Anfield is “not the place you want to play when you are low on confidence,” says ex-Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott, as his former club prepares to face Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Planet Premier League podcast about the team’s current confidence levels, Lescott said: “I think it might be their biggest problem because I don’t think any of them have been through it.
“Regardless of whether they have been through something similar at previous clubs, they definitely haven’t been through it at the level they are at now – they are seen as the best team.
“So to go through lack of confidence when you are at the top could potentially have a bigger detriment on your performance.
“Your confidence is low, you don’t feel as quick, you don’t feel as strong, you’re not showing as much as you want to show. All of a sudden, you are thinking: ‘Am I going to control this?’
“If you’re low on confidence, Anfield is not the place you want to play at. Even when you are high on confidence, one missed control [of the ball] or one bad pass can derail you.
“So going there, under the circumstances they are currently under, is probably the hardest thing they will ever have to face.”