goal."

Asked if Liverpool needed to be a bit more streetwise, Szoboszlai added: "It is not our type of play. I don't think, in this moment, you can think, 'oh, let me wait for someone touching me and I'll fall down'.

"He is focusing on the ball and he wants to head the ball in the net. But if you interfere with your hand on his back then he might not do it. I don't think you can see this one differently."

Szoboszlai retured to action after being out injured for a fortnight and admitted it is difficult to find the balance between wanting to play and managing his fitness.

"I want to play every 90 minutes but sometimes your body says rest a little bit," he added.

"I missed games against Manchester City and LASK and then felt very good again after a couple of days off - but it seemed I wasn't ready.

"Sometimes I listen to my heart and not my body. I was actually ready from the start [on Sunday] but I've played 30 minutes and let's see from now on."

Hear more from Szoboszlai below or on BBC Sounds here

Andoni Iraola has said he will tell his players to go down in future after Liverpool were denied a penalty in Sunday's defeat by Arsenal.

With Liverpool trailing 1-0 after Kai Havertz's opener, Alexander Isak's shirt was pulled by Jurrien Timber in the first half as he went for a header from Bradley Barcola's cross.

However, the Liverpool striker stayed on his feet and referee Andy Madley did not point to the spot.

Stuart Attwell, on VAR duty, determined that there was not enough in the tug for the decision to be overturned, but Iraola disagreed.

"There is a clear grab of the shirt," the Spaniard told Match of the Day. "Alex [Isak] was just in front of him, he was going to head in front of the goal but couldn't because he grabbed the shirt.

"If he goes to the floor, they call the penalty - 100%. It should be like this but it is what it is. Next time, the managers should tell Alex to go to the floor, otherwise they won't call it."

On what the answer is going forward, Iraola added: "The answer is you have to dive. If you don't dive they won't call it."

The understanding is that because there was minimal contact and it was a slight tug on the shirt, rather than a sustained holding offence, the play was allowed to continue.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said the decision came at a pivotal point in the game.

"Arsenal got lucky," he told Match of the Day. "I hate to see players exaggerate, but he's going to score. It's a big moment in the game.

"I feel for the referee because it happened so quickly. I thought there was enough for VAR to have another look and give him another look. If he made more of it, maybe they would have given it on-field."

Liverpool have identified Nottingham Forest's 24-year-old Brazil defender Murillo and Borussia Dortmund's 26-year-old Germany centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck as possible replacements for Virgil van Dijk. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

This was a defeat for Liverpool that leaves them some way off the pace in the title race, but there were still plenty of reasons for their fans to leave Anfield feeling optimistic.

The team and style of football Andoni Iraola is looking to create has become more and more obvious in the past few games and it is an exciting prospect.

Their pace on the attack and high press left Arsenal under near constant pressure in the first half, during which they had appeals for penalties waved away when Jurrien Timber pulled Alexander Isak's shirt inside the box, while Cody Gakpo went down after a tussle with Christos Tzolis.

But for all their good work in building up attacks they were just not clinical enough, with Isak - who has six goals in the Premier League this season - particularly quiet.

But they will not face a defence like Arsenal's often, and this defeat was only their second this season.

Liverpool starting XI:

Alisson: It was his error - a poor pass out - that led to Kai Havertz giving Arsenal the lead. Made a great save to deny Christos Tzolis but that mistake ultimately proved costly. 4

Ronald Araujo: Made his 12th consecutive start. Battled well as ever but was given a really tough test by Christos Tzolis down Arsenal's left. 6

Jeremy Jacquet: Shaky in patches but had a decent game on the whole and made a superb tackle after slipping in the second half. 6

Virgil van Dijk: Reliable as ever but will be so disappointed with how easily Liverpool gifted Arsenal the lead. 6

Milos Kerkez: Had a frustrating first half but delivered a lovely cross which Alexis Mac Allister should have headed in. 5

Trey Nyoni: A real show of faith from Andoni Iraola to give the 19-year-old his first Premier League start. Looked a bit nervy early on but grew into the game. 6

