Normally the league is the focal point for both players and fans. This week's league game was almost a bit of a hangover. The Reds poured so much energy and emotion into their comeback win in the Europa League over Borussia Dortmund that AFC Bournemouth was almost an afterthought.
Liverpool made all the changes they could really. Roberto Firmino, who was a surprise starter on Thursday anyway, was the only holdover. Daniel Sturridge, Lucas, Joe Allen and Kolo Toure were the only first team players to begin the game as well as Firmino. It was a very different look but things got off to a decent start.
Both teams ping ponged up and down the field. Sturridge almost made Bournemouth pay in the second minute. The defender's backpass was deflected and ended up right with Sturridge who got a powerful shot off but right at the keeper.
Liverpool's next good chance wouldn't come until the 25th minute. Sheyi Ojo showed some brilliance on the wing and wiggled his way into the box, past two defenders but his shot was met with a third defender's face. Connor Randall's followup then blasted a fourth defender in the gut.
Then the Reds struck paydirt in the 41st minute. Ojo began the play by taking it in the middle of the park. He then slid a good ball left to Jordan Ibe. Ibe did his best Raheem Sterling impression but instead of giving it away he made a good pass to Sturridge. The striker tried a nifty backheel shot which was smartly saved by the keeper but Firmino was Mr. Clean with hair by mopping up.
It wouldn't take nearly as long for the next one to come. Ibe took a free kick in the third minute of stoppage time and served it perfectly for Sturridge who headed it past the goalkeeper from about 10 yards out.
The game settled down for much of the second half and the scoreline remained the same for a long period. Bournemouth kept fighting though, showing why they deserved to stay up and are all but assured of staying in the Premier League for a second season. They picked up the pace and kept challenging goal when the clock was in the 60's. So much was their push that Danny Ward was forced to make a top notch save to keep the 0 on the board in the 68th minute.
Ward made another save later on, stopping a header with a lunging stop to his left and then Sturridge almost made it 3-0 in the 82nd minute. The English striker absolutely blasted one but it struck the bar and came out.
Unfortunately the Liverpool backline couldn't see out the scoreline. In the 93rd minute, Lucas got outpowered to the ball and then Joshua King manged to take it off the chest and rip it home from about 17 yards. Bournemouth almost found the equalizer about 30 seconds later, but Ward and the Reds were fortunate to see the header sail over the bar.
The final whistle came soon thereafter and Liverpool capped off a fine week. They got three wins in 8 days. If they could have kept the scoreline 2-0, they would have jumped up to 7th in the league, but remain in 8th due to goal differential.
In typical Liverpool fashion they turned a very dull second half into something exciting. Unfortunately for us fans, or those with heart conditions, Liverpool were almost on the wrong side of it this time. All the shuffling of lineups and players can be somewhat of an excuse but the defending still leaves much to be desired in big moments.
Nevertheless, it was a good performance from an incredibly young and inexperienced side. It was exactly the type of match to try this experimental lineup and it paid dividends even though the big boys were still the ones to do the scoring. Liverpool can now go into the Merseyside Derby fresh and full of confidence.
Random Thoughts
- I'm not the guy's biggest fan, but how far has Martin Skrtel fallen that Lucas gets the start at centerback? Lucas has done a good job filling in at that position, but unless he never truly recovered from his injury it seems odd that Skrtel can't even get time in a B side.
- Far be it from me to be the fashion police, but Danny Ward no....no. That is not a hair style. He could wake up, go straight to the pitch from his bed and I don't think his hair would look that bad.
- These games are exactly why I am not a scout. I've been impressed by Ibe in the past and now see great potential in someone like Ojo. However there is a reason they haven't seen many first team minutes and my eye for talent is probably tainted by a few flashy moves in matches when I don't get to see all the training.
- I'm almost a little scared entering the Derby simply because Liverpool have shown a propensity for letdowns in this season. They've played well for too many games in a row to be fully comfortable, but should still win unless there's a collapse.
Walk On
Showing posts with label Martin Skrtel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Skrtel. Show all posts
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Liverpool Unbelievably Lose to Southampton
Liverpool came into their league match against Southampton with plenty of momentum. Perhaps it is true that none of it had come from league matches, but one would have thought the team was flying high by advancing in the Europa League over their old rivals, Manchester United. The team did come out flying but their wings ended up clipped in the end.
Liverpool was not doing anything with their own possession for the first quarter hour. Southampton was creating a bit more in the way of problems. Though he defended well overall, there was a question of whether or not Dejan Lovren gave up a penalty early in the contest. Ultimately no pen was given and play resumed.
Then in the 13th minute, Lovren was called upon to get a block in on a tight quarters chance for the men in stripes.
The Reds did not cover themselves in glory with their early chances. Divock Origi hit Daniel Sturridge with a shot that might have had a good chance at scoring in the 16th minute, but only moments later Coutinho would not be denied.
Fed the ball near the left sideline, Coutinho took on one defender and then cut the ball back toward the center of the pitch. Still a good 25 or more yards from goal, he whipped his right foot around it and banged one off the post and into the net.
No doubt there will be those that claim the keeper should have stopped it. However, on viewing the replay not only was it a superb placement of the shot, but the defenders in front kind of waved their foot at the ball, which would throw off any goalkeeper.
The offensive floodgates opened a little bit due to Southampton having to push. Origi created again by taking on defenders with speed and then instead of shooting he left it off in the box for Sturridge. Sturridge, clearly cognizant of his terrible right footed miss in the midweek game, wanted to keep it on his left. He did a quick little dance move that might land him a spot on Dancing with the Stars and when the defender moved just enough he sliced his left foot through the ball and into the far netting.
Liverpool should have taken a 3-0 lead in the 26th minute, but Joe Allen could not finish it off. Give credit to the goalkeeper who made a good reaction save with the kick, but Allen was forced too close to the keeper with the pass, which allowed the keeper to cut off the angle.
Allen thought he got his just desserts in the 33rd minute. The Welshman somewhat scuffed the ball on the shot following the corner but it found it's way through all the bodies and into the net. Unfortunately, the linesman raised his flag late and deemed Sakho to have been offside and in a spot that interfered with the goalkeeper.
Everything seemed to be going the Reds' way. They had won the possession battle at the half, shots, shots on target and even corners. It was all about to come crashing down though.
In the 49th minute, halftime sub, Martin Skrtel was called for holding onto the attacker's arm and a penalty was given. Simon Mignolet saved the shot, but the reprieve was short lived. In the 64th minute, Southampton made Liverpool pay for a careless turnover in midfield. The Saints charged up field, slid a pass through to Mane who ripped it past Mignolet.
Southampton knotted the game up with a cracking strike from Graziano Pelle in the 83rd minute. The Saints again capitalized on the suddenly shaky Liverpool defending who failed to clear the initial ball in.
Then the defense just fell apart. They almost gave the ball away with a weak pass from Can, gave a poor pass back to Mignolet who flubbed the clearance and then Skrtel whiffed on the head ball. Southampton then finished off the comeback with an 86th minute goal by Mane.
It was an embarassing defeat both due to the defending and the lack of finishing that the Reds were made to rue. So many chances were wasted, but it seemed insignificant given the 2-0 lead.
Origi shot too close to the goalkeeper, going near post in the 51st resulting in an easy save. In the 59th minute, Adam Lallana's pass to Emre Can was just deflected enough to get it away from Can's foot for the finish. Then the maligned Christian Benteke sliced one across the face of goal but wide in the 73rd.
Combine those with all the misses in the first half as well and you get the result that happened. Questions will rise from the substitutions, especially putting Skrtel on if there was no injury to Lovren but it falls to the players. They could have easily won four or five to nothing and instead allowed their opponent to take all the points.
For whatever reason, Liverpool cannot seem to concentrate and see things out in the league. Now they face the potential embarrassment of being passed up by Chelsea, who are only three points back of the Reds despite their own woeful start to the season.
Now Liverpool must face Tottenham, a team with title aspirations, at Anfield on April 2. Thank goodness it's not on the 1st because Liverpool have played like an April Fool's joke enough as it is.
Random Thoughts:
- Skrtel was just awful. Given the circumstances of being up 2-0 I suppose I get the idea behind the change. Skrtel had been out injured so give him 45 minutes with not much pressure. It completely backfired though. The centerback was either to blame entirely or at least played a part in two of the goals given up and almost conceded a penalty goal as well. If this is the way he is going to play - he has made a habit of clutching and grabbing and getting away with it - then personally I'm more than happy to ship him off and take my chances with Lovren.
- Thank goodness I'm not the one getting paid to figure this team out because I can't. I know Southampton are having a decent season, but how in the world Liverpool can take down teams like United and City and play well against Arsenal etc and then butcher a game they had in hand is just unbelievable.
- My old buddy Adam Lallana disappeared again. Yes, he had a few good passes in the attacking end but he's just an enigma to me. If he has the talent to dominate matches like he did a few weeks ago, it boggles the mind that he can be a non-factor so much of the time.
Walk On
Liverpool was not doing anything with their own possession for the first quarter hour. Southampton was creating a bit more in the way of problems. Though he defended well overall, there was a question of whether or not Dejan Lovren gave up a penalty early in the contest. Ultimately no pen was given and play resumed.
Then in the 13th minute, Lovren was called upon to get a block in on a tight quarters chance for the men in stripes.
The Reds did not cover themselves in glory with their early chances. Divock Origi hit Daniel Sturridge with a shot that might have had a good chance at scoring in the 16th minute, but only moments later Coutinho would not be denied.
Fed the ball near the left sideline, Coutinho took on one defender and then cut the ball back toward the center of the pitch. Still a good 25 or more yards from goal, he whipped his right foot around it and banged one off the post and into the net.
No doubt there will be those that claim the keeper should have stopped it. However, on viewing the replay not only was it a superb placement of the shot, but the defenders in front kind of waved their foot at the ball, which would throw off any goalkeeper.
The offensive floodgates opened a little bit due to Southampton having to push. Origi created again by taking on defenders with speed and then instead of shooting he left it off in the box for Sturridge. Sturridge, clearly cognizant of his terrible right footed miss in the midweek game, wanted to keep it on his left. He did a quick little dance move that might land him a spot on Dancing with the Stars and when the defender moved just enough he sliced his left foot through the ball and into the far netting.
Liverpool should have taken a 3-0 lead in the 26th minute, but Joe Allen could not finish it off. Give credit to the goalkeeper who made a good reaction save with the kick, but Allen was forced too close to the keeper with the pass, which allowed the keeper to cut off the angle.
Allen thought he got his just desserts in the 33rd minute. The Welshman somewhat scuffed the ball on the shot following the corner but it found it's way through all the bodies and into the net. Unfortunately, the linesman raised his flag late and deemed Sakho to have been offside and in a spot that interfered with the goalkeeper.
