Kick to the gut

We were all ready to get back to league action following the long international break.  So it seemed anyway.  Reality set in quickly following a rousing start to what had to be three points for Liverpool.  Rickie Lambert finally got off the goose egg, scoring his first goal of the season and the first in the kit of his boyhood team.  It seemed like a storybook start to what could have spurred the Reds on to a great week and perhaps turn the season around.  Instead, the fairy tale turned to the stuff of nightmares coupled with the same mistakes that keep burying this storied club further away from their goal.

It seemed like Liverpool had solved their issues.  Scoring a goal only 90 seconds into the match on a great lofted ball and nicely finished off by Lambert.  It seemed like a perfect start that would erase all the scoring woes of the Reds.  Lambert getting the goal, Liverpool getting a league score by a striker not named Sturridge, solid midfield hookup with the forward lines:  it all seemed like the day could end with nothing but a positive result and a good start to a week that, on paper, featured three winnable games.  Then it all went to pot.

Dwight Gale, the thorn in the side of Liverpool the last two matches against Crystal Palace, evened up the scoring and despite a few good chances and a bit of attacking play, Liverpool never really threatened again.  As a fan, hope was given as the halftime analysts still thought Liverpool's talent would overcome and their skill would provide a game winning goal.  Instead, the second half provided little attack and more defensive mistakes.  The same defensive mistakes, one might add.

It has been a frustrating time to be a supporter of Liverpool.  What makes it most frustrating is the confusion of how one or two players can alter a team to this extent.  The defense was mediocre last season, so the addition of a few players, given their form at the moment, could not be expected to cure all ills.  The enigma that is the Liverpool offense is what is so puzzling.  Before the team dealt him to Spanish giant, Barcelona, it was already well known that Luis Suarez was a world class player.  It was always going to be difficult to replace him, if for no other reason than the fact that nobody plays like Suarez.  Alexis Sanchez, now of Arsenal, is the closest in terms of work-rate, however nobody (even the players who are better than Suarez) really matches the man in ever category.  Even so, the drop off in goal scoring has been astounding.

Scoring goals is by no means an easy task.  Yet, no matter how talented the duo is or was, it is mind boggling to see a team so eager to attack and break apart a defense become so listless and toothless up front.  The problem, right now, is team wide and seems to be affecting every single player's performance.  It is a problem of confidence.  Any problem in the team has spread to the other parts.  Poor defensive play or tactics forces the midfield to worry too much about helping out at the back.  Poor midfield play, in terms of poor passing or badly timed giveaways, forces more pressure on an already shaky back line.  The problems with the strikers are well documented and that forces both the midfield and defense to worry too much about trying to score when it may not even be their job.

The Crystal Palace match was a prime example of that last point.  Outside of the Lambert goal, the best chances close to goal actually came from Martin Skrtel and Javier Manquillo.  Those that watched the match saw how those chances were butchered, but what else can be expected from defenders who are not used to the pressure of hitting a target?  One can say you should expect more from everyone and while correct, should we really think we will get it when it hasn't happened all year?  Of course following a result such as this, the calls for Brendan Rodgers' job have ramped up, perhaps rightly so.

Those need to be tempered slightly though.  Yes, given this poor run of form from his team and a seeming lack of desire, there is plenty of blame to be put on the manager.  But there have been some, even in the media, who think Rodgers may not make it past the new year.  Really?  That is such utter nonsense that it is laughable.  Far be it from me to say that won't happen, because the reality of European football is that is could.  What benefit would that serve though?  Even if you fire or sack him right after Christmas, the new man would have approximately two weeks to bring in someone new to fit his style after observing the club for a respectable amount of time.  That is not enough to fix this club's issues.  As an American, I can give a unique perspective.  We have so many sports that the idea of lower teams defeating you is more common place.  It doesn't affect a coach's job as much as in Europe.  Also, more often than not, a midseason change does nothing for the team other than simply change for change's sake.

Rodgers should be evaluated at the end of the season and given a proper January window to attempt plugging up some holes.  Rodgers has to figure out what players play to his style the best or fit a style to the players.  Soccer or football managers really have little to affect a match outside of instilling a belief in their men and putting out the best starting 11.  The back four have given Rodgers little options, since everyone has played poorly at different times.  Alberto Moreno bombs forward, leaving holes behind at times, though it is still curious why he was left off the team sheet.  Dejan Lovren simply looks lost if the ball is not in the air.  Martin Skrtel, though he has his backers, is incredibly inconsistent and seems like he cannot defend without pulling or tugging.  Manquillo, though young and making a few youthful mistakes, seems like the best of the options and he has been left off the team more often than not due to him being a loanee apparently.  There are options on the bench.  However, those who really believe Kolo Toure, regardless of his good performance against Madrid, won't make the same mistakes Skrtel and Loven make are delusional.

The biggest issue Rodgers has in front of him, is the apparent lack of desire in this club.  Perhaps Suarez brought so much energy to the team last year that so many issues were covered up.  Now, whether the absence of said player or the manager's sudden lack of ability to inspire his troops, this team is stuck in the lake with no rudder and no wind in the sails.  My one major fault with Rodgers, outside of picking a starting 11, has been his unwillingness to accept blame following matches.  Now he has done so.  Perhaps there was no other option, but Rodgers can see the writing on the wall and knows it really is up to him to figure it out.  Everyone needs to do their part.  Players have to perform.  Do your own job to the best of your ability and there is enough talent on this squad to get results.  Players have to perform, the manager has to make good choices and the Reds need a bit of luck.

Couple all of that with a good signing or two in January and this team can still make top four.  That is what has to be focused on.  The league, unfortunately, has been gone for some time.  Fourth place and maintaining a spot in Champions League is still alive because of all the teams in front of them.  Thin hopes, perhaps, due to the number of teams above Livepool but many are still clubs that could fall off in the second half.  It's all up to the men in the kits and on the sideline.  Will this team pull triumph from the jaws of defeat or will they be known as the team that went from the brink of winning a title to the mediocrity of the lower portion of the table?  It is all up to them.  All the supporters can do is pour their hearts out, as they do week in and week out and hope.  Walk on my friends.