Scott Parker left ‘shell-shocked’ after Anfield hammering; claims Bournemouth are ‘underequipped at this level’

Scott Parker was left stunned after watching his Bournemouth side get hammered 9-0 against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.

Roberto Firmino scored two and made three, with a brace too for Luis Diaz. Harvey Elliott’s first Premier League goal, Fabio Carvalho, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and a Chris Mepham own goal completed the scoring.

It was a remarkable performance from Jurgen Klopp’s men, who were utterly ruthless throughout. However, Parker was left crestfallen at how his Cherries side collapsed on Merseyside.

Speaking after the game, he said: “We’re all shell-shocked. It’s a really disappointing scoreline. I understand the challenges we face. There is no denying we’re underequipped at this level and in this arena.

“There’s been the fear of that throughout the season in terms of where are as a group and squad. There’s been that fear because the levels have gone up drastically. It’s a very young, inexperienced group. Some players are experiencing the Premier League for the first time. I’m speaking to you 10 minutes after the game. It’s a pretty humbling experience. Pretty painful.

“I’m very alarmed. This is where we are in terms of players on the pitch and the squad depth we have. I was alarmed the goals were going in very easy and I half understood. We’re trying our hardest here. I feel sorry for this group. We need some help [new signings]. Easy goals, there’s loads to work on but we need a little bit of help.

Bournemouth players need to adapt quickly

“We need time to do the work on the training field. The test of time will come whether players can adapt to that. My job is to take the psychological element out of this. There is a big psychological element. Hopefully in the next few days we can get some help in and rebuild. We need help. You can see in our squad, boys making their debuts in certain areas.

“We need to make a decision as a football club what we want to do this year – do we want to be competitive? We’re not competitive right now.

“Its very difficult. The touchline is a lonely place. I felt for every single one of the players.

“These stories get told down the road. The adversity one faces. This one will define us, me. Hopefully we bounce back and react in the right way and there’ll be a story behind it if we dust ourselves down.”