Roy Hodgson defends Liverpool's start to the season
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has defended his side’s start to the season, claiming that their results in the English Premier League and UEFA Europa League were ‘not bad’.
The declaration comes in the wake of criticism by pundits and fans who have claimed that Liverpool's results were not good enough, especially if the Anfield club were to push for a top-four spot in the league and UEFA Champions League qualification this
year.
Star striker Fernando Torres also came in for criticism after his showing against Birmingham City on the weekend. Liverpool has only managed to score twice in their four EPL games so far. Despite that, Hodgson defended his team’s form and insisted that any
claims that his results were not good enough were ‘unfair’.
Ahead of the Reds’ opening Europa League group stage match against Steaua Bucharest tonight, he told reporters that, "We've played eight, won five, drawn two and lost one. I don't think that's a bad start to the season by any stretch of the imagination.
It is a new team and it has been a tough start to the season."
New faces at Anfield a factor
Former Fulham boss Hodgson said the fact that the squad had undergone an overhaul, in addition to the fact that he only took over Liverpool this past summer, has meant that the squad is still getting used to its new regime.
He went on to say, "Of course, it is a time of transition, which is always difficult — even if there is no change in the club itself. When you move and a lot of players have left or have been in danger of leaving and there are new players coming in; when
you have the documented problem we have off the field in regards to ownership and a World Cup year, it all adds up."
Hodgson also took the opportunity to defend Torres, saying that, "He certainly isn't fed up. Criticism is something we all have to live with. We bear strong expectations at this club — everything that happens at the club is put under a microscope, and that
includes players' performances.”
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