Steven Gerrard: Liverpool Captain Brands FC Basel an 'Ok Team'

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has branded their Champions League opponents FC Basel as an 'okay team' and believes that Liverpool gifted them the victory on Wednesday evening.

The Reds travelled to Switzerland for their second game looking to make two wins out of two, but slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Swiss Super League leaders.

"I thought we were second best at times tonight. I think they are an okay team, but I wouldn't say we were blown off the park or that they were fantastic tonight. We made it easy for them and we wanted something out of this game - at least a draw. We came for the win, I expected us to win, so it was very disappointing," Gerrard said, as quoted on Liverpool's official site.

However, the Liverpool captain also blasted his teammates following the loss to Basel in their second Champions League group game.

The Liverpool skipper was furious at his players and admitted that they did not deserve anything out of that game and believes that Basel wanted it more than the Reds.

"I think we created a good few openings where you would expect us to go and score, but we didn't deserve anything out of this game today," the former Three Lions skipper explained.

"I thought we were too soft all over the pitch. I thought they wanted it more, which is very disappointing. Conceding again from a set-piece isn't good enough, so we need to get it right. You're not going to win a football match if you keep conceding from set-pieces," he said.

Meanwhile, manager Brendan Rodgers also echoed the skippers sentiments and labelled the team 'too soft'. He believes that the team never got going during the early stages of the game, but feels that they were the better team in the latter stages of the first half.

"I have replicated that in the changing room. The goal we conceded was far too soft - and it's not the first one," Rodgers said.

"It was a very disappointing goal to concede after all the work, all the talking and all the training ground work that we do on them.

"We never got going in the first 25 minutes; we gave it away too easily and didn't have the passing combinations. Then we grew into the game and were probably the better side. We started to distribute the ball better and create some chances," the Northern Irishman explained.

Rodgers knew the history between English clubs and FC Basel, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham having lost at St. Jakobs-Park in recent seasons, but believes this time Liverpool had a chance to come away with a win.

"We started the second half well and went close on a couple of occasions. Then we conceded a soft goal and it's difficult away from home.

"This is a club that has had a great record against English teams. But tonight was an opportunity for us to at the very least get a point from the game," the Reds boss added.