Everything seemed to be going the Reds' way. They had won the possession battle at the half, shots, shots on target and even corners. It was all about to come crashing down though.
In the 49th minute, halftime sub, Martin Skrtel was called for holding onto the attacker's arm and a penalty was given. Simon Mignolet saved the shot, but the reprieve was short lived. In the 64th minute, Southampton made Liverpool pay for a careless turnover in midfield. The Saints charged up field, slid a pass through to Mane who ripped it past Mignolet.
Southampton knotted the game up with a cracking strike from Graziano Pelle in the 83rd minute. The Saints again capitalized on the suddenly shaky Liverpool defending who failed to clear the initial ball in.
Then the defense just fell apart. They almost gave the ball away with a weak pass from Can, gave a poor pass back to Mignolet who flubbed the clearance and then Skrtel whiffed on the head ball. Southampton then finished off the comeback with an 86th minute goal by Mane.
It was an embarassing defeat both due to the defending and the lack of finishing that the Reds were made to rue. So many chances were wasted, but it seemed insignificant given the 2-0 lead.
Origi shot too close to the goalkeeper, going near post in the 51st resulting in an easy save. In the 59th minute, Adam Lallana's pass to Emre Can was just deflected enough to get it away from Can's foot for the finish. Then the maligned Christian Benteke sliced one across the face of goal but wide in the 73rd.
Combine those with all the misses in the first half as well and you get the result that happened. Questions will rise from the substitutions, especially putting Skrtel on if there was no injury to Lovren but it falls to the players. They could have easily won four or five to nothing and instead allowed their opponent to take all the points.
For whatever reason, Liverpool cannot seem to concentrate and see things out in the league. Now they face the potential embarrassment of being passed up by Chelsea, who are only three points back of the Reds despite their own woeful start to the season.
Now Liverpool must face Tottenham, a team with title aspirations, at Anfield on April 2. Thank goodness it's not on the 1st because Liverpool have played like an April Fool's joke enough as it is.
Random Thoughts:
- Skrtel was just awful. Given the circumstances of being up 2-0 I suppose I get the idea behind the change. Skrtel had been out injured so give him 45 minutes with not much pressure. It completely backfired though. The centerback was either to blame entirely or at least played a part in two of the goals given up and almost conceded a penalty goal as well. If this is the way he is going to play - he has made a habit of clutching and grabbing and getting away with it - then personally I'm more than happy to ship him off and take my chances with Lovren.
- Thank goodness I'm not the one getting paid to figure this team out because I can't. I know Southampton are having a decent season, but how in the world Liverpool can take down teams like United and City and play well against Arsenal etc and then butcher a game they had in hand is just unbelievable.
- My old buddy Adam Lallana disappeared again. Yes, he had a few good passes in the attacking end but he's just an enigma to me. If he has the talent to dominate matches like he did a few weeks ago, it boggles the mind that he can be a non-factor so much of the time.
Walk On
Saturday, August 29, 2015
The Wheels on the LFC Bus Fall Off Completely
Liverpool's defense had been a bright spot in the opening three games of the season. They had looked reasonably formidable. They were cohesive as a back four at the very least and making smart decisions. Those of you who pay attention to sentence structure will notice that all those statements were in past tense.
After three weeks of doing their best to erase the mistakes of the past two seasons, last year in particular, the Liverpool defense fell apart. No one will say this team was a brick wall defensively to open the year, but they looked solid and the two wing backs had drawn praise by many, including in this space. With the exception, perhaps, of Nathaniel Clyne, all of the defenders were to blame for the team's poor start.
West Ham scored just three minutes into the contest as Liverpool had apparently gotten too used to playing Monday night games and not shaken off the cobwebs. The youngster, Gomez, failed to clear the ball from his side and allowed a cross into the box. Martin Skrtel got a head to the initial cross, but did not put enough on it to relieve the pressure. The defense then just sort of stopped and ball watched as the ball pinged around and ended up in the back of the net of the foot of Manuel Lanzini.
Similarly, in the 29th minute, more horrid defending cost Liverpool again. Dejan Lovren had been stout and courageous in his first three games back in a starting role this year. Within the span of about 30 seconds he completely dashed any good will he managed to accrue during those previous games. Lovren unwisely chose not to knock the ball over the touchline on the near side when he had a West Ham attacker right on his back. Then the Croatian compounded his mistake by fumblingly trying to handle the ball. He succeeded in playing the ball right to the opponent and the Reds' keeper, Simon Mingolet was given no chance for a save for a second time in a row.
Offensively, the Liverpool squad looked shaky as well. Credit has to go to West Ham for their efforts to close down space and not allow passing lanes. However, despite the fact he hit the post earlier in the contest, Liverpool's offensive impotence was exemplified by Firmino slotting the ball over the end line with pace instead of playing a soft pass into the path of Clyne. In his defense, Firmino is still getting used to his new squad, but it was still a pass that needed to be connected on given Liverpool's lack of chances overall.
After the half, the questions continued for Liverpool. The announcers on the match figured Liverpool would change tactics to be more offensive minded. Interestingly enough, the only change was Alberto Moreno in for Emre Can, a decision that perhaps added a little speed but really did not change any of what ailed the squad. If anything, Liverpool risked the potential of giving up more goals by going to a back three, regardless of the fact that Clyne stayed on and Moreno was in a defensive winger position.
Then the day went from bad to worse. Coutinho, who had picked up a silly yellow card right before the half, was given his second in the 53rd minute of the contest. Though on replay, the sliding challenge looked like it should not even been a foul, let alone a card, the fact remained that the Brazilian should have been smarter and not put himself in that position. So, down two goals and only 10 men on the field, things looked extremely bleak for the home team.
Danny Ings came on in the 60th minute and Liverpool seemed to play a tiny bit better down a man. James Milner was afforded a great opportunity to score in the 62nd minute, only to see it slice through the defense but comfortably wide of the post. Moments later, Ings made a driving run up the right and cut into the middle. Unfortunately, it petered out as Benteke put the return pass too close to the keeper.
The offensive push hit a lull for much of the latter stages of the second half for Liverpool. They seemed as though they might get a bit of a bump as West Ham were put to 10 men after a straight red card for studs up. Instead, little fight was put into the match from that point on. The coffin lid was sealed tightly shut with a final nail coming in the 92nd minute as the visitors made it 3-0 and won at the Anfield for the first time ever in the Premier League and the first time overall since the 60's.
It was a dreadful day overall for the boys in red. From the opening whistle, things did not seem to go their way by their own design. Their tactics, masterfully employed against Arsenal, were turned against them on this day. Liverpool were allowed to possess all day long, but given no space with which to work. Once the opening goal was scored, Liverpool had little chance. West Ham packed it in behind the ball and closed down the space.
For all the positives that seemed to have been gained over the opening three matches, whether the defending of Lovren or the apparent upgrade in skill offensively, one game effectively set this club back to the doldrums of last season. The defending was horrid. The midfield lacked creativity. The forward line was nonexistent. A long season lays ahead and West Ham have already proven they have the will to knock off the top teams, proven by a 2-0 win in the opening match against Arsenal.
For Liverpool though, questions must be answered. Can the team consistently give service to Chritian Benteke. Though the young striker has looked brilliant at times, when no service was available, he looked more like Mario Balotelli in a Liverpool shirt than the Benteke of the previous few contests. Coutinho cannot be the only man capable of taking on defenders or this team will not achieve its goals. Coutinho, though supremely skilled is still a work in progress and is not ready to be the only man on the team. The defending simply cannot be that bad. The back line will never be the strongest link in this squad, but they cannot make the kinds of mistakes made in this match or scores like today's will be a regular thing.
Those who have read this column regularly know that rarely a negative spin is put on things and by no means is the sky falling. Teams lose. Liverpool was never going to go undefeated. West Ham deserve a lot of credit for the game they played. For those that wear the red however, it stings when the first game you lose is not the one most people would have predicted when looking at the schedule. It doesn't get any easier for Liverpool either. A week off and then a trip to the devil's den, Old Trafford to play Manchester United September 12. A lot of football remains, but Liverpool must learn from their mistakes instead of constantly repeating them to be successful.
Random Thoughts:
- I was as excited about the addition of Roberto Firmino as any, but for now he may not be a starter for this team. While I understand that Jordan Ibe is still growing as a player as well, the team seems to have done better with him as a starter and using Firmino as a sub than the other way around. The Brazilian will acclimate quicker than most, due to playing in Germany, but the English game is hard to step right into.
- Not to keep harping on the defense, but really, how do you go from three straight clean sheets to allowing three goals?
- I know I gave a bit of a jab to Balotelli in the article, but I wish him well with AC Milan as he has been loaned out. There is no buyback clause, so if he does well we could see him in a Liverpool shirt again and I would be very happy for it. His fans have dwindled down to a few, but I am still among them. The man is very talented, but just cannot get his head wrapped around all the things that come with being that talented i.e. workrate and not doing silly things off the field.
- It was good to see Danny Ings get a bit of time. He is a bit small, but if that is the kind of work he's willing to put in every game then I hope we see more of him. I would also like to see Divock Origi get a game or two just to see what is there.
Walk on
After three weeks of doing their best to erase the mistakes of the past two seasons, last year in particular, the Liverpool defense fell apart. No one will say this team was a brick wall defensively to open the year, but they looked solid and the two wing backs had drawn praise by many, including in this space. With the exception, perhaps, of Nathaniel Clyne, all of the defenders were to blame for the team's poor start.
West Ham scored just three minutes into the contest as Liverpool had apparently gotten too used to playing Monday night games and not shaken off the cobwebs. The youngster, Gomez, failed to clear the ball from his side and allowed a cross into the box. Martin Skrtel got a head to the initial cross, but did not put enough on it to relieve the pressure. The defense then just sort of stopped and ball watched as the ball pinged around and ended up in the back of the net of the foot of Manuel Lanzini.
Similarly, in the 29th minute, more horrid defending cost Liverpool again. Dejan Lovren had been stout and courageous in his first three games back in a starting role this year. Within the span of about 30 seconds he completely dashed any good will he managed to accrue during those previous games. Lovren unwisely chose not to knock the ball over the touchline on the near side when he had a West Ham attacker right on his back. Then the Croatian compounded his mistake by fumblingly trying to handle the ball. He succeeded in playing the ball right to the opponent and the Reds' keeper, Simon Mingolet was given no chance for a save for a second time in a row.
Offensively, the Liverpool squad looked shaky as well. Credit has to go to West Ham for their efforts to close down space and not allow passing lanes. However, despite the fact he hit the post earlier in the contest, Liverpool's offensive impotence was exemplified by Firmino slotting the ball over the end line with pace instead of playing a soft pass into the path of Clyne. In his defense, Firmino is still getting used to his new squad, but it was still a pass that needed to be connected on given Liverpool's lack of chances overall.
