Reds advance in Capital One Cup, questions remain

Liverpool did what was expected during their midweek match in the Capital One Cup, which was win.  The sad thing was, though the win was expected on paper, it wasn't quite so in the minds of the fans.  Those who are honest will admit, especially after the reveal of the starting XI, that a result was in question.  Liverpool had not given supporters enough reason to believe they would pounce on a much lesser foe, even after creating so many offensive chances in the last fixture against Manchester United.

Ultimately, the job was done.  Brendan Rodgers, again chose an odd starting formation.  The manager employed a back three and what amounted to seven midfielders, deployed in various spots.  The starting XI was so questionable that an online survey actually suggested Liverpool should just use a 0-0-0-10 formation.  What made the lack of a starting striker even more interesting was the inclusion of both Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini as potential substitutes.  Yet, the job got done.

Despite the ongoing questions of formation and starting lineups, Liverpool came out dominating possession and had a good attacking style of play.  At first it seemed like if the Reds were going to lose, it would be very similar to the United match - creating good chances but not being able to finish and then giving up goals on the counter.  Instead, Liverpool looked like the Liverpool of last year.  They strung together several passes and a beautiful stretch of play led to a cross by Lazar Markovic from the left, Jordan Henderson met it with the head on the right and back across the goal to an open Raheem Sterling for the easy header in the 20th minute.

Instead of just resting on their laurels, Liverpool kept up the pressure.  Again good passing set up the offensive pressure and Markovic scored a nice hit from inside the box to get his first goal.  Liverpool would continue to dominate the play into the half, before Sterling would add his second goal of the match.  Sterling looked cool and composed slotting the ball past the keeper from the right hand side after a solid through ball split the defense.  Sterling should have had the hat trick as he was presented another opportunity midway through the second half, but given his day as a whole, perhaps it can be forgiven in this instance.

The scary thing about the game, from a Liverpool perspective, is the way Bournemouth were able to slice through the defense once they got the confidence of hitting the back of the net.  Dan Gosling's goal in the 57th minute sparked the Cherries and they created several quality chances following.  The goal could have been prevented as well.  Overall, the back three did a decent job of marking on the score, but there was a lack of defensive pressure from the midfield as they were slow to get back on the break leaving a large gap at the top of the box.  Despite only allowing the one tally, it was still a less than stellar performance defensively as a whole squad.  Too many players getting beaten one v one.  On this night, the support was there enough and the opposition's quality was not enough to really expose Liverpool.

The positive thing about the contest was that Liverpool created chances and they finished them.  Perhaps not all the chances, but that doesn't happen on the best of nights.  The Reds came out and dominated the way they should be expected to against this kind of opponent and their main fault was letting their foot off the gas.

Sterling gained much needed confidence from this match as well.  For all his efforts, Sterling looked incapable of finishing anything during the Manchester United match and this was the kind of performance the young man needed.  Sterling needed this kind of match, not only to prove he could score, but to relieve the pressure of the world he had taken on his shoulders with all the injuries and lack of form of the squad.  He needed this kind of match to push the contract talks, whether stalled out or not, to the back burner once more.  Liverpool needed this kind of performance from Sterling because they need the player they got in this match instead of the one who has pushed too hard for most of the season.

Liverpool, ultimately, got what they needed.  Rodgers needed a convincing win to show that he had not completely lost touch of his managerial skills and lost the pulse of the team.  The team, though they would much rather have a clean sheet, needed at least a low scoring game defensively to show they still need work but at least give them confidence that the back line is not in absolute shambles.  The midfield needed a game like this where space was available to remind them that passes can be strung together and they can form a cohesive unit.  The only way the result could have been better, really, would be to add another goal following the Cherries' tally and if it had come from a true striker - this would have been difficult given that Borini came on with under 10 minutes to play and Lambert did not play, but I digress.

Liverpool still have question marks.  Much to many fans' delight, Glen Johnson will be absent until the new year.  However, whether Rodgers continues a back three or returns to a back four, Johnson's replacement remains a spot up for grabs.  Perhaps the position can be filled by the return of Sakho.  Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel are still liabilities at the back as well.  Another question is the starting lineup as a whole.  Though it produced good attack and three goals, I do not believe the same XI can be played against Arsenal on the weekend and produce the same results.  But, who do you play and where?  Rodgers seems against two strikers, but Balotelli created his best chances of the year when there were two clear striking options.  Sterling has found a bit of form now, but has looked lost if forced into a back-to-the-goal striker role.

The debate will be ongoing until the match, but in the end all fans can do is wait and see.  The important thing is that Liverpool got a win.  Advancing to the finals of the Capital One Cup will be difficult since the Reds have drawn Chelsea in the semi-final round, but at least Liverpool still have the prospective of silverware.  This game, by no means, solved all that ails the team and it's loyal followers.  However, if nothing else, at least all who play and bleed Liverpool red can feel good about their club even if only for a few days.