Liverpool Keep Hope Alive with Win Over Newcastle

The odds of getting into the top four are fairly slim for Liverpool Football Club, but at this point in the season all they can do is the best they can and see where the chips may fall.  With this in mind, Liverpool got off to a good start both overall and within the match itself.  The Reds dominated the opening 20 to 25 minutes and came away with an early lead for their efforts.

Brendan Rodgers did an excellent job of changing the team shape, given his lack of choices for the team due to injury and suspension.  Liverpool were without Daniel Sturridge, Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel, all of whom usually play an important role in the team.  Instead of just jamming his pieces into the same formation, Rodgers went to a back four defensively and placed Raheem Sterling on the outside with Coutinho in the middle to create mismatches in attack.

The tactic paid off in the ninth minute when Jordan Henderson sent in a nicely weighted long cross from the right.  Sterling neatly coddled it with the laces, sliced through two defenders and finessed the shot over the monstrous Tim Krul.  Again, the opening 25 minutes went almost all Liverpool's way.  Coutinho showed fantastic skill in the 22nd minute, with a nifty settle, deft flick and cross toward goal.  The cross was too pacey but showed Liverpool's dominance in attack for those kinds of moments.

Liverpool also looked positive against the physicality.  Newcastle were very physical after going down by a goal and the smaller Reds side managed that side of the game very well.  Liverpool's downfall in the second part of the first half was on the counter attack.  The Reds were extremely positive when in possession, but when they gave it up, the Magpies created several chances.  Newcastle continued their attack and continued to come close to evening the game at the end of the first and opening 10 minutes of the second half.

Mingolet had a top chance hit right at him in the 28th minute, Dejan Lovren was very lucky not to concede a penalty in the 38th minute, Mehdi Abeid nearly knotted it up with a blast just over the bar right before half and Mingolet smartly dove to the right and parried away a chance in the first minute of extra time before halftime.

Despite the occasional defensive lapses, Liverpool got the job done and kept the sheet clean.  Simon Mingolet was not called upon often, but came up big for his club when asked to.  The back four were not stellar by any means, but played well enough given the opponent to do their job.  It is a system that will not work against every opponent, but that almost makes the performance a bit better when you aren't used to something and it works anyway.

Attacking, Liverpool have not looked much better throughout the season.  There have been better flashes of brilliance, but as a whole, this game showed much promise.  Sterling shook off the media hype and the backlash of the fans and scored.  Joe Allen, of all people, gave Liverpool a cushion when he booted home a volley after missing the initial header.  Jordan Henderson looked revived and bombed up the field off the ball like a true attacker.  Coutinho, though kept off the scoresheet, was excellent on the ball.  He made good decisions and continues his growth as a player.  The way he keeps the ball on a string is, at times, mind boggling.  Sterling and Coutinho dribble into trouble sometimes, but if they can continue to grow as players and make good mental decisions, those moments are more forgivable.

The big question now for Liverpool is what to do about the lineup.  The FA Cup semifinal looms on the weekend and results must be continued to keep any chance at the top four alive.  Given those important fixtures, do you tinker?  Despite his skill and problems created for defenders, the team has often played better when not relying on Daniel Sturridge to score.  Despite his legend status and calmness on the ball, Steven Gerrard has been inconsistent in his time on the pitch.  Conversely, despite their recent good run of form, do you trust Lucas and Allen to not revert to early season form?  Do you trust an attacking trio bereft of a true striker?

These are questions that only Brendan Rodgers can truly answer.  Once he makes those choices, it is down to the players to perform.  There were many, yours truly included, that questioned the starting XI for the Newcastle match.  Players are the ones that ultimately decide whether managers choices will pay off or not.  In the end, no fan can say they don't want Gerrard or Sturridge on the team sheet.  It merely remains to be seen what contributions they have left to make and whether those contributions are made in 90 minutes or less.

Plenty remains this season for Liverpool.  Silverware can be obtained.  Manchester City continues to leave  the door unlocked and the window cracked on top four possibilities.  It is not what fans envisioned after last season's glorious run and heartbreaking end.  However, when the club is at least in a position to look to themselves and still have good things happen then the season is still on a spot to be looked upon positively.  Now it falls on the players to end it right.

Random Thoughts:

- Say what you will about the contract situation and who is to blame, Raheem Sterling is still a great talent.  He is not the finished product yet though.  A player worthy of the salary he is reportedly demanding would finish off the left footed chance in the 57th minute.  Yes, the 6'4 Krul is a daunting physical presence, but Sterling needs to finish that.  It could have haunted his team.  Instead it did not and the young player can focus more on the training ground to get a better weak foot.

- Coutinho continues to amaze.  As much as he frustrated and lacked skill last season, he has grown by leaps and bounds this season.  As mentioned, he dribbles into trouble a tad too often but his touch in tight spaces is, at the moment, top ten in the world worthy.

- As a member of the Keeper's Union, I would be misguided not to bring up Simon Mingolet with praise.  I honestly wondered if he would be able to recover mentally after being replaced by Brad Jones earlier this year.  We will never know if he would have been reinstated if Jones did not get injured, but instead of wilting Mingolet came back with vengence.  He is still not the perfect keeper and probably not in the top 10 in the world, but he has been a huge reason the club has performed so well - results against Arsenal and United not withstanding.

- I've been particularly pleased with the growth of Jordan Henderson.  After a very slow start to the year, he has performed very admirably in the absence of Steven Gerrard and even when in the team with him.  Henderson has been moved around from attacking midfield to defensive midfield to a wide position and done all reasonably well (some better than others obviously).  The thing that I like about him is he is simply doing the best he can.  He will never be another Gerrard and fans should not judge him in those shoes.  But his decision making has improved as has his skill level this season.  He cannot be judged based off others achievements, but whether he is the future captain or not, he has shown that he can be a valuable asset to this club.

Walk On.