Liverpool's problems on and off the pitch are myriad

Liverpool's problems on and off the pitch are myriad, but one of the more obvious is the gaping Javier Mascherano-shaped hole in a midfield that was completely over-run by such household names as Charlie Adam (£500,000), David Vaughan (£200,000), Luke Varney (on loan from Derby County), Elliott Grandin (free) and Gary Taylor-Fletcher (free). The mood of Liverpool supporters left aghast at the absence of a decent enforcer to put a stop to the gallop of their opposition will not have been brightened by the sight of the pint-sized Argentinian snarler haring around the Nou Camp sward, winning tackle after tackle in his new club Barcelona's surprise 1-1 draw with Real Mallorca last night.

Dirk Kuyt has apologised to Liverpool's supporters after the club's troubled season hit a new low at Anfield yesterday with defeat to Blackpool.

The 2-1 loss – which led to a large section of the Kop chanting for Kenny Dalglish to replace the embattled manager Roy Hodgson – left Liverpool in the Premier League's bottom three and condemned them to their worst start to a season since 1953-54, when they were relegated. The tension at Anfield was also increased by another protest against the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, before the game.

"It was really, really disappointing, probably one of the hardest defeats I've had to take since I've been here and we're sorry for the fans," Kuyt said. "We had all worked so hard in training and we thought this was a good opportunity to try and climb the table but unfortunately it didn't turn out that way."

The striker has now joined up with Holland's squad for their Euro 2012 qualifiers against Moldova and Sweden – but is already calling for a response in the Merseyside derby at Everton on 17 October.

"It's frustrating that we have got the international break now because we will have this result hanging over us and everyone in the dressing room wants to put it behind us as quickly as possible," Kuyt added in the Liverpool Echo. "We know this result has not helped but we just have to try and focus on the spirit we showed in the second half. We have got to make sure we show it in the next game."

Asked whether he saw Liverpool as relegation contenders, Kuyt replied: "I'm not worried that we will finish towards the wrong end of the table because we have lots of quality here and we have got to have confidence that we can take a lot of points. The biggest disappointment at the minute is that already we are so many points behind the teams at the top of the table and we have got to change that.

"It is still early days for the manager and we have to keep working but one thing I do know is that we will come back stronger for this experience."

It is insulting to suggest that because you move to a new club, your methods suddenly don't work when they've held you in good stead for 35 years and made you one of the most respected coaches in Europe. It's unbelievable," fumed Hodgson.

"I've had two-and-a-half wonderful years [with Fulham] where nothing ever negative was said about me and my team. Now maybe people are saying negative things. It doesn't change anything. I work the same way as I did last year.

Methods
"My methods have translated from Halmstads to Malmo, to Orebro, to Neuchatel Xamax, to the Swiss national team and many other jobs as well. I am doing the same things and the most important things to me are the players.

"We are six games into a 38-game season. I couldn't give a monkey's whether we're 16th or 18th at the moment. Be realistic, don't insult my intelligence with that. What bothers me is that we have only got six points and I would have liked a few more.

"But then I knew Manchester United and Manchester City were going to be tough games. I knew Arsenal with 10 men was going to be a tough game, so maybe six points isn't so bad at all. We are averaging two points from the other three."

Hodgson also believes expectations are too high at the club and that they cannot be compared to rivals such as Chelsea and Arsenal.

"Expectations are very high," added Hodgson. "You cannot live in a dream world of how wonderful it would be if every time one of our players got the ball, he raced past four defenders and smashed it into the net.

"That would be living in a fantasy world. That is not going to happen in plenty of games in Europe and the Premier League.

"I would accuse you of being unrealistic if you are suggesting we should be doing what Arsenal, who have had the same team for the last six years, and Chelsea, who have just won the league, are doing.

"We finished seventh last season. I don't understand why you are suggesting we should be comparing ourselves every day with Chelsea or Manchester United at this early stage of the season."

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