After the half, the questions continued for Liverpool. The announcers on the match figured Liverpool would change tactics to be more offensive minded. Interestingly enough, the only change was Alberto Moreno in for Emre Can, a decision that perhaps added a little speed but really did not change any of what ailed the squad. If anything, Liverpool risked the potential of giving up more goals by going to a back three, regardless of the fact that Clyne stayed on and Moreno was in a defensive winger position.
Then the day went from bad to worse. Coutinho, who had picked up a silly yellow card right before the half, was given his second in the 53rd minute of the contest. Though on replay, the sliding challenge looked like it should not even been a foul, let alone a card, the fact remained that the Brazilian should have been smarter and not put himself in that position. So, down two goals and only 10 men on the field, things looked extremely bleak for the home team.
Danny Ings came on in the 60th minute and Liverpool seemed to play a tiny bit better down a man. James Milner was afforded a great opportunity to score in the 62nd minute, only to see it slice through the defense but comfortably wide of the post. Moments later, Ings made a driving run up the right and cut into the middle. Unfortunately, it petered out as Benteke put the return pass too close to the keeper.
The offensive push hit a lull for much of the latter stages of the second half for Liverpool. They seemed as though they might get a bit of a bump as West Ham were put to 10 men after a straight red card for studs up. Instead, little fight was put into the match from that point on. The coffin lid was sealed tightly shut with a final nail coming in the 92nd minute as the visitors made it 3-0 and won at the Anfield for the first time ever in the Premier League and the first time overall since the 60's.
It was a dreadful day overall for the boys in red. From the opening whistle, things did not seem to go their way by their own design. Their tactics, masterfully employed against Arsenal, were turned against them on this day. Liverpool were allowed to possess all day long, but given no space with which to work. Once the opening goal was scored, Liverpool had little chance. West Ham packed it in behind the ball and closed down the space.
For all the positives that seemed to have been gained over the opening three matches, whether the defending of Lovren or the apparent upgrade in skill offensively, one game effectively set this club back to the doldrums of last season. The defending was horrid. The midfield lacked creativity. The forward line was nonexistent. A long season lays ahead and West Ham have already proven they have the will to knock off the top teams, proven by a 2-0 win in the opening match against Arsenal.
For Liverpool though, questions must be answered. Can the team consistently give service to Chritian Benteke. Though the young striker has looked brilliant at times, when no service was available, he looked more like Mario Balotelli in a Liverpool shirt than the Benteke of the previous few contests. Coutinho cannot be the only man capable of taking on defenders or this team will not achieve its goals. Coutinho, though supremely skilled is still a work in progress and is not ready to be the only man on the team. The defending simply cannot be that bad. The back line will never be the strongest link in this squad, but they cannot make the kinds of mistakes made in this match or scores like today's will be a regular thing.
Those who have read this column regularly know that rarely a negative spin is put on things and by no means is the sky falling. Teams lose. Liverpool was never going to go undefeated. West Ham deserve a lot of credit for the game they played. For those that wear the red however, it stings when the first game you lose is not the one most people would have predicted when looking at the schedule. It doesn't get any easier for Liverpool either. A week off and then a trip to the devil's den, Old Trafford to play Manchester United September 12. A lot of football remains, but Liverpool must learn from their mistakes instead of constantly repeating them to be successful.
Random Thoughts:
- I was as excited about the addition of Roberto Firmino as any, but for now he may not be a starter for this team. While I understand that Jordan Ibe is still growing as a player as well, the team seems to have done better with him as a starter and using Firmino as a sub than the other way around. The Brazilian will acclimate quicker than most, due to playing in Germany, but the English game is hard to step right into.
- Not to keep harping on the defense, but really, how do you go from three straight clean sheets to allowing three goals?
- I know I gave a bit of a jab to Balotelli in the article, but I wish him well with AC Milan as he has been loaned out. There is no buyback clause, so if he does well we could see him in a Liverpool shirt again and I would be very happy for it. His fans have dwindled down to a few, but I am still among them. The man is very talented, but just cannot get his head wrapped around all the things that come with being that talented i.e. workrate and not doing silly things off the field.
- It was good to see Danny Ings get a bit of time. He is a bit small, but if that is the kind of work he's willing to put in every game then I hope we see more of him. I would also like to see Divock Origi get a game or two just to see what is there.
Walk on
Monday, August 24, 2015
Liverpool and Arsenal Excite Despite Score
Another Monday matchup for Liverpool. This time it promised to have a bit more intrigue. Traveling to the Emirates to face an old rival in Arsenal was poised to be the first real test of undefeated Liverpool. It would prove to be just that, though the away side came out with a firm belief that they could perhaps take all three points.
Both sides traded chances in the first five minutes. Benteke continued to be a revelation for the Reds as he strode up the right side and cut it back toward the spot. Coutinho hit a strong right footer and was unlucky to hit the crossbar. To counter that, only moments later, Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey was unlucky not to score in the 9th minute as offside was called, unnecessarily. It would prove to be a rough opening 20 minutes or so for the officials. They failed to call a foul on Liverpool in the 21st minute, which led to Benteke striding toward the box and then no foul was given on the follow through clip. Francis Coquelin did get the ball originally, but came through Benteke's legs just a bit.
With the exception of a two or three minute spell in which Arsenal put on a master class of passing, Liverpool really controlled most of the game and had more true chances. James Milner almost scored in the 25th minute. Benteke continued to impress with his strength and skill. The new Liverpool frontman showcased himself in a run through the defense in the 30th minute only to fail to connect on a short pass to Coutinho. Roberto Firmino, on the other hand has been a bit slower to gel into his new side. The youngster chose not to shoot in the 37th minute and gave the ball away, perhaps wanting to find favor with teammates instead of taking a chance himself.
Despite all the chances, Liverpool just could not find the back of the net. Petr Cech made an unbelievable save on Benteke towards the end of the half. Even the Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers thought it was a sure goal only to have the longtime Chelsea keeper dive at the perfect moment to get a hand on it and keep the Gunners level. A minute later Cech kicked away a chance off the following corner after Firmino found the loose ball and took a blast. 45th minute, Coutinho had a great bit of skill to fake out the defender and then a fingernail save by Cech and the woodwoork kept the Brazilian off the scoresheet again.
The first 5 minutes of the second half belonged to Liverpool, but Arsenal began to find a bit of possession in 51 min. Possession and passing culminated with a near goal from Alexis Sanchez as he kissed one off the left post in the 61st minute. The pendulum continued to swing the other way as Arsenal dominated the chances and possession. After several buildups with no chances for Arsenal, Simon Mingolet was forced to make a top notch save. The Belgian dove to his right to stop a diving chance from a sprawled Oliver Giroud in the 70th minute. Only a minute later, Mingolet was called into action again.
What looked like an innocuous shot when it came off the foot of Ramsey, curled toward the back post and Mingolet stretched to his left and made the grab. Mingolet made another huge save in the 83rd minute when the shot deflected off Dejan Lovren. Moments later, good defending on the part of Skrtel almost resulted in an own goal as the ball just skimmed wide. Arsenal continued to put on the pressure, but Liverpool managed to keep the dam from breaking. There were cracks and leaks, but no goals conceded for the third game in a row.
Liverpool did manage to create a pulse pounding chance late on as the late sub, Alberto Moreno, used his boatloads of pace to counter the Gunners after a Sanchez turnover. Unfortunately for the Reds, Moreno tried to go all the way into the box instead of laying it through to Benteke. A draw was a fair result for both squads when all the variables are considered. Liverpool dominated the first half and could easily have been up 2-0. Arsenal dominated the second half and only a big save from Mingolet kept them off the sheet. The officials messed up another offside call, again benefiting Liverpool, but they also did not call several fouls that could have impacted the match for either side.
Fans of both squads will be disappointed in the lack of goals, but a draw was a fair result for both and a good result for Liverpool. The defense, while never going to be a strong point for this squad, has looked much improved and been a pleasant surprise so far. When a win is on the table a draw can be looked at with disdain, but if you told most Liverpool supporters they would leave the Emirates with a point, most would not balk. The Reds would dearly loved to get all nine points from the first three games, but cannot complain too much when many pundits would probably have predicted only six points at best and more likely to have only four. In the end, though a win was not to be had on this day, Liverpool has played a little better each game. If they can continue that trend, good things will be on the table for the rest of the year.
Random Thoughts:
- Lucas may have been exhausted, but putting Jordan Rossiter into such an important game was a bit alarming. I'm all for giving players a chance, but when three points were still on the line against a team you're competing with for top four it was a gamble.
- As I said at the end of the primary article, Liverpool played much better in my opinion than they did in both wins in prior weeks. It would have just been nice to poach all three points and perhaps those extra two points may have been deserved given the fact that Liverpool out-chanced Arsenal even with only 1/3 the possession.
- Again, perhaps it has to do with fitness, but despite the fact Moreno almost created a late chance I was surprised to see Coutinho come off in such a tight contest.
- Speaking of Moreno, I have to give credit to Rodgers' choice of Joseph Gomez. I thought Moreno, while not stellar defensively, got a raw deal last season when he did not play that poorly. I was hoping he would get a chance to take the left spot in a back four this year, but Gomez has really shined up to this point.
- Skrtel and Lovren will probably never be the first choice center pairing for most Liverpool fans. They have played very well this year, even with a couple breakdowns here and there. Their main problem, outside a lack of pace, is they are the same player. They go hard into challenges, which creates problems with some referees especially when they go over the top. They get caught flat footed at times and do a lot of tugging and pulling.
- Credit goes to Arsenal for making the adjustments, but it was a bit disappointing that Liverpool created so much havoc but could not take advantage of the poor defending and constant giveaways by Arsenal's patchwork center pairing.
Walk On
Both sides traded chances in the first five minutes. Benteke continued to be a revelation for the Reds as he strode up the right side and cut it back toward the spot. Coutinho hit a strong right footer and was unlucky to hit the crossbar. To counter that, only moments later, Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey was unlucky not to score in the 9th minute as offside was called, unnecessarily. It would prove to be a rough opening 20 minutes or so for the officials. They failed to call a foul on Liverpool in the 21st minute, which led to Benteke striding toward the box and then no foul was given on the follow through clip. Francis Coquelin did get the ball originally, but came through Benteke's legs just a bit.
With the exception of a two or three minute spell in which Arsenal put on a master class of passing, Liverpool really controlled most of the game and had more true chances. James Milner almost scored in the 25th minute. Benteke continued to impress with his strength and skill. The new Liverpool frontman showcased himself in a run through the defense in the 30th minute only to fail to connect on a short pass to Coutinho. Roberto Firmino, on the other hand has been a bit slower to gel into his new side. The youngster chose not to shoot in the 37th minute and gave the ball away, perhaps wanting to find favor with teammates instead of taking a chance himself.
