Liverpool Show Flashes Against Spurs, But Settle For A Point

Liverpool came into the weekend with a lot to prove.  It's early in the season, but their inconsistency over two league games has already worried the fans.  A team like Tottenham was just the kind of test Liverpool needed to pass.

The day didn't start well at all.  Although Liverpool never came close to conceding, they played about as poorly as you could without allowing a goal.  The first quarter hour was absolutely dreadful.

The Reds were allowing too many holes for Spurs to strike through.  Their touch was terrible.  It seemed as though every touch off the foot or judged bounce went completely awry.

Fortunately, Liverpool did not let in the goal early as they did against Burnley and that was the difference early on.  It allowed the team to calm down, get their feet under them and make their own impact on the game.

As the first half progressed, it became more of Liverpool's game.  They would take the lead from a James Milner penalty kick that came after Firmino got by Erik Lamela and forced him to clip the heel.  While Milner's choice to take the kick was surprising, he made no doubt with the strike.

Liverpool were a bit hard done by the half by the end of it.  They could easily have had between two and four goals.  Michel Vorm was the only reason the Reds didn't have a crooked number on the scoreboard.  Vorm made a kick save that would have made any hockey goaltender proud on Coutinho and also several sliding tackles on Mane`.

The second half began with much of the same.  Spurs would have the occasional romp forward, but it was much more of Liverpool in possession.  However, Burnley showed that possession means little for the end result, so the Reds needed an insurance goal.

A new defender almost came up with just that.  Joel Matip barely missed a header from a corner in the 53rd minute.  The flick just went over the bar.  Liverpool should have had a goal awarded just minutes after that as well.

The Reds had some fantastic build up play.  The ball was played through to Adam Lallana, who proceeded to send it across the six yard area where it was smashed in by Mane`.  The flag was up and fans were left to wonder how Mane` could have been offside since he was behind the ball.  As it turned out, the assistant had labeled Lallana off, but even that was questionable as it was his boot at most.

The problem after those lost chances was Spurs began to build up their own attack.  They nearly scored twice on successive corner kicks.  Only top reaction saves by Simon Mignolet kept the ball out of the net on those instances, but Tottenham had begun to plant their flag.

Spurs were eventually rewarded for their efforts too.  In the 72nd minute, Milner quizzically took a step forward as the ball went over his head.  His man managed to get a cross off that was flicked over to the left side.  Danny Rose was all alone on the back side and found enough space to hit it between Mignolet and the converging Mane` to level up the game.

Liverpool recovered a bit toward the end of the game.  In fact, they should have done much more with an opportunity in stoppage time.  Unfortunately an extremely slow pass to Firmino thwarted what should have been a clear break and Lallana could only force a corner once in the box.

In the end, a draw was probably a fair result given the back and forth nature of the contest as a whole.  Liverpool needed a win to really boost themselves, but a point is a point.  Liverpool still have some defensive deficiencies and that's unlikely to change.  They looked solid going forward and just need a bit more gelling with the new faces.

 Now it's a week off to prepare for the defending champions and to open up their refurbished home stand.  Liverpool had better use that time to get a few things in order.  Leicester has not looked great to start the year, but the Reds don't want to be the team they find form against.

Random Thoughts:

- I like Alberto Moreno and I like James Milner.  Neither are the answer at left back right now though so Jurgen Klopp had better be strongly considering pursuing a left back.  The window is closed now, but given what we've seen from those two players, signing DeAndre Yedlin would have been a step up.  You can't keep having that position cost you as the season progresses.

- I think Christian Pulisic has the chance to be a good player.  However, despite that assertion, I don't think Liverpool is the spot for him right now.  If he's not going to play regularly, then he may as well stay at Dortmund.  If he can show his quality right away at Liverpool (assuming he even comes, since it's all rumor), then alright.  Yet, it just seems there are too many players ahead of him in the pecking order for him to find a regular spot and he's at the age where he needs to be playing all the time.

-  What is it with Liverpool having to have a hot tempered center back?  Lovren has always been a bit frustrating, but he has definitely taken up Skrtel's role of yelling about every call and looking like anything that doesn't go his way will blow his top off.

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