Liverpool Lack the Quality to Defeat Chelsea

Before we get into the bulk of this, let me preface this blog by saying that I missed much of the match.  Sometimes life takes precedence.  Having said that, on to the game.  Liverpool did what they needed to do for a decent portion of this game with one of their rivals, Chelsea.  The Blues are one of the best teams in the world and showed it at the end of the extra time.

It can be hard for Liverpool supporters to stomach, especially those that have friends who support the Blues, but this season they have shown themselves to be one of the best in the world.  It is a good showing for the Reds in that they have put themselves in a position to challenge Chelsea.  The Liverpool from the beginning of the season would not have even reached extra time in this sort of matchup.  In fact, the contest may have been decided long before had the Reds played the way they were at the start of the season.  However, there really is no silver lining.  Regardless of any positivity in terms of progress, the simple fact is that at the end of extra time, Liverpool were dreadful.

Liverpool had their chances during the game.  They put 15 balls toward the goal and 4 on target.  Thibault Courtois made a few really good saves, but Liverpool just lack that critical finisher, regardless of the amount of potential talent they have on the field.  The second half of extra time was a prime example of this.  As mentioned, Chelsea is one of the top 5 clubs in the world right now, but Liverpool just don't have the ability to break down a defense at the moment.  Even with great talents like Raheem Sterling and Phillipe Coutinho, world class players like Gerrard, or decent players like Jordan Henderson they simply cannot consistently slice through a defense the way they did last season.

They have moments of brilliance.  The passing to set up Coutinho's chance that was kicked away by Coutinho was clinical.  We've seen glimpses of that throughout the year.  Simply not enough though.  The imminent return of Daniel Sturridge will improve things.  If he returns to even part of the form he had last season, he immediately improves the club's ability to score.  It is just frustrating that even though we see glimpses, there is still a huge disparity from what the club performed like last season and the big difference has basically been two players missing.

The extra time was extremely disappointing from a tactical standpoint.  The Reds looked decent enough until the goal.  After that, they really fell apart.  They had a few opportunities, but really nothing that troubled the Chelsea goalkeeper.  Again, all credit to the Blues.  They won the game.  However, the disparity in positive possession was quite astounding in the last 15 minutes.  Liverpool looked lost.  They blindly booted the ball around the pitch or headed the ball aimlessly up field with not inclination of where it might go.  The Blues, on the other side, were cool and calm and knocked the ball around with ease.  The Reds looked clueless when presented with opportunities on goal.  They sailed several balls well over the goal, not even troubling the defense or goalkeeper.

From a Liverpool perspective, it was simply not good enough.  Liverpool scored a quality goal at Anfield and had small windows of quality play.  But in the grand scheme, over two full matches and two full periods of extra time, they just simply did not do enough to earn the wins.  That is something that has to be rectified if Liverpool hope to return to the true upper echelon.

Despite the huge disappointment of not gaining a finals appearance in the league cup, Liverpool can still accomplish good things this season.  They have fixed enough of their problems to make a good run at a top four spot.  They still have an opportunity to reach Wembly with a good performance against Bolton and a reasonably favorable draw against Crystal Palace.  Good things can still come from the rest of this season, but for one match they simply were not good enough.  Walk on.

Personal thoughts:

- Blogs are, by nature, somewhat personal.  I usually try to separate my deeper feelings from the blog, but I'm going to let a few out here.

- I am a big Brendan Rodgers fan.  Most people, from what I've read, hated the reality series Being Liverpool.  I loved it.  I was really drawn to Rodgers' philosophy and feelings regarding the importance of the supporters and work ethic.  However, sometimes he is clearly off his rocker.  In the post match interview, he said Liverpool were the better side over the two days and were denied by Courtois.  Courtois was the reason Chelsea drew in the first game, but to say you were the better team for two contests when you really weren't isn't reality.  I understand trying to set a positive notion in the mind of the team, but some of his attempts to do so are completely from left field.