Despite all the chances, Liverpool just could not find the back of the net. Petr Cech made an unbelievable save on Benteke towards the end of the half. Even the Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers thought it was a sure goal only to have the longtime Chelsea keeper dive at the perfect moment to get a hand on it and keep the Gunners level. A minute later Cech kicked away a chance off the following corner after Firmino found the loose ball and took a blast. 45th minute, Coutinho had a great bit of skill to fake out the defender and then a fingernail save by Cech and the woodwoork kept the Brazilian off the scoresheet again.
The first 5 minutes of the second half belonged to Liverpool, but Arsenal began to find a bit of possession in 51 min. Possession and passing culminated with a near goal from Alexis Sanchez as he kissed one off the left post in the 61st minute. The pendulum continued to swing the other way as Arsenal dominated the chances and possession. After several buildups with no chances for Arsenal, Simon Mingolet was forced to make a top notch save. The Belgian dove to his right to stop a diving chance from a sprawled Oliver Giroud in the 70th minute. Only a minute later, Mingolet was called into action again.
What looked like an innocuous shot when it came off the foot of Ramsey, curled toward the back post and Mingolet stretched to his left and made the grab. Mingolet made another huge save in the 83rd minute when the shot deflected off Dejan Lovren. Moments later, good defending on the part of Skrtel almost resulted in an own goal as the ball just skimmed wide. Arsenal continued to put on the pressure, but Liverpool managed to keep the dam from breaking. There were cracks and leaks, but no goals conceded for the third game in a row.
Liverpool did manage to create a pulse pounding chance late on as the late sub, Alberto Moreno, used his boatloads of pace to counter the Gunners after a Sanchez turnover. Unfortunately for the Reds, Moreno tried to go all the way into the box instead of laying it through to Benteke. A draw was a fair result for both squads when all the variables are considered. Liverpool dominated the first half and could easily have been up 2-0. Arsenal dominated the second half and only a big save from Mingolet kept them off the sheet. The officials messed up another offside call, again benefiting Liverpool, but they also did not call several fouls that could have impacted the match for either side.
Fans of both squads will be disappointed in the lack of goals, but a draw was a fair result for both and a good result for Liverpool. The defense, while never going to be a strong point for this squad, has looked much improved and been a pleasant surprise so far. When a win is on the table a draw can be looked at with disdain, but if you told most Liverpool supporters they would leave the Emirates with a point, most would not balk. The Reds would dearly loved to get all nine points from the first three games, but cannot complain too much when many pundits would probably have predicted only six points at best and more likely to have only four. In the end, though a win was not to be had on this day, Liverpool has played a little better each game. If they can continue that trend, good things will be on the table for the rest of the year.
Random Thoughts:
- Lucas may have been exhausted, but putting Jordan Rossiter into such an important game was a bit alarming. I'm all for giving players a chance, but when three points were still on the line against a team you're competing with for top four it was a gamble.
- As I said at the end of the primary article, Liverpool played much better in my opinion than they did in both wins in prior weeks. It would have just been nice to poach all three points and perhaps those extra two points may have been deserved given the fact that Liverpool out-chanced Arsenal even with only 1/3 the possession.
- Again, perhaps it has to do with fitness, but despite the fact Moreno almost created a late chance I was surprised to see Coutinho come off in such a tight contest.
- Speaking of Moreno, I have to give credit to Rodgers' choice of Joseph Gomez. I thought Moreno, while not stellar defensively, got a raw deal last season when he did not play that poorly. I was hoping he would get a chance to take the left spot in a back four this year, but Gomez has really shined up to this point.
- Skrtel and Lovren will probably never be the first choice center pairing for most Liverpool fans. They have played very well this year, even with a couple breakdowns here and there. Their main problem, outside a lack of pace, is they are the same player. They go hard into challenges, which creates problems with some referees especially when they go over the top. They get caught flat footed at times and do a lot of tugging and pulling.
- Credit goes to Arsenal for making the adjustments, but it was a bit disappointing that Liverpool created so much havoc but could not take advantage of the poor defending and constant giveaways by Arsenal's patchwork center pairing.
Walk On
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Liverpool Open Blandly
Hello and welcome to another season of Liverpool football. The beginning of a season is always an exciting time. Your prospects for a great season will never be higher, unless you raise the trophy at the end. Hope springs eternal and fans are abuzz about how each new signing will affect the team for good or bad. That same emotion was going through myself and all Liverpool supporters prior to the season's opening contest against Stoke City.
Then came the game. There is still hope for the season. There are still things to be looking forward to. However, as individual games go, it was about as bland as it could get. Both squads threw a few attacks forward here or there, but to little effect. Simon Mingolet was pressured more out of the two goalkeepers in the first half, but more often than not it was due to his own defenders' bunggling attempts at back passes.
Liverpool came out in the opening moments of the contest looking very bright and positive. The passes were crisp and connected well. It really looked like they would strike early and put the ghosts of last season's loss at the Britannia behind them. However, shots were placed right into defenders and you could see that even with the upgrade in talent, the players are still feeling each other out.
That was also the theme for most of this contest for both sides. As mentioned, there was the brief foray into the attacking areas for both the Livebirds and the Potters. Much of the contest was spent in the midfield though, with both teams stringing together decent attacking pushes only to see it peter out with an errant pass (more often than not, directly to the opposition). A lot of it can be chalked up to an opening season game coming earlier in the calendar than usual and summer signings still finding their bearings within each club.
Both squads saw good moments from their higher profile additions. Christian Benteke moved around very well and was strong on the ball, though he will have to find better shooting angles as the season progresses or he may be the most blocked striker in the league. Similarly, Ibrahim Afellay looked very positive for Stoke as well. He was fearless in attack and more than willing to take on the Liverpool defense. Ultimately though, he was unable to create enough for his team to score.
For the Reds, if you look at each individual, nothing overly poor stood out. Dejan Lovren still seems to be finding his sea legs, but was strong in his challenges. He, like just about every Liverpool centerback, will just never be anyone the supporters are comfortable with having the ball at their feet. The same can be said of Skrtel. The man plays hard and goes into every challenge hard. But he makes a lot of mistakes and against higher competition, Liverpool often pay for it. The back four as a whole looked more solid than in seasons past, however the youth of Gomez will create some holes for other teams to exploit as more film is seen on him.
Jordan Ibe continued to impress, though nothing he did ended up on the score sheet. While, in all honesty, his skill set is quite different to Raheem Sterling, Ibe looks more in control and comfortable. Sterling, for all his talents, always looked just a bit reckless like a runaway train. Ibe keeps the ball closer, seems to be wiser in the challenges he takes on and has better physical attributes in terms of size. For all we know, Sterling may turn out to be the promised wunderkind, but for now, LFC seem to have made the smart choice.
James Milner was a bit of a disappointment as he seemed to disappear for long stretches in the match, but he was never going to light the world on fire. He was brought in to help solidify the midfield and that's not always going to mean flying forward. Similarly, Firmino was a bit lackluster in his first action in a Liverpool shirt, but in his defense, he missed some of the preseason tour with the club and has not had much time to gel with his new team or surroundings.
Despite the overall negative spin put on some of what transpired during the game, the big thing is the result and Liverpool got what they had to get - three points. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't flashy. It may have put some to sleep at stages of the game. But, as the broadcasters said in the postmatch commentary - weeks from now, nobody will care. All that will matter is the club won and got a good spring board to start the year.
Given the difficult schedule, chalk full of road matches, to start the season, three points were needed despite claims that a draw would have been sufficient. A match against Bournemouth could potentially iron out a few more kinks before the big boys arrive across the pitch, but again results are more important to start the year than true form. Look at Manchester United last season. They were not great in individual games, but did enough to get results and are now back in Champions League. Similarly, Liverpool got off to a good start, in terms of results, two years ago and gained a top four position because of it. Conversely, a poor start to last season doomed them come the following May.
As fans we always want the beautiful game. We want scoring and flowing football. We marvel at the Brazils and Hollands of the world. But when it comes to the grind of a club season, all that matters are the results. If it meant winning the league, supporters would take ugly win after ugly win. Until the talents can gel, that is what Liverpool must focus on. Get the win. The how is unimportant.
Walk On
Random Thoughts:
- I like Adam Lallana the person (from what I can see from afar) and I like his talents. However, he cannot be the long term starter. A front three of Benteke, Firmino and Coutinho is much more of a threat for the rest of the season. As long as this is just a short period to allow the Brazilian to adjust, then fine.
- Speaking of Lallana, why in the world is he always up front? Maybe I completely misread his skills, but he seems better suited toward a more midfield role than Coutinho does. Although the true lineup had Coutinho further forward, I was not pleased at all when a proposed lineup had Lallana as part of the attacking trio and Coutinho in basically a wingback role.
- This team will not score nearly as many goals. They may not win nearly as many games. However, despite the blandness of this particular contest, I saw brief glimpses of the kind of football that made the team so fun to watch in their second place finish two seasons ago. A healthy Sturridge, if there is such a thing, could really give this team a ton of attacking options and looks for the opposition.
- It was nice to see the team get the win, but also to see Brendan Rodgers get a bit of positive buzz. For good or bad, I seem doomed to be a supporter of his until the day he is no longer the boss of Liverpool. Thus, I am always glad for him and the club when good things come, whether by luck or design.
- Lastly, some may wonder how I could not mention Coutinho's goal in the article proper. Well, chalk that up to first game jitters for me too. That and being too lazy to find a good place to slip in a paragraph about it. That said, it was a fantastic goal but in a sad way what we have come to expect from him. He is one of those players who drives fans crazy because he will blast shots into defenders or five yards over goal time after time. Then, he will strike it sweetly like he did on the goal against Stoke and you see all the talent and promise meld together. If he ever finds a bit more consistency, he could be one of the best in the league.
Then came the game. There is still hope for the season. There are still things to be looking forward to. However, as individual games go, it was about as bland as it could get. Both squads threw a few attacks forward here or there, but to little effect. Simon Mingolet was pressured more out of the two goalkeepers in the first half, but more often than not it was due to his own defenders' bunggling attempts at back passes.
Liverpool came out in the opening moments of the contest looking very bright and positive. The passes were crisp and connected well. It really looked like they would strike early and put the ghosts of last season's loss at the Britannia behind them. However, shots were placed right into defenders and you could see that even with the upgrade in talent, the players are still feeling each other out.
That was also the theme for most of this contest for both sides. As mentioned, there was the brief foray into the attacking areas for both the Livebirds and the Potters. Much of the contest was spent in the midfield though, with both teams stringing together decent attacking pushes only to see it peter out with an errant pass (more often than not, directly to the opposition). A lot of it can be chalked up to an opening season game coming earlier in the calendar than usual and summer signings still finding their bearings within each club.