Alexis Mac Allister: Constantly involved in the first half but will know that he should have scored when Kerkez found him. 6

Bradley Barcola: Started down his preferred left flank and caused Arsenal plenty of problems, though he is still waiting for a first Premier League goal. 7

Florian Wirtz: Hit the bar with a great free-kick in the first half, but a player with his price tag simply has to do more in big games. 6

Cody Gakpo: Looked lively initially, but Riccardo Calafiori dealt with him very well. Could have had a penalty, but the appeal was waved away by Andy Madley. 5

Alexander Isak: Got in some good positions but couldn't find the net. Unlucky not to get a penalty when his shirt was pulled by Timber. 5

Liverpool substitutes:

Szoboszlai (on 59, Nyoni): Back after a spell on the sidelines. 6

Ngumoha (on 67, Gakpo): Didn't get on the ball as much as he would have liked. 5

Munoz (on 82, Araujo): Tried to make an impact with his pace.

Koumas (on 82, Wirtz): Thrown on to add some energy.

Tsimikas (on 82, Kerkez): Didn't have much luck down the left.

Subs not used: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Endo, Gravenberch.

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola, spoke to BBC Sport after his side's defeat by Arsenal: "We wanted another result definitely today. We are to blame, especially from the beginning of the game. After we conceded the goal probably you had nothing to protect so you play more freely, we played more brave and I think we turned the game in the first half, we finished very well. We tried it in the second half but were unable to score.

"We had good chances - we hit the crossbar and had good situations we were not able to finish. We definitely deserved a goal.

"I loved the reaction from my players after going 1-0 down. We finished the first half very well, kept pushing. I loved a lot of moments of the game.

"We have to keep going. It is very early in the season. Arsenal are in the best of the situations but it is just the start of November today. A lot of games to play."

On not getting any penalty shouts, especially when Alexander Isak had his shirt pulled inside the box: "It got seen. There is a clear grab the shirt. Alex was just in front of him, he was going to head in front of the goal but couldn't because he had the shirt. I don't understand why they didn't call it, probably because he has not gone to the floor.

"I think the [Cody] Gakpo one was not a penalty but the Alex one he was going to head the ball in front of the goalkeeper. He grabbed the shirt. I don't understand why it wasn't called.

"You have to dive, if you don't dive they won't call it."

• Hear more from Iraola on BBC Sounds here

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, spoke to Sky Sports: "Disappointment. We play at home, we had some opportunities. We tried everything. We could have done a bit better in the last 15 minutes to get more balls in the box. It wasn't enough today and that's why disappointment is the feeling I'm having.

"When we conceded we played much better. Alexis could have changed the game."

On if Alexander Isak should have been awarded a penalty: "I think it was a clear penalty. I've seen it back and I've seen it being given. Today it wasn't meant to be.

On if Isak should have reacted more: "We have 50 cameras. Why does he have to complain when there are so many cameras. Everyone has seen it. In the end it wasn't given and we lose the game unfortunately, so well done to Arsenal."

On the team's momentum: "When someone new comes in the building and everything changes, it just needs time. I'm pretty sure things will click and things will work out.

Did you know?

• Liverpool have scored just four goals at Anfield in the Premier League this season, their joint-fewest after five home matches in a top-flight campaign (also four in 1913-14 and 2012-13).

• Trey Nyoni completed 96% of his passes in today's match (53/55), the highest by a Liverpool midfielder in a Premier League game against Arsenal since Fabinho in November 2021 (98% - min. 50 attempted). His 53 completed passes and 14 line-breaking passes were both the most of any player on either team during his 59 minutes on the pitch.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

What did you make of Arsenal's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

Liverpool proved me wrong against Brighton last week, because they didn't just win, they played well too.

After conceding so many goals last season, you can see they have really tightened things up. Arsenal don't give much away either, so this is going to be very close.

Alexander Isak is scoring goals again for the Reds, and they will be full of confidence coming into this game.

You could make a case for it ending up a repeat of the result we saw at the start of last season, when Dominik Szoboszlai's brilliant free-kick meant Liverpool edged a 1-0 win.

I do think we will see the same scoreline, just with a different winner.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here