- Mario Balotelli is lost.  I am one of the few, if only, supporters of Super Mario.  Having part of my family be Italian makes me bias in that instance and I've seen the man's talent.  But right now, even I have to admit he is terrible and just appears lost.  I feel bad for him because I do think he wants to perform at Liverpool and wants to play well.  However, you can see in his performance that he shoots when he should pass and passes when he should shoot and seems incapable of making the right decision.  I hope he turns it around, if for no other reason than I own a Balotelli jersey, but the experiment may be a failure even for this dedicated supporter.

- Sterling and Coutinho have oodles of talent, but they are maddening.  Similarly to Balotelli, but on a much smaller scale they like to shoot when they should pass and pass when they should shoot.  When challenged by defenders that are actually world class, they seem to shrink.  They still attempt to challenge them, but they get way too close to the defenders and often give it away.  This is fine for early in matches because you want to test your opposition.  When you are in extra time, with a finals appearance on the line, you simply must retain the ball.  Too much carelessness.  They are young though, so plenty of time to still learn it.  Just frustrating for the moment.

- Jose Mourinho is one of the best managers in the world of club football, but he makes statements that make Rodgers look like a lyrical genius.  I completely understand sticking up for your team, but to simply ignore anything negative any of his players ever does, from diving to stomping, and yet whine about every single thing that does not go your way is aggravating at best.

- Whether it's FIFA or the FA, if they want to retain credibility they must suspend Diego Costa.  Taking all bias out of it, he may have gotten away with the stomps during the match but you cannot allow a player to deliberately stomp on an opponent and not be punished.  It would not matter to me if it was a Liverpool player that was the offender in such an instance.  Those things cannot be allowed in the game and regardless of who does it, they should be suspended.

15 chances, 4 on target.
BR says they were better side?

Liverpool take it to the Blues

The Capital One Cup is down a few rungs in terms of importance to most football/soccer fans, but when rivalry match ups take place, it raises the stakes a little bit.  Such was the case in the first leg of the semifinal between Liverpool and Chelsea.  Most teams, especially ones that lead the table, would put out a team of reserves or at least a mixture of reserves and starters.  The Special One, Jose Mourinho, put out an especially strong squad given the situation his club is in.  It was also especially strong given the fact that only a day prior to the match, Mourinho said it was not possible for his club to win the English treble.

It was a match that had plenty to argue about, if you like criticizing the minute details that a referee must react on in mere seconds.  There were missed calls, including a handball by Thibaut Courtois that went uncalled - one that as a former goalkeeper, I could not be too mad at.  Both sides did their fair share of yelling and arguing at the officials.  However really, though you or I may not completely agree with the penalty given for Chelsea's only goal, the official really had a pretty good match.

Both teams had an overall good match and it was an entertaining game of football.  Chelsea showed glimpses of why they are one of the best teams in the world.  Even as a supporter of one of their chief rivals, I had to marvel at some of their work.  There was one play specifically in the second half where the one touch passing to get out of their own end was a marvel to see.  But equally pleasing to the eye was the way that Liverpool played.

The Reds attacked with no fear and defended well enough to win the game.  Unfortunately for them, they did not.  If the penalty had not been called, there may well have been a win in the fortunes of the Reds and the Kopites.  If they were not up against Courtois as well, there may have been a win instead of a draw as well.  Liverpool banged away at the frame, including in the literal sense when Steven Gerrard hit the post.  They out-shot the Blues 20-7 and out-chanced them 7-0.  Coutois had to prove how good he is to keep Liverpool out.

As mentioned, it was a rousing game that, if not for the the rivalry aspect, would be seen in almost totally positive light.  From a Liverpool perspective, they dominated possession for a good chunk of the game, they created several quality chances, they linked well, they defended well for the most part and took the game to Chelsea.  It was another good motivational game for Liverpool, if for no other reason than it gives them the belief they can still compete with the best teams in England.