Both squads saw good moments from their higher profile additions. Christian Benteke moved around very well and was strong on the ball, though he will have to find better shooting angles as the season progresses or he may be the most blocked striker in the league. Similarly, Ibrahim Afellay looked very positive for Stoke as well. He was fearless in attack and more than willing to take on the Liverpool defense. Ultimately though, he was unable to create enough for his team to score.
For the Reds, if you look at each individual, nothing overly poor stood out. Dejan Lovren still seems to be finding his sea legs, but was strong in his challenges. He, like just about every Liverpool centerback, will just never be anyone the supporters are comfortable with having the ball at their feet. The same can be said of Skrtel. The man plays hard and goes into every challenge hard. But he makes a lot of mistakes and against higher competition, Liverpool often pay for it. The back four as a whole looked more solid than in seasons past, however the youth of Gomez will create some holes for other teams to exploit as more film is seen on him.
Jordan Ibe continued to impress, though nothing he did ended up on the score sheet. While, in all honesty, his skill set is quite different to Raheem Sterling, Ibe looks more in control and comfortable. Sterling, for all his talents, always looked just a bit reckless like a runaway train. Ibe keeps the ball closer, seems to be wiser in the challenges he takes on and has better physical attributes in terms of size. For all we know, Sterling may turn out to be the promised wunderkind, but for now, LFC seem to have made the smart choice.
James Milner was a bit of a disappointment as he seemed to disappear for long stretches in the match, but he was never going to light the world on fire. He was brought in to help solidify the midfield and that's not always going to mean flying forward. Similarly, Firmino was a bit lackluster in his first action in a Liverpool shirt, but in his defense, he missed some of the preseason tour with the club and has not had much time to gel with his new team or surroundings.
Despite the overall negative spin put on some of what transpired during the game, the big thing is the result and Liverpool got what they had to get - three points. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't flashy. It may have put some to sleep at stages of the game. But, as the broadcasters said in the postmatch commentary - weeks from now, nobody will care. All that will matter is the club won and got a good spring board to start the year.
Given the difficult schedule, chalk full of road matches, to start the season, three points were needed despite claims that a draw would have been sufficient. A match against Bournemouth could potentially iron out a few more kinks before the big boys arrive across the pitch, but again results are more important to start the year than true form. Look at Manchester United last season. They were not great in individual games, but did enough to get results and are now back in Champions League. Similarly, Liverpool got off to a good start, in terms of results, two years ago and gained a top four position because of it. Conversely, a poor start to last season doomed them come the following May.
As fans we always want the beautiful game. We want scoring and flowing football. We marvel at the Brazils and Hollands of the world. But when it comes to the grind of a club season, all that matters are the results. If it meant winning the league, supporters would take ugly win after ugly win. Until the talents can gel, that is what Liverpool must focus on. Get the win. The how is unimportant.
Walk On
Random Thoughts:
- I like Adam Lallana the person (from what I can see from afar) and I like his talents. However, he cannot be the long term starter. A front three of Benteke, Firmino and Coutinho is much more of a threat for the rest of the season. As long as this is just a short period to allow the Brazilian to adjust, then fine.
- Speaking of Lallana, why in the world is he always up front? Maybe I completely misread his skills, but he seems better suited toward a more midfield role than Coutinho does. Although the true lineup had Coutinho further forward, I was not pleased at all when a proposed lineup had Lallana as part of the attacking trio and Coutinho in basically a wingback role.
- This team will not score nearly as many goals. They may not win nearly as many games. However, despite the blandness of this particular contest, I saw brief glimpses of the kind of football that made the team so fun to watch in their second place finish two seasons ago. A healthy Sturridge, if there is such a thing, could really give this team a ton of attacking options and looks for the opposition.
- It was nice to see the team get the win, but also to see Brendan Rodgers get a bit of positive buzz. For good or bad, I seem doomed to be a supporter of his until the day he is no longer the boss of Liverpool. Thus, I am always glad for him and the club when good things come, whether by luck or design.
- Lastly, some may wonder how I could not mention Coutinho's goal in the article proper. Well, chalk that up to first game jitters for me too. That and being too lazy to find a good place to slip in a paragraph about it. That said, it was a fantastic goal but in a sad way what we have come to expect from him. He is one of those players who drives fans crazy because he will blast shots into defenders or five yards over goal time after time. Then, he will strike it sweetly like he did on the goal against Stoke and you see all the talent and promise meld together. If he ever finds a bit more consistency, he could be one of the best in the league.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Liverpool Earn Wembley Appearance
Liverpool earned their way into an appearance at Wembley Stadium for an FA Cup semifinal match with Aston Villa. A hard fought replay against Blackburn Rovers went the Reds' way with a 1-0 win. In very few ways, if any, was this the game Liverpool fans were hoping for, but it was a victory. Following two bad losses to Manchester United and Arsenal in the league and several weeks of controversy surrounding the contract status of Raheem Sterling, Liverpool simply needed some positivity.
It wasn't the prettiest of games. Much of the first half, for Liverpool, was spent in possession that went nowhere. The Reds had the ball, knocked it around the back, pushed forward now and then but really created nothing. There was a nice flick back by Daniel Sturridge in the 16th minute that almost led to a chance. Coutinho had a sharp angle chance blocked in the 18th minute and Liverpool attacked reasonably well in the 20 minute stages. However, there was very little true pressure placed on Blackburn's keeper Simon Eastwood.
For a bit, it even seemed as though things would continue to pile up on Liverpool. Mamadou Sakho picked up an apparent hamstring injury and had to be subbed off in the 27th minute. The Reds were already shorthanded with suspensions to key players and the chosen substitute, Kolo Toure, was about as far from anything resembling good form as you can be in his time against Arsenal.
Things continued in the woe category as Coutinho appeared to have a golden chance in the 36th minute, when his shot seemed destined for the bottom right corner only to have Eastwood come up with a last second save. Eastwood was screened until the ball was about four yards out, which made the stop even more improbable. On the flip side of that coin, Simon Mingolet was called into action in the second half as well. Two huge saves, both diving to his left, probably saved the result for his club.
Mere moments after leaping to stop a drive heading for the upper left side of the goal, Mingolet kept one out of the bottom left with a save rivaling his counterpart. The Belgian keeper saw it very late and was screened by several of his own players. There was also a question of potential handball by Joe Allen, and by the letter of the law it may have been, but it was unintentional and did not alter the shot in any manner. That moment was really a catalyst for Liverpool.
They turned up the pressure in the 50th minute onward. They did allow the occasional counterattack or two, but really steadied the game. Kolo Toure had an excellent block in the 66th minute, not totally erasing his previous performance, but at least putting him back in a more positive light. Finally, Coutinho broke the deadlock in the 70th minute. Coutinho replaced Jordan Henderson on the corner kick and did not have a very good attempt, in all honesty. However, the Brazilian recouped possession, took a quick pass from Henderson in the box and rocketed a shot across the face of goal and in off the post.
One knock on the Reds' squad was their lack of urgency the rest of the half. Plenty could have gone wrong in the final 20 minutes and despite Liverpool's dominance of possession, they did not really seek out that second goal. It almost came back to bite them when Eastwood had a brilliant turn and shot in the box. Mingolet saw the shot late, but got down to block it and smother the 94th minute attempt and ultimately the Reds got the win.
Things haven't gone Liverpool's way lately and a win was sorely needed. While positives weren't abundantly available, they were there. The Reds did not crush the second tier opponent and did not look like world beaters, but they got the job done. They overcame the obstacle of suspensions to Steven Gerrard, Martin Skrtel and Emre Can. Toure did a reasonably good job of coming in and defending. Dejan Lovren was solid in possession and made no mistakes. Joe Allen will never be anyone's first choice, outside of perhaps his manager, but he did a solid job and did exactly what was asked of him in every way. Mingolet continued his top form. Sterling and Coutinho looked very positive as well.
Nobody will ever confuse Blackburn for a true stern test, but Liverpool did what was necessary and took enough away from the game to look forward instead of worrying too much about the last two games. That said, questions still linger for this side as they progress. Though Manchester City continues to leave the door cracked, gaining a top four spot will be incredibly difficult. The specter of a Europa League spot also looms. A league match against Chelsea is still on the horizon, but a date in Wembley Stadium is a pretty sweet carrot to put in your pocket. Now the team must simply look to themselves and do the best they can.
Random thoughts:
- I understand he was playing out of position, but I was confused to see Jordan Henderson constantly in the center of the field when he was technically listed as a wing back.
- Springboarding off that idea, again I realize that Henderson, Sterling or Adam Lallana are all out of position in the wingback position, but you have to put your best players in their best position and let the rest fall where it may. Sterling has been useless in the wing position and should always be part of the attacking trio in the current set up.
- Liverpool's defending corp needs to catch a break. Can will be available in the next match, but the injury to Sakho now throws more cloudiness into an already murky situation back there.
- Speaking of injury, given his recent history, Sturridge's asking to be subbed off was a bit troubling. He did not appear to be laboring, but one still worries when he asks to be removed.
- Liverpool supporters will always do their best to support whoever slips on the red kit. However, changes have to be made to this squad. Age and injury have played a huge role but players like Allen and Lucas just aren't good enough to be consistently relied upon and regardless of what formation Liverpool use going forward, they have to find a true wingback. The constant rotation on the outside is frustrating as a fan and provides no stability from a team standpoint.
- Things have been set up in a positive way for Liverpool. Aston Villa is probably going to be more concerned with staying out of the relegation zone and is in poor form to begin with. A finals appearance is not assured, but seems likely. Unfortunately, Liverpool may be forced to see an in-form Arsenal team once more, should that finals spot be attained.
Walk On.
It wasn't the prettiest of games. Much of the first half, for Liverpool, was spent in possession that went nowhere. The Reds had the ball, knocked it around the back, pushed forward now and then but really created nothing. There was a nice flick back by Daniel Sturridge in the 16th minute that almost led to a chance. Coutinho had a sharp angle chance blocked in the 18th minute and Liverpool attacked reasonably well in the 20 minute stages. However, there was very little true pressure placed on Blackburn's keeper Simon Eastwood.
For a bit, it even seemed as though things would continue to pile up on Liverpool. Mamadou Sakho picked up an apparent hamstring injury and had to be subbed off in the 27th minute. The Reds were already shorthanded with suspensions to key players and the chosen substitute, Kolo Toure, was about as far from anything resembling good form as you can be in his time against Arsenal.
Things continued in the woe category as Coutinho appeared to have a golden chance in the 36th minute, when his shot seemed destined for the bottom right corner only to have Eastwood come up with a last second save. Eastwood was screened until the ball was about four yards out, which made the stop even more improbable. On the flip side of that coin, Simon Mingolet was called into action in the second half as well. Two huge saves, both diving to his left, probably saved the result for his club.
