Liverpool Only Manage One Goal Again In Cup Win

Ah the Capital One Cup - you provide such divisiveness.  Purists, like the current Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, still see the benefit of trying to put everything you can (within reason) into cup competitions.  Others say they aren't worth it and it would actually be better for a team to be eliminated so they can concentrate on the league.  None are fully right or wrong.  Both have valid arguments.

What is interesting is despite his claims of still being acclimated to English culture and not valuing this competition, Klopp actually fielded the first "Cup squad" Liverpool have probably put forth this season.  Despite the lack of experience, Liverpool had that youthful exhuberance and created some decent chances.  Roberto Firmino began to show flashes of what has been expected of him by the Kop and featured heavily in the opening goal of the match, which was smartly finished off by Nathaniel Clyne.

What made the goal even better - besides the obvious fact that it put the team ahead - was it was the kind of goal Liverpool have conceded so often.  It was on a run of play, Clyne snuck in behind the defender who was appealing for offside and all he had to do was tuck it in.  No easy task, but supporters have had to see that same goal so many times but against them, it was nice to see the Reds take advantage.

As is their way, Bournemouth put a lot into attack and were no slouch.  Adam Bogdan had to deny three chances from Junior Stanislas alone.  Nevertheless, the Reds held a slim possession advantage as the first 45 came to a close.  Things never quite end up easy for Liverpool though.

Right out of the gate, Bournemouth created a chance that was narrowly missed.  Shaun MacDonald won a header and the defense was caught ball watching.  The ball barely slid wide of the post and MacDonald probably should've been awarded a penalty kick for his shirt almost being removed by the Liverpool defender.

On the flip side, Liverpool should have been up by two in the 58th minute.  Good pressure from the midfield led to a turnover and Firmino raced into the box.  Under light pressure, he fired a shot that beat the keeper but was always curling away from the left post as the shot came from the right.  Firmino really should have done better and it was one of those chances that the club could've rued at the end of the contest.

The possession continued to favor the Reds as the gas slowly went out of Bournemouth.  Liverpool didn't create a ton of chances but they were still relatively lively on the ball.  Joao Teixeira almost scored after Joe Allen earned a free kick in the 80th minute, however it was neatly saved.

Bogdan was almost lulled to sleep for the second half only to see a toe ball from Matt Ritchie almost sneak in the near post.  The secondary keeper was wise to it though and quickly got down to save it.  In the end that was enough to hold on for a night of firsts.  It was Bogdan's first win in regulation time.  It was Klopp's first win with the club.  Clyne's first goal with the team ended up being the game winner.

Much like the tournament itself, there were good aspects and bad.  Getting the bad over with first, Liverpool again failed to score more than one goal.  Liverpool have only scored more than once in one game all season, a 3-2 win over Aston Villa.  Despite the good play from Firmino, Teixeira, Jordan Ibe and several others, they aren't getting statistical production from their scorers.  Eventually the players you expect to produce need to start producing.

On the good side, fans got to see a lot of the young talent they had been clamoring for.  Teixeira looked very comfortable on the ball and like Ibe and Raheem Sterling before him, has a chance to be a special player if brought up correctly.  As mentioned, the goal Liverpool scored was from the run of play instead of a set piece.  And what is more, the club won.  Not convincingly or spectacularly, but at least the cloud of Klopp's first win has evaporated.

Going forward, it falls on each person to decide what matters to them.  Are Liverpool still in that phase where a win is a win, no matter how or who they come against?  Or is showing glimpses and flashes of good play with little to show for it not quite enough.  Despite what most pundits will tell you, there is no real answer.  Each person has their own view of it.

The bottom line is Liverpool are still alive.  Think what you will of the Capital One Cup, but LFC have made the quarterfinals for the fifth time in the last decade.  They're still alive after spectacular crashes from the competition by Chelsea and Arsenal the day before.  They're still alive in a competition that can provide great experience for the squad players.  They still have a chance for silverware, regardless of the prestige.

Random Thoughts:
- It would be nice not to have to watch these matches on virus laden streams in the US.  Even if I had BeInSports, which I don't, the match wasn't shown live.

- Though most vocal fans hate him, I thought Dejan Lovren had a good game.  He was solid in the back and only made one clear mistake in the second half that was quickly cleaned up by Clyne.

- Divock Origi was more lively on the ball but clearly has more developing to do.  The sad thing is he may not be what was advertised, but he is still young enough to change any negative perception he has earned of late.

- Brendan Rodgers was more animated than many Premier League managers when his team scored, but Klopp takes it to another level.  He really is a football man and turns into a fan when the ball hits the net, despite his position.  It's refreshing to see.

Walk On

Liverpool Not Sparkling but Winning Still

Liverpool came into this match with quite a bit on the line, given how the rest of the league has shaped up.  Though the team was far from spectacular in their regular season opener, they gained all three points.  Three points from the home opener would see them tied atop the league, with only goal differential separating them from the very top.  However it was a no-win scenario as well.  Facing a team fresh up from the Championship, a win is expected and not applauded.  A loss would bring nothing but disdain from the fan base, no matter how well the team played.  Such is the way of sport.