By no means am I suggesting Liverpool are back.  As I have said in this space before and as many out there already know, this is a team that still has specific needs.  Regardless of whether the team sticks with a back three or goes with a back four, they have to at least find more reserves capable of stepping in and not having any drop off.  They have to settle the goalkeeper situation, whether it is to keep confidence in Simon Mingolet or bring in someone else.  They have to find a way to get goals from the strikers they have brought in or will bring in on a regular basis.  But those issues do not mean that this club has not made progress.

If you had asked even the most positive Liverpool fan a month or two ago if they could even pull out a draw with Chelsea, the poll would not favor the Reds by any stretch.  The calls for Brendan Rodgers' head..er I mean job have quieted, his choices are working and the team has found a cohesion and a realization that if you are going to play you had better play in the spot you are assigned, not the one you feel you are better suited.

Chelsea may yet win this semifinal.  They have the talent and they have the crowd.  Liverpool's inability to score that all-important go ahead goal may cost them a chance at the league cup.  Yet the idea that they outplayed Chelsea in any facet is uplifting.  Now their fate is truly in their hands.  Was this a great result?  No.  Only a win could be that.  Enough was measured and put forth, however, to show that this team is now truly worthy of wearing the Liverpool crest.  Walk on.

Random thoughts:

- I hate the way Chelsea packs it in.  It is just against my nature in what attracts me to sports in general, not just soccer.  I take nothing away from the team or the manager - though I strongly dislike the Special One.  It is smart strategy.  Get the lead and hold it.  It is just incredibly frustrating to watch a team charge and charge again but constantly have two or three defenders always around the ball.  Kudos to the Blues for having the talent to pull it off most of the time, but makes me ill in the stomach.

- The big question for the Reds is can they perform away from Anfield.  Though I have not had the pleasure of being there in person - yet - you can just tell that the place has a magic.  The crowd, the atmosphere, the ghosts of teams past have an affect on both the home squad and the visitors.  Even when the Blues were packing it in, the surge of the crowd could be felt, even through a computer.  When that crowd is not there, will Liverpool still have the courage and fortitude to attack?  Time will tell.

- An absolute gem of a goal from Raheem Sterling.  He is proving himself to be a good striker, but I think I'd still like to see him in a role a bit further back.  Great talent though.  Still has a bit to learn, but hopefully he'll be wearing Liverpool red for years to come.

- I did not know Mitre still made soccer products until I saw the ball for the match.

- You know you're a goalkeeper when your reaction to one of your rivals' keeper making a great save includes both high praise followed by a few expletive adjectives.

- As a former official, it really irritates me how every player on the field with the slightest gripe charges up and gets in the referee's face.  There was an excellent article on ESPN FC's website, which I can no longer find the link to, that spoke to this very thing.  While I did not agree with all the points, I do believe there needs to be less demonstrative behavior towards the ref.  Fans can do as they please, within reason.  Players need to get back to a point where they voiced their displeasure but went about their business instead of spraying the referee with drool from a few inches away for every call or non-call.

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.

A Cup win for Liverpool? Just Capital

My apologies for the pun in the title, but usually league cup wins don't stir much emotion for a club with the prestige of Liverpool these days.  However, given current form and results, it may have been just what the doctor ordered.  Now then, don't let anyone fool you.  There are still questions about Liverpool that need answering, but basking in the glow of a win makes those questions seem at least a bit less pressing.

Liverpool again failed to score in a first half where they dominated possession.  Swansea City were more than content to sit back, defend and see if anything materialized via a counter attack.  Nothing did materialize, of course, but the plan of attack worked so well that the Swans gained momentum and confidence during the last five to ten minutes of the first half.  They carried that over into the second as well.  Once again, taking nothing away from the run of play from Swansea since they set up a nice goal from Marvin Emnes, but a lack of commitment from the Reds defense on certain plays almost doomed them again.