Mere moments after leaping to stop a drive heading for the upper left side of the goal, Mingolet kept one out of the bottom left with a save rivaling his counterpart. The Belgian keeper saw it very late and was screened by several of his own players. There was also a question of potential handball by Joe Allen, and by the letter of the law it may have been, but it was unintentional and did not alter the shot in any manner. That moment was really a catalyst for Liverpool.
They turned up the pressure in the 50th minute onward. They did allow the occasional counterattack or two, but really steadied the game. Kolo Toure had an excellent block in the 66th minute, not totally erasing his previous performance, but at least putting him back in a more positive light. Finally, Coutinho broke the deadlock in the 70th minute. Coutinho replaced Jordan Henderson on the corner kick and did not have a very good attempt, in all honesty. However, the Brazilian recouped possession, took a quick pass from Henderson in the box and rocketed a shot across the face of goal and in off the post.
One knock on the Reds' squad was their lack of urgency the rest of the half. Plenty could have gone wrong in the final 20 minutes and despite Liverpool's dominance of possession, they did not really seek out that second goal. It almost came back to bite them when Eastwood had a brilliant turn and shot in the box. Mingolet saw the shot late, but got down to block it and smother the 94th minute attempt and ultimately the Reds got the win.
Things haven't gone Liverpool's way lately and a win was sorely needed. While positives weren't abundantly available, they were there. The Reds did not crush the second tier opponent and did not look like world beaters, but they got the job done. They overcame the obstacle of suspensions to Steven Gerrard, Martin Skrtel and Emre Can. Toure did a reasonably good job of coming in and defending. Dejan Lovren was solid in possession and made no mistakes. Joe Allen will never be anyone's first choice, outside of perhaps his manager, but he did a solid job and did exactly what was asked of him in every way. Mingolet continued his top form. Sterling and Coutinho looked very positive as well.
Nobody will ever confuse Blackburn for a true stern test, but Liverpool did what was necessary and took enough away from the game to look forward instead of worrying too much about the last two games. That said, questions still linger for this side as they progress. Though Manchester City continues to leave the door cracked, gaining a top four spot will be incredibly difficult. The specter of a Europa League spot also looms. A league match against Chelsea is still on the horizon, but a date in Wembley Stadium is a pretty sweet carrot to put in your pocket. Now the team must simply look to themselves and do the best they can.
Random thoughts:
- I understand he was playing out of position, but I was confused to see Jordan Henderson constantly in the center of the field when he was technically listed as a wing back.
- Springboarding off that idea, again I realize that Henderson, Sterling or Adam Lallana are all out of position in the wingback position, but you have to put your best players in their best position and let the rest fall where it may. Sterling has been useless in the wing position and should always be part of the attacking trio in the current set up.
- Liverpool's defending corp needs to catch a break. Can will be available in the next match, but the injury to Sakho now throws more cloudiness into an already murky situation back there.
- Speaking of injury, given his recent history, Sturridge's asking to be subbed off was a bit troubling. He did not appear to be laboring, but one still worries when he asks to be removed.
- Liverpool supporters will always do their best to support whoever slips on the red kit. However, changes have to be made to this squad. Age and injury have played a huge role but players like Allen and Lucas just aren't good enough to be consistently relied upon and regardless of what formation Liverpool use going forward, they have to find a true wingback. The constant rotation on the outside is frustrating as a fan and provides no stability from a team standpoint.
- Things have been set up in a positive way for Liverpool. Aston Villa is probably going to be more concerned with staying out of the relegation zone and is in poor form to begin with. A finals appearance is not assured, but seems likely. Unfortunately, Liverpool may be forced to see an in-form Arsenal team once more, should that finals spot be attained.
Walk On.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Liverpool Gunned Down by Arsenal
The international break was not very kind to Liverpool Football Club. Following an incredibly disappointing performance against Manchester United, that saw the Reds fall 2-1, many had hoped that a little breather would be beneficial. It was not.
Arsenal came out and dominated the match right from the get go. If not for two great saves from Simon Mingolet, Liverpool would have been down 2-0 in the first 10 minutes of the match. Instead, the Belgian keeper bailed out his club and they settled into the match - for the midsection of the first half anyway. Unfortunately for Liverpool, if the first half was a sandwich, the middle would have been a sweet tasty jam, but the bread was riddled with mold.
Liverpool were dominated in the first ten minutes, settled in and created chances in the middle of the first half and then fell to pieces in the last ten minutes. In a span of eight minutes, Hector Bellarin, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez all bulged the net and Liverpool were finished. Even more interesting was how quickly things turned.
The Reds were actually on the charge just prior to Bellarin's goal. They had pressed their way into the attacking third, were stringing together passes and actually looked threatening. Liverpool, by all rights, should have taken the lead in the match when Lazar Markovic elected not to take a shot and passed it off to Raheem Sterling. The pass was too far for Sterling to get a foot on and as went the chance, so went Liverpool's offense for the rest of the game.
Liverpool did manage to score a goal from a Jordan Henderson penalty kick in the 76th minute, but really that came down to a lack of urgency from Arsenal. Being up 3-0, the Gunners took their foot off the gas pedal and got sloppy. They stood back and absorbed a little bit of pressure and Bellarin tackled Sterling, leading to the penalty. Arsenal would get another goal in stoppage time against a 10 man Liverpool squad when Olivier Giroud made the Reds' defense look silly and banged home the Gunners' fourth.
The bottom line is, Liverpool never had a chance and that's a scary thought. The Reds were the in-form team for the better part of four months, but when they are off they struggle to look like a team that is better than mid-table. For two games there has been a lack of form, a lack of defending, a lack of mental fortitude and worst of all, a lack of fire. As fans and observers, it seems unthinkable to be unable to get up to face your biggest rivals with so much on the line. Two games in a row that would have put them in the top four for sure had they won. Instead those two games may end up being their downfall.
Liverpool now find themselves in a position of trying to hold onto fifth place, standing only one point ahead of Southampton and Tottenham. They are not eliminated from a top four finish, but they have taken it out of their own hands. With only seven games remaining in the Premier League season, Liverpool are now seven points behind fourth place. The Reds have plenty of winnable games, outside of a match with Chelsea in early May, but manager Brendan Rodgers will have to work his magic touch and figure out a lot of what ails his club.
Liverpool find themselves in a situation that even the great Bill Shankly could not guide them out of. Not only have they played poorly the last two matches, but hair pullingly bad decisions have put their future in question. Steven Gerrard, Martin Skrtel and now Emre Can have all taken themselves out of competition with poor choices.
Brendan Rodgers was forced to play a defensive midfield comprising Joe Allen and Lucas that was ineffective at best and incredibly inept at worst. The back three, a lineup of Can, Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho looked immensely uncomfortable on the ball and often put their own goalkeeper in tenuous situations. Now, with Can out, Rodgers must continue to tinker with a lineup that has increasingly few good options.
Liverpool must find a way to overcome this adversity. Whether there are problems in the locker room or if this is just one of the valleys for a team that has had plenty of peaks and valleys, the Reds have to figure out a way to come together. They simply cannot regress the way they have. Much like the beginning of the season, the midfield is non-existent. There is a void between the defense and the attack. Much of that is due to players being out of position or getting playing time following long layoffs, but there just cannot be excuses at this point of the season.
Markovic did little to affect the game other than the missed chance. Joe Allen and Lucas were not working together and Lucas was awful on the ball to begin the game. Toure and Sakho looked like high school freshmen, the way they passed and looked shaky. Jordan Henderson played very hard, like a captain should, but was listed as part of the top three to begin the game and after about three minutes, was playing behind Markovic. Sterling was back in a striking role after spending a couple weeks as a wingback, which is puzzling in and of itself.
Liverpool must regroup and quickly. They have an FA Cup tie, on the road, on Wednesday. On paper, it could be the perfect opportunity to turn things back around. In reality, it has just as much a chance to dash all preseason goals. Liverpool will be without three key players for the FA Cup match and next Monday's league game. The Reds still have much to play for, but they are not making it easy, for their fans or themselves.
Random Thoughts:
- Is Europa League even worth it? Arguments can be made that any extra competition would be beneficial to teach a young team how to prepare for extra matches. However, Liverpool's run a year ago and Manchester United's charge back this year would argue that not having the distraction of European matches and getting extra training time may be more beneficial. By no means would any right thinking person want Liverpool to tank, but if the team cannot finish top four then finishing behind Southampton or Tottenham may not be so bad.
- Raheem Sterling better get things figured out quickly. I fully understand wanting to maximize your earning potential, but the games against United and certainly Arsenal prove that he is not to a caliber that deserves 150,000 a week. Sterling is only a promising prospect. He has great skills and speed in spades, but his shot is poor and weak and he dribbles into defenders too often. He needs to sign the deal in the offseason, continue to grow as a player and person and then the bigger contracts will line themselves up.
- Brendan Rodgers needs to be more proactive. He can be a top manager, when he is on his game and things are working well. However, he tends to react a bit too slowly. He hesitated to switch from a back four formation early in the year and the team labored. Now he stuck too long with his 3-4-3 and given the troops available, was made to pay the price due to its ineffectiveness. It will be interesting to see, not only who lines up but how they line up against Blackburn.
A Happy Easter to you all. And as a shameless plug, feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQi3KGDK7lDPU0AyvCbBOfA. I discuss the hot sports topics, with a Midwestern slant during the week.
Walk On.
Arsenal came out and dominated the match right from the get go. If not for two great saves from Simon Mingolet, Liverpool would have been down 2-0 in the first 10 minutes of the match. Instead, the Belgian keeper bailed out his club and they settled into the match - for the midsection of the first half anyway. Unfortunately for Liverpool, if the first half was a sandwich, the middle would have been a sweet tasty jam, but the bread was riddled with mold.
Liverpool were dominated in the first ten minutes, settled in and created chances in the middle of the first half and then fell to pieces in the last ten minutes. In a span of eight minutes, Hector Bellarin, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez all bulged the net and Liverpool were finished. Even more interesting was how quickly things turned.
The Reds were actually on the charge just prior to Bellarin's goal. They had pressed their way into the attacking third, were stringing together passes and actually looked threatening. Liverpool, by all rights, should have taken the lead in the match when Lazar Markovic elected not to take a shot and passed it off to Raheem Sterling. The pass was too far for Sterling to get a foot on and as went the chance, so went Liverpool's offense for the rest of the game.
Liverpool did manage to score a goal from a Jordan Henderson penalty kick in the 76th minute, but really that came down to a lack of urgency from Arsenal. Being up 3-0, the Gunners took their foot off the gas pedal and got sloppy. They stood back and absorbed a little bit of pressure and Bellarin tackled Sterling, leading to the penalty. Arsenal would get another goal in stoppage time against a 10 man Liverpool squad when Olivier Giroud made the Reds' defense look silly and banged home the Gunners' fourth.