As far as the game went, it was a rather inauspicious beginning for the Reds.  Bournemouth almost scored in the fifth minute.  The visitors scored on a header only to see it disallowed by a questionable foul call.  The Cherries would continue to put on pressure for the next five minutes or more.  Liverpool's defending looked soft for the first 15 minutes before the entire team finally settled into the contest.

Despite the slow start, the home squad would put themselves in the lead.  In the 26th minute, Liverpool struck with a goal for Christian Benteke.  The play started from a poorly taken corner.  Henderson received the pass back and played a beautiful ball over the pressing back line.  Coutinho was in an offside position and attempted to play the ball but the flag never went up despite a mandate from the league to call offside more strictly.  Even surrounded in controversy, it was an important goal to get the season going for the big striker.  The broadcast team even mentioned the long string of goalless games for Peter Crouch and that was the last thing the Reds could afford, given their lack of goals last season.

LFC came alive a bit after the goal as Henderson almost smashed one in one time off Milner's free kick in the 29th min.  Liverpool also began controlling the ball more.  Coutinho almost knocked one in in the final few minutes of the first half as well, to cap off a relatively productive first 45.

The second half started similarly for both teams, though the dominance on the ball was shorter lived for Bournemouth.  They created a quality chance that was right at Simon Mingolet in the first five minutes of the second half.  Then Liverpool found their game a bit again, though still not definitively in command.  Beneteke again showed glimpses of what might be.  In the 54th minute he did well to keep a ball in bounds and then took it past the same defender twice.  Jordan Ibe's cross was almost backheeled in by James Milner, but the touch wasn't quite enough.

Mat Ritchie almost smoked one in for the Cherries in the 59th minute that just clipped the post.  More chances in the 63rd minute.  Liverpool went quite for about 15 minutes until a decent cross almost found Benteke in the 72nd minute and then Coutinho's one time crack was blocked by a sliding defender.  Coutinho had another blast about a minute later, but was disappointed in himself as the shot only came as a result of a poor touch.

The sides went back and forth like a boxing match, but little was truly created by either team.  Benteke should have had two goals, but in the 90th minute his chance came off the wrong spot of the foot and hit the ground before going off the crossbar.  In the end though, the result held up for Liverpool and all six points were gained through two games to open the season.

Looking at the grand picture, there is still a lot left to be desired from the Reds.  Bournemouth were really the more active team with and without the ball, they just lacked that spark to really take over the game.  Outside of the few chances mentioned in the article, Liverpool were again unable to create up to their abilities.  Other than a few good runs, Adam Lallana continued to be little more than another body trampling the blades of grass.  Also, despite their decent individual performances, the Liverpool midfield failed to dominate in a fashion that will be needed for the big fixtures later in the season.

However, all that said, there were positives to take as well.  Coutinho looks more and more like a star in the making.  Once the chances created start to hit the back of the net routinely as most believe they will, he will be the man to stop on this team.  Benteke started to show the style of play that will make him worth the money spent in the summer.  It is taking a bit to gel, but Benteke had no game time with his new club in the preseason so that is to be expected.  Speaking of time to gel, this team is still coming together and getting points.  There seems to be a difference in this year's team than last.  Last season, fans were shocked by the lack of goals, simply due to the sharp drop off from the year prior.  This season expectations are wisely tempered, but while this team will come nowhere close to the explosion of 2013-14, you can see more fluidity and creativity than last season's squad.

Fans love goals and want to see attacking football, especially at home.  However, it was only two years ago in the season the Reds almost ended the year with silverware, that the team opened up with three straight unimpressive 1-0 wins.  No, they have not impressed in two matches but they got six points.  Let us not forget Manchester United of last season.  For almost the entire year, United failed to really shine and look like a top four squad, but they got the results they needed.  If Liverpool are planting a similar seed right now, that can only bode well for later results.  

Walk On


Random Thoughts:
- I try to keep most overtly biased opinions clear of my writing but it is no secret that I have a lot of disdain for Glen Johnson.  Thus it is even more pleasing that Nathaniel Clyne is looking much better in the 2 kit than Johnson.  Clyne seems better defensively and does not give you that feeling of dread that a mistimed pass will result in a turnover every time he goes forward.

- Personally, I was surprised that Coutinho came out in the 81st minute instead of Lallana.  Coutinho did not appear to be laboring that much.

- On a similar note, I have nothing against Lallana personally.  As a fan, I want to see him succeed.  He has the talent and footskills to be a threat.  It just seems like he doesn't do it often enough to deserve the starting nod.

- That said, Roberto Firmino may have shown why he is not yet starting.  He, much like his Brazilian teammate, is not yet ready to put in the defensive effort necessary to be successful in the Premier League.  Coutinho figured it out though, so Reds fans can be confident that Firmino will learn the English game quickly and see more playing time as a result.  If he cannot, then it will be another failed signing but I do not see reason to believe that yet.

- IF Liverpool continue to win with the one striker system, then I wonder what will happen when Daniel Sturridge returns.  Benteke looks like he will have to be the man up top.  Can Sturridge slide into Lallana's spot?  Will he play Coutinho's middle position and slide the Brazilian a bit more wide?  It's not a terrible problem to have, but it would be nice for Brendan Rodgers to not have to do much tinkering this season.

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.