Most rivalries are derbies. Liverpool and Manchester United are one of the strongest rivalries in the game despite the distance between cities. Both teams' success has bred contempt, but the successes have fell by the wayside in recent years. Despite the buildup, the first half did not live up to anything. Liverpool failed to get into a real attacking position for the first 20 minutes of the contest. The Reds defended well overall, but United did have a few chances. Memphis Depay used his speed and strength to create a couple chances in the 23rd minute.
Another disappointing aspect to the game was how static both sides were. Brendan Rodgers, who seemed to pride himself on changing formations in previous seasons, seems dead set on a lone striker setup now when Danny Ings would've been better suited as a striker. Credit to the player though, he tracked back well and did his best in the first half to act as a true winger. The same can be said for Firmino. The young Brazilian is doing his best to fit into the English game, but seems to pick either defending or attacking during each possession and will give up on the other.
This team is still struggling offensively and not just in terms of goal production. Players would not make runs, despite Emre Can imploring players to push forward. When Liverpool had the rare bit of possession, the ball was not sent in the path of anyone who might've been making a run. Nothing managed to come off for Liverpool. Even a great setup in the 36th minute was ruined by Benteke managing to run offside even though he had all the players in his vision. To rub salt in, the chance was put wide before Benteke officially knew he was offside.
For one of the most storied rivalries in the game, it was one of the worst halves of football seen in some time. Mistakes by both teams cost them nothing. Liverpool players constantly just stood rooted to the grass, staring at the ball as defenders closed in on their teammates. I can only imagine the things said by supporters of the Red Devils as, despite all their possession, did little to impact the game either.
The broadcasters sounded like they were announcing a baseball game that had long since ended in terms of score, just not innings. The halftime whistle was merciful, but the sad truth said by Lee Dixon was that Brendan Rodgers was likely happy with the performance. Being pleased with a draw after 45 minutes is fine, in and of itself, but to be pleased with the Liverpool performance was nothing to praise.
To start the second half, United made an odd decision to take off Depay. Memphis was one of the few bright spots between the two sides and did not appear to be laboring. However, Louis van Gaal took him off in favor of Ashley Young. The second half began much the same way as the first until a foul against Nathaniel Clyne. Liverpool failed to close down a weak pass across the top of the box from the free kick, only to see Daley Blind smash one past the defense and into the back of the net. Liverpool failed to wake up even after the goal. Only moments after the goal, Bastian Schweinsteiger was open on the back post and failed to cleanly handle the ball to let the Reds off the hook.
Liverpool finally got a bit of a spark after the 55th minute. They created a couple good chances, one intended for Benteke only to be cleared away after a mistake from David De Gea and then a second one smartly saved by the Spaniard after a decent volley from Danny Ings. The positivity continued in brief splashes and glimpses. In the 65th minute there was a scramble after a corner kick, that honestly, left one scratching their head as to how Liverpool failed to put it in.
The positive feelings came crashing down however, as Gomez gave up a ridiculous penalty with only 20 minutes remaining in the contest. The tackle was further proof that nobody in the game has any sense when it comes to which foot to use when sliding in.
Jordan Ibe came on as a sub for Ings and in the 84th min almost scored, only to see De Gea poke it away. Christian Benteke gave Reds fans a glimmer of hope with an absolute smashing goal with the bicycle in the 85th minute. However, the good feelings were short lived. Only moments later, Anthony Martial made Martin Skrtel look like a grade school defender and put the difference back up to two, neatly slotting the ball past Simon Mingolet.
The final score was fitting of which team did enough to win, however it was not indicative of the contest as a whole. Liverpool deserved to lose and United deserved to win. However, United were not a team that were deserving three goals. They were not a great attacking side and did little with all the possession they had. Liverpool gifted them the penalty and two defensive miscues led to the other goals. On the flip side, Liverpool never truly looked a threat. A few set piece chances and a bit of magic from Benteke were all that put any semblance of a dent in the game.
Liverpool must decide what they intend to be. Tactics change depending on opponents, but the style of play and a belief you can win must always be there. Liverpool had neither. The Reds were missing Jordan Henderson and Coutinho, but missing players can no longer be the excuse for this club. Luis Suarez is one of the best strikers in the world and was a fitting excuse for why the goals disappeared last season. However, if this club is built to where one or two players can make a change in the very spirit of the team and how it plays, then changes need to be made.
Brendan Rodgers has long prided himself on being able to prepare his team to succeed and mold them in a way that will give them an opportunity to succeed. This season has been anything but for the Irishman. The Liverpool manager must find it within himself and within his team to get it right or he will be out of a job and the club will be out of contention.
Random Thoughts:
- I have long supported Brendan Rodgers and when my head cooled off I still find myself in that camp in the grand scheme. However, if he has decided to be rigid in his formations and try not to lose instead of win then maybe it is time for him to go.
- Along those lines, Liverpool just didn't look into it. If they could have played the entire contest the way they played after the 55th minute, then perhaps it could have gone their way. Tactically I understand withstanding the initial wave, but Liverpool needed to take the game to United. Whether it was just that kind of day or Rodgers own tactics, Liverpool had absolutely no energy for two thirds of the contest and it was disturbing to see.
- This team cannot rely on what might be. All teams have injuries and all teams go through player suspensions. For the past two seasons so many, including myself, have been saying it will all be ok when this person returns or if that person gets back to form. If that is what we are still hanging our hat on, then this team will do absolutely nothing going forward.
- I feel bad for Benteke. He has the style and body to play as a lone striker and thrive. He has disappeared at times but is proving to be worth the money spent given the quality of the two goals scored. That said, he cannot do it alone. Liverpool is relying on him to do everything alone with little support the same way they have put way too much pressure on Coutinho. The rest of the team has to do more.
- Seeing the replay took the sting away, however initially watching the Martial goal had me seething at Martin Skrtel. People pick on Dejan Lovren, and rightly so, due to the number of mistakes he makes. However, it seems that though Skrtel makes fewer mistakes every mistake he makes seems to end up in the back of the net.
- Sadly the only positive for Liverpool now is that they have a lot of games coming up to try and turn things around. They have UEFA Cup, two league games and a cup game coming up within the next two weeks. Squad rotation will come into play, but they have to find positives to build some sort of foundation either for the rest of this season or at the very least for the next manager if it comes to that.
Walk On.
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