The bottom line is, Liverpool never had a chance and that's a scary thought. The Reds were the in-form team for the better part of four months, but when they are off they struggle to look like a team that is better than mid-table. For two games there has been a lack of form, a lack of defending, a lack of mental fortitude and worst of all, a lack of fire. As fans and observers, it seems unthinkable to be unable to get up to face your biggest rivals with so much on the line. Two games in a row that would have put them in the top four for sure had they won. Instead those two games may end up being their downfall.
Liverpool now find themselves in a position of trying to hold onto fifth place, standing only one point ahead of Southampton and Tottenham. They are not eliminated from a top four finish, but they have taken it out of their own hands. With only seven games remaining in the Premier League season, Liverpool are now seven points behind fourth place. The Reds have plenty of winnable games, outside of a match with Chelsea in early May, but manager Brendan Rodgers will have to work his magic touch and figure out a lot of what ails his club.
Liverpool find themselves in a situation that even the great Bill Shankly could not guide them out of. Not only have they played poorly the last two matches, but hair pullingly bad decisions have put their future in question. Steven Gerrard, Martin Skrtel and now Emre Can have all taken themselves out of competition with poor choices.
Brendan Rodgers was forced to play a defensive midfield comprising Joe Allen and Lucas that was ineffective at best and incredibly inept at worst. The back three, a lineup of Can, Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho looked immensely uncomfortable on the ball and often put their own goalkeeper in tenuous situations. Now, with Can out, Rodgers must continue to tinker with a lineup that has increasingly few good options.
Liverpool must find a way to overcome this adversity. Whether there are problems in the locker room or if this is just one of the valleys for a team that has had plenty of peaks and valleys, the Reds have to figure out a way to come together. They simply cannot regress the way they have. Much like the beginning of the season, the midfield is non-existent. There is a void between the defense and the attack. Much of that is due to players being out of position or getting playing time following long layoffs, but there just cannot be excuses at this point of the season.
Markovic did little to affect the game other than the missed chance. Joe Allen and Lucas were not working together and Lucas was awful on the ball to begin the game. Toure and Sakho looked like high school freshmen, the way they passed and looked shaky. Jordan Henderson played very hard, like a captain should, but was listed as part of the top three to begin the game and after about three minutes, was playing behind Markovic. Sterling was back in a striking role after spending a couple weeks as a wingback, which is puzzling in and of itself.
Liverpool must regroup and quickly. They have an FA Cup tie, on the road, on Wednesday. On paper, it could be the perfect opportunity to turn things back around. In reality, it has just as much a chance to dash all preseason goals. Liverpool will be without three key players for the FA Cup match and next Monday's league game. The Reds still have much to play for, but they are not making it easy, for their fans or themselves.
Random Thoughts:
- Is Europa League even worth it? Arguments can be made that any extra competition would be beneficial to teach a young team how to prepare for extra matches. However, Liverpool's run a year ago and Manchester United's charge back this year would argue that not having the distraction of European matches and getting extra training time may be more beneficial. By no means would any right thinking person want Liverpool to tank, but if the team cannot finish top four then finishing behind Southampton or Tottenham may not be so bad.
- Raheem Sterling better get things figured out quickly. I fully understand wanting to maximize your earning potential, but the games against United and certainly Arsenal prove that he is not to a caliber that deserves 150,000 a week. Sterling is only a promising prospect. He has great skills and speed in spades, but his shot is poor and weak and he dribbles into defenders too often. He needs to sign the deal in the offseason, continue to grow as a player and person and then the bigger contracts will line themselves up.
- Brendan Rodgers needs to be more proactive. He can be a top manager, when he is on his game and things are working well. However, he tends to react a bit too slowly. He hesitated to switch from a back four formation early in the year and the team labored. Now he stuck too long with his 3-4-3 and given the troops available, was made to pay the price due to its ineffectiveness. It will be interesting to see, not only who lines up but how they line up against Blackburn.
A Happy Easter to you all. And as a shameless plug, feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQi3KGDK7lDPU0AyvCbBOfA. I discuss the hot sports topics, with a Midwestern slant during the week.
Walk On.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Late Equalizer Gives Reds Much Deserved Point
Heading into an all important matchup with their Londoner rivals, Liverpool again employed a rather unusual formation with seven midfielders and three defenders. Although you can argue whether it can sustain this squad for the rest of the season, it has yielded decent results. Not only has it improved the team on the scoresheet, the team itself just seems to flow better and have better energy.
Liverpool came out and dominated the first 45 minutes of play. They probably should have had more goals at the break than they did, given the effort. However, despite a quality goal from Coutinho, the Reds ended the first half tied up due to their lack of defending set pieces. Much like their counterparts, Liverpool again struggle to attack the ball and keep track of their man on free kicks and corners. It was again their downfall in the first half. After dominating possession and scoring chances, Liverpool could not hang onto the lead. One may question whether the offense whistled against Steven Gerrard was actually a foul or not, but the fact is it was called and Liverpool failed to defend it.
Surprisingly, the Reds have defended as a team better with only three true defenders but they still continue to prove that no matter who cracks the lineup that changes are in order. Whether they happen in January or during the summer window, there are still changes that must be made in the back. This fact was on full display for the go-ahead goal by Oliver Giroud. Arsenal did come out with more pep and possession in the second half, but still were not creating much. Then, in the usual lapse of marking, Giroud was allowed a full strike on the ball just steps away from the six yard area with all three Liverpool defenders being in a triangle around him but at least two meters away.
For long stretches it appeared as though Liverpool would miss out on any points, very similarly to the Manchester United fixture. Both matches saw Liverpool create chances aplenty and possess the ball in fine fashion, only to see mistakes at the back cost them. Fortunately for the Reds, whether by injury or simply current form, Arsenal is not United. Even after Liverpool were forced to go down by a man, following Fabio Borini's red card (and perhaps final act in a Liverpool kit), Arsenal were more than willing to let Liverpool run at them and create. Blame the players or blame Arsene Wenger, the bottom line is Liverpool will take it.
The Reds deserved better than a loss. Yes, sometimes you lose when you don't deserve to. That's football. That's sports. But, on this night, Liverpool got at least partially what they deserved. One could argue they deserved all three points, but at least a draw was something this club needed. While they did not gain any ground against Arsenal, it was still a valuable point. Even though there is still half a season to go and this writer has done his best to see the positives, a loss in this match would have made it exceedingly difficult to see Liverpool making a charge at the top four. Liverpool have not fared well against the teams above them in the table. They needed actual representation of the improvement they have seen rather than just moral or mental victories. Three points would have been much better, but not giving up on the match and banging home a header from Martin Skrtel to equalize was a good way to go into the Christmas break.
Questions continue to rise for this team. Though I have long argued for a two striker system, I am not quite sure you alter the team just yet. What can be done about the defense? There is no doubt the team has performed better with three at the back, but there is little doubt that whether you use Skrtel, Kolo Toure, Sakho, Dejan Lovren, Javier Manquillo, Glen Johnson or Moreno they still seem to give up unnecessary chances. It is a team rife with question marks and doubters, but there are at least tangible positives to see.
Lazar Markovic, while still raw, is starting to look like a good talent. There were flashes of a Raheem Sterling from two years ago. Much like Sterling's first chances in the first team, you can see the talent there, it just needs to be nurtured and brought along. Even from the beginning of the season, Markovic's touch has gotten much better. Whether he is worth the transfer fee is up to discussion. The team as a whole is producing a lot more as well.
Three goals against Bournmouthe, two against Arsenal and lots of chances against United have at least given fans hope that the ball will hit the back of the net each match. Fans were hoping for three points, but a gift of one for Christmas will at least tide them over until Boxing Day where they can hope for the full three against Burnley.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and best wishes to Liverpool FC and all the fans from St. Louis to New York and out to the rest of the world. Walk on.
Liverpool came out and dominated the first 45 minutes of play. They probably should have had more goals at the break than they did, given the effort. However, despite a quality goal from Coutinho, the Reds ended the first half tied up due to their lack of defending set pieces. Much like their counterparts, Liverpool again struggle to attack the ball and keep track of their man on free kicks and corners. It was again their downfall in the first half. After dominating possession and scoring chances, Liverpool could not hang onto the lead. One may question whether the offense whistled against Steven Gerrard was actually a foul or not, but the fact is it was called and Liverpool failed to defend it.
Surprisingly, the Reds have defended as a team better with only three true defenders but they still continue to prove that no matter who cracks the lineup that changes are in order. Whether they happen in January or during the summer window, there are still changes that must be made in the back. This fact was on full display for the go-ahead goal by Oliver Giroud. Arsenal did come out with more pep and possession in the second half, but still were not creating much. Then, in the usual lapse of marking, Giroud was allowed a full strike on the ball just steps away from the six yard area with all three Liverpool defenders being in a triangle around him but at least two meters away.
For long stretches it appeared as though Liverpool would miss out on any points, very similarly to the Manchester United fixture. Both matches saw Liverpool create chances aplenty and possess the ball in fine fashion, only to see mistakes at the back cost them. Fortunately for the Reds, whether by injury or simply current form, Arsenal is not United. Even after Liverpool were forced to go down by a man, following Fabio Borini's red card (and perhaps final act in a Liverpool kit), Arsenal were more than willing to let Liverpool run at them and create. Blame the players or blame Arsene Wenger, the bottom line is Liverpool will take it.
The Reds deserved better than a loss. Yes, sometimes you lose when you don't deserve to. That's football. That's sports. But, on this night, Liverpool got at least partially what they deserved. One could argue they deserved all three points, but at least a draw was something this club needed. While they did not gain any ground against Arsenal, it was still a valuable point. Even though there is still half a season to go and this writer has done his best to see the positives, a loss in this match would have made it exceedingly difficult to see Liverpool making a charge at the top four. Liverpool have not fared well against the teams above them in the table. They needed actual representation of the improvement they have seen rather than just moral or mental victories. Three points would have been much better, but not giving up on the match and banging home a header from Martin Skrtel to equalize was a good way to go into the Christmas break.
Questions continue to rise for this team. Though I have long argued for a two striker system, I am not quite sure you alter the team just yet. What can be done about the defense? There is no doubt the team has performed better with three at the back, but there is little doubt that whether you use Skrtel, Kolo Toure, Sakho, Dejan Lovren, Javier Manquillo, Glen Johnson or Moreno they still seem to give up unnecessary chances. It is a team rife with question marks and doubters, but there are at least tangible positives to see.
Lazar Markovic, while still raw, is starting to look like a good talent. There were flashes of a Raheem Sterling from two years ago. Much like Sterling's first chances in the first team, you can see the talent there, it just needs to be nurtured and brought along. Even from the beginning of the season, Markovic's touch has gotten much better. Whether he is worth the transfer fee is up to discussion. The team as a whole is producing a lot more as well.