While 25 minutes still remained following the goal, many supporters no doubt, had visions of another early cup exit for their beloved club.  Liverpool had nothing to show at that point and to many did not seem capable of showing much more.  Despite overwhelmingly positive possession, they were goalless in the first half and came out with little energy in the second.  The Reds mustered little offense even after.  But, to the joy of the Kopites, the night would not end in doom and gloom.

Mario Balotelli, of all people, came on in the 79th minute to score and equalize only 7 minutes later.  The team and supporters had struggled through not only 21 minutes of desperation, seeking to knot up the game, but so many matches hoping the Italian enigma would perform.  While it was still not his top form, the goal was a weight of so many shoulders.  Mario is still seeking his first official Premier League goal since leaving Manchester City.  But scoring the type of goal he did, in the fashion he in a moment when hope was dwindling has to boost his confidence at least a bit.

Dejan Lovren, another much maligned player, also got off the coal for Christmas list for awhile when he nodded in the game winner in the 95th minute, only seconds before the official's final whistle.  Normally a win in the Capital Cup would just fall by the wayside.  A win, coming from behind against Swansea City might even be seen as an unsuccessful match.  However, given the recent run of form for Liverpool it must be looked at in a positive light.

The Reds did not give up.  That has been something that supporters are most irked about in recent games.  Liverpool's lack of fight once things don't go their way.  The team did not let falling behind a goal end their night this match.  Two much maligned players, two off-season high-profile signings, came through when the team needed them most.  Much has been made over the quality of the summer signings, since many have either not performed up to snuff or simply have not made it off the bench.  Lazar Markovic played reasonably well and showed signs of quality before making way for Adam Lallana.  Loveran, rightly or wrongly, has been blamed for many of the defensive failings of Liverpool but provided a game winner and was solid at the back.  Balotelli's woes in a red shirt have been well documented, but the man came up with a huge goal that while provided a beautiful ball by Fabio Borini, still needed a top class finish to hit the back of the net.

As previously stated, this win by no means erases all the questions that supporters have.  It may even raise a few.  The shape of the team is still a huge point of contention.  Many, including this writer, support Brendan Rodgers and his decisions.  However, the stubbornness to continue to play a one striker formation has some scratching their heads.  Fabio Borini finally received a chance to play with Rickie Lambert but as a winger instead of a striker.  Rogers is so concerned with getting his midfield players time on the pitch, it may be to the detriment of the team.  The part I question in regard to the formation choice is the fact that Liverpool will play with two strikers when Daniel Sturridge eventually returns.  So why avoid that formation so avidly when he is not there?

Other question marks remain as well.  The defense, while better, still has gaps and lapses in judgement and marking.  Set pieces still force one to hold their breath until the ball is clear.  The team, as shown in last weekend's match against Hull, still woefully underperforms against lower teams.  But despite all that, a normally unimportant Cup match may prove to be what this team needed.  It was a confidence boost.  It was a shot in the arm.  While there is still much to work on during training sessions, the joy of a win makes things seem much less daunting.  Confidence is something that was clearly lacking from several players in the squad.  Supporters can now hope, even if only fleetingly, this will carry over to the weekend fixture against Newcastle.  Liverpool must keep the confidence rolling.  Matches won't become easier due to one league cup win, but perhaps players can feel a bit looser around the collar and just go out and perform now.

Hopefully Mario Balotelli can carry the confidence of an important goal, no matter the fixture, and silence a few critics.  Being one of the few remaining fans of the man, I would love to sit here and gloat and say I told you so to the detractors.  However, one goal does not give anyone that right.  Balotelli must still perform in the league.  This one match does show that the team needs him to perform for them to perform.  If Balotelli can live up to any of his potential, it makes it that much easier for the rest of the team to do their jobs.  Regardless of how you feel about the Liverpool striker, a good performance from him against Swansea was a good thing and will hopefully lead to better things for the player and the team going forward.  Here's looking forward to the weekend.  Walk on.