Sunday 21 September 2014 14:44, UK
Brendan Rodgers admitted Liverpool's performance level was 'nowhere near what we would expect' in the 3-1 defeat at West Ham United.
The Reds never got going at Upton Park and found themselves two goals down inside the opening seven minutes, through Winston Reid and Diafra Sakho.
Things improved marginally from that point, with Raheem Sterling halving the deficit, but the visitors struggled to force their way back into the contest.
A third was conceded late on, with Morgan Amalfitano profiting from a defensive mistake, and Rodgers concedes that his side allowed their standards to drop alarmingly.
He told Sky Sports: "We are obviously a team that is associated with coming out quickly, but for some reason we just didn’t get going.
"In fairness to West Ham, they came out and put us under pressure on the ball and we were just unable to play around that. Before we knew it, we were 2-0 down and from that point it was very difficult for us."
Rodgers, who replaced Javier Manquillo with Mamadou Sakho just 22 minutes in, added: "I felt that how they started the game, with two front players and Stewart Downing in behind, they were giving us a problem.
"We didn't look like we could compete with that at that stage, so as the coach you make the change and the system to give them something else to think about.
For us, the standard of our play was nowhere near what we would expect. Our passing and composure today was too short, there were too many long passes and overall our performance wasn’t at the required level.
"It worked reasonably well for us, we started getting the ball into wide players and got back into the game at 2-1. From that, probably up until they then scored the third goal, we had decent control of the game.
"But for us, the standard of our play was nowhere near what we would expect. Our passing and composure today was too short, there were too many long passes and overall our performance wasn’t at the required level."
Rodgers is refusing to offer any excuses for the disappointing display, with it important that Liverpool adapt quickly to the demands of Premier League and UEFA Champions League competition.
Fresh from a narrow victory over Ludogorets in midweek, the Anfield boss added: "It's something we have got to get used to because we have got plenty more Champions League games.
"I think the group has come a long way in the last few years. To arrive into this season, there is always big expectancy when you play for Liverpool, but after our performance level in the last 18 months, the expectation level as grown.
"But we have to cope with that. At the moment we’re not, it’s as simple as that.
"But this is a group, a very honest group, and we will work every day to get that concentration and focus back again."
