Dismissal shouldn't mask Liverpool's poor performance against Basel, Sky Sports pundit adds
Wednesday 10 December 2014 19:36, UK
Lazar Markovic's red card against Basel was "one of the worst decisions ever seen" but it should take nothing away from how poor Liverpool were, says Jamie Redknapp.
The Serbian midfielder was sent from the field in the 60th minute of Tuesday night's Champions League clash after referee Bjorn Kuipers judged him to have struck Behrang Safari in the face, although contact between the two appeared minimal.
I think the game is in terrible trouble if that is a red card. But Liverpool simply weren’t good enough tonight. They could have been two or three down before half time and they were outclassed by Basel. The game summed up their season so far, they are devoid of any ideas.
Steven Gerrard's late free-kick levelled the scores after Fabian Frei had given the visitors a well-deserved half-time lead but it failed to spare Brendan Rodgers’ side, who slipped into the Europa League after the 1-1 draw at Anfield.
Horrendous
And, aside from the impact the decision had on Tuesday's game, Redknapp believes the nature of Markovic’s dismissal poses questions for football as a whole.
"I think the game is in terrible trouble if that is a red card," Redknapp told Sky Sports.
"That is one of the worst decisions I have ever seen. I would have been sent off every week because that was something I did. If Markovic elbowed him in the face, then I would have said absolutely it was a red card.
"But it’s a hand, a finger put towards his face. It is not a sending off. Markovic has reacted to put his arm across the player and to push him away, he’s not looking at his face and I just think it is a horrendous decision."
Redknapp stopped short of attributing Liverpool’s demise solely to the dismissal and instead launched a damning assessment of their inconsistent form, domestically and in European competition.
Devoid
"I don’t think the red card should mask over the fact that Liverpool simply weren’t good enough," Redknapp added.
"They just weren’t good enough. They could have been two or three down before half-time and they were outclassed. This was a dream group for Liverpool with Basel and Ludogorets, and Liverpool never really performed in this group. What happened tonight has mirrored their Premier League form.
"The new signings haven’t been up to scratch. Four of them - Lallana, Can, Moreno and Markovic - were on the bench so in the biggest game of the season, Brendan Rodgers isn’t playing his new signings which says something.
"Unless Raheem Sterling or Gerrard produces something like he did tonight, you wonder where that spark is going to come from. Now the players have to step up and show they’re worthy of a place at Liverpool because as it stands, they are really, really poor.
"The players he has brought in have not played to the level they’re expected to. That performance tonight pretty much summed up their season so far - slow starters and devoid of any ideas."