Three goals against Bournmouthe, two against Arsenal and lots of chances against United have at least given fans hope that the ball will hit the back of the net each match. Fans were hoping for three points, but a gift of one for Christmas will at least tide them over until Boxing Day where they can hope for the full three against Burnley.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and best wishes to Liverpool FC and all the fans from St. Louis to New York and out to the rest of the world. Walk on.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Kick to the gut
We were all ready to get back to league action following the long international break. So it seemed anyway. Reality set in quickly following a rousing start to what had to be three points for Liverpool. Rickie Lambert finally got off the goose egg, scoring his first goal of the season and the first in the kit of his boyhood team. It seemed like a storybook start to what could have spurred the Reds on to a great week and perhaps turn the season around. Instead, the fairy tale turned to the stuff of nightmares coupled with the same mistakes that keep burying this storied club further away from their goal.
It seemed like Liverpool had solved their issues. Scoring a goal only 90 seconds into the match on a great lofted ball and nicely finished off by Lambert. It seemed like a perfect start that would erase all the scoring woes of the Reds. Lambert getting the goal, Liverpool getting a league score by a striker not named Sturridge, solid midfield hookup with the forward lines: it all seemed like the day could end with nothing but a positive result and a good start to a week that, on paper, featured three winnable games. Then it all went to pot.
Dwight Gale, the thorn in the side of Liverpool the last two matches against Crystal Palace, evened up the scoring and despite a few good chances and a bit of attacking play, Liverpool never really threatened again. As a fan, hope was given as the halftime analysts still thought Liverpool's talent would overcome and their skill would provide a game winning goal. Instead, the second half provided little attack and more defensive mistakes. The same defensive mistakes, one might add.
It has been a frustrating time to be a supporter of Liverpool. What makes it most frustrating is the confusion of how one or two players can alter a team to this extent. The defense was mediocre last season, so the addition of a few players, given their form at the moment, could not be expected to cure all ills. The enigma that is the Liverpool offense is what is so puzzling. Before the team dealt him to Spanish giant, Barcelona, it was already well known that Luis Suarez was a world class player. It was always going to be difficult to replace him, if for no other reason than the fact that nobody plays like Suarez. Alexis Sanchez, now of Arsenal, is the closest in terms of work-rate, however nobody (even the players who are better than Suarez) really matches the man in ever category. Even so, the drop off in goal scoring has been astounding.
Scoring goals is by no means an easy task. Yet, no matter how talented the duo is or was, it is mind boggling to see a team so eager to attack and break apart a defense become so listless and toothless up front. The problem, right now, is team wide and seems to be affecting every single player's performance. It is a problem of confidence. Any problem in the team has spread to the other parts. Poor defensive play or tactics forces the midfield to worry too much about helping out at the back. Poor midfield play, in terms of poor passing or badly timed giveaways, forces more pressure on an already shaky back line. The problems with the strikers are well documented and that forces both the midfield and defense to worry too much about trying to score when it may not even be their job.
The Crystal Palace match was a prime example of that last point. Outside of the Lambert goal, the best chances close to goal actually came from Martin Skrtel and Javier Manquillo. Those that watched the match saw how those chances were butchered, but what else can be expected from defenders who are not used to the pressure of hitting a target? One can say you should expect more from everyone and while correct, should we really think we will get it when it hasn't happened all year? Of course following a result such as this, the calls for Brendan Rodgers' job have ramped up, perhaps rightly so.
Those need to be tempered slightly though. Yes, given this poor run of form from his team and a seeming lack of desire, there is plenty of blame to be put on the manager. But there have been some, even in the media, who think Rodgers may not make it past the new year. Really? That is such utter nonsense that it is laughable. Far be it from me to say that won't happen, because the reality of European football is that is could. What benefit would that serve though? Even if you fire or sack him right after Christmas, the new man would have approximately two weeks to bring in someone new to fit his style after observing the club for a respectable amount of time. That is not enough to fix this club's issues. As an American, I can give a unique perspective. We have so many sports that the idea of lower teams defeating you is more common place. It doesn't affect a coach's job as much as in Europe. Also, more often than not, a midseason change does nothing for the team other than simply change for change's sake.
Rodgers should be evaluated at the end of the season and given a proper January window to attempt plugging up some holes. Rodgers has to figure out what players play to his style the best or fit a style to the players. Soccer or football managers really have little to affect a match outside of instilling a belief in their men and putting out the best starting 11. The back four have given Rodgers little options, since everyone has played poorly at different times. Alberto Moreno bombs forward, leaving holes behind at times, though it is still curious why he was left off the team sheet. Dejan Lovren simply looks lost if the ball is not in the air. Martin Skrtel, though he has his backers, is incredibly inconsistent and seems like he cannot defend without pulling or tugging. Manquillo, though young and making a few youthful mistakes, seems like the best of the options and he has been left off the team more often than not due to him being a loanee apparently. There are options on the bench. However, those who really believe Kolo Toure, regardless of his good performance against Madrid, won't make the same mistakes Skrtel and Loven make are delusional.
The biggest issue Rodgers has in front of him, is the apparent lack of desire in this club. Perhaps Suarez brought so much energy to the team last year that so many issues were covered up. Now, whether the absence of said player or the manager's sudden lack of ability to inspire his troops, this team is stuck in the lake with no rudder and no wind in the sails. My one major fault with Rodgers, outside of picking a starting 11, has been his unwillingness to accept blame following matches. Now he has done so. Perhaps there was no other option, but Rodgers can see the writing on the wall and knows it really is up to him to figure it out. Everyone needs to do their part. Players have to perform. Do your own job to the best of your ability and there is enough talent on this squad to get results. Players have to perform, the manager has to make good choices and the Reds need a bit of luck.
Couple all of that with a good signing or two in January and this team can still make top four. That is what has to be focused on. The league, unfortunately, has been gone for some time. Fourth place and maintaining a spot in Champions League is still alive because of all the teams in front of them. Thin hopes, perhaps, due to the number of teams above Livepool but many are still clubs that could fall off in the second half. It's all up to the men in the kits and on the sideline. Will this team pull triumph from the jaws of defeat or will they be known as the team that went from the brink of winning a title to the mediocrity of the lower portion of the table? It is all up to them. All the supporters can do is pour their hearts out, as they do week in and week out and hope. Walk on my friends.
It seemed like Liverpool had solved their issues. Scoring a goal only 90 seconds into the match on a great lofted ball and nicely finished off by Lambert. It seemed like a perfect start that would erase all the scoring woes of the Reds. Lambert getting the goal, Liverpool getting a league score by a striker not named Sturridge, solid midfield hookup with the forward lines: it all seemed like the day could end with nothing but a positive result and a good start to a week that, on paper, featured three winnable games. Then it all went to pot.
Dwight Gale, the thorn in the side of Liverpool the last two matches against Crystal Palace, evened up the scoring and despite a few good chances and a bit of attacking play, Liverpool never really threatened again. As a fan, hope was given as the halftime analysts still thought Liverpool's talent would overcome and their skill would provide a game winning goal. Instead, the second half provided little attack and more defensive mistakes. The same defensive mistakes, one might add.
It has been a frustrating time to be a supporter of Liverpool. What makes it most frustrating is the confusion of how one or two players can alter a team to this extent. The defense was mediocre last season, so the addition of a few players, given their form at the moment, could not be expected to cure all ills. The enigma that is the Liverpool offense is what is so puzzling. Before the team dealt him to Spanish giant, Barcelona, it was already well known that Luis Suarez was a world class player. It was always going to be difficult to replace him, if for no other reason than the fact that nobody plays like Suarez. Alexis Sanchez, now of Arsenal, is the closest in terms of work-rate, however nobody (even the players who are better than Suarez) really matches the man in ever category. Even so, the drop off in goal scoring has been astounding.
Scoring goals is by no means an easy task. Yet, no matter how talented the duo is or was, it is mind boggling to see a team so eager to attack and break apart a defense become so listless and toothless up front. The problem, right now, is team wide and seems to be affecting every single player's performance. It is a problem of confidence. Any problem in the team has spread to the other parts. Poor defensive play or tactics forces the midfield to worry too much about helping out at the back. Poor midfield play, in terms of poor passing or badly timed giveaways, forces more pressure on an already shaky back line. The problems with the strikers are well documented and that forces both the midfield and defense to worry too much about trying to score when it may not even be their job.
The Crystal Palace match was a prime example of that last point. Outside of the Lambert goal, the best chances close to goal actually came from Martin Skrtel and Javier Manquillo. Those that watched the match saw how those chances were butchered, but what else can be expected from defenders who are not used to the pressure of hitting a target? One can say you should expect more from everyone and while correct, should we really think we will get it when it hasn't happened all year? Of course following a result such as this, the calls for Brendan Rodgers' job have ramped up, perhaps rightly so.
Those need to be tempered slightly though. Yes, given this poor run of form from his team and a seeming lack of desire, there is plenty of blame to be put on the manager. But there have been some, even in the media, who think Rodgers may not make it past the new year. Really? That is such utter nonsense that it is laughable. Far be it from me to say that won't happen, because the reality of European football is that is could. What benefit would that serve though? Even if you fire or sack him right after Christmas, the new man would have approximately two weeks to bring in someone new to fit his style after observing the club for a respectable amount of time. That is not enough to fix this club's issues. As an American, I can give a unique perspective. We have so many sports that the idea of lower teams defeating you is more common place. It doesn't affect a coach's job as much as in Europe. Also, more often than not, a midseason change does nothing for the team other than simply change for change's sake.
Rodgers should be evaluated at the end of the season and given a proper January window to attempt plugging up some holes. Rodgers has to figure out what players play to his style the best or fit a style to the players. Soccer or football managers really have little to affect a match outside of instilling a belief in their men and putting out the best starting 11. The back four have given Rodgers little options, since everyone has played poorly at different times. Alberto Moreno bombs forward, leaving holes behind at times, though it is still curious why he was left off the team sheet. Dejan Lovren simply looks lost if the ball is not in the air. Martin Skrtel, though he has his backers, is incredibly inconsistent and seems like he cannot defend without pulling or tugging. Manquillo, though young and making a few youthful mistakes, seems like the best of the options and he has been left off the team more often than not due to him being a loanee apparently. There are options on the bench. However, those who really believe Kolo Toure, regardless of his good performance against Madrid, won't make the same mistakes Skrtel and Loven make are delusional.
The biggest issue Rodgers has in front of him, is the apparent lack of desire in this club. Perhaps Suarez brought so much energy to the team last year that so many issues were covered up. Now, whether the absence of said player or the manager's sudden lack of ability to inspire his troops, this team is stuck in the lake with no rudder and no wind in the sails. My one major fault with Rodgers, outside of picking a starting 11, has been his unwillingness to accept blame following matches. Now he has done so. Perhaps there was no other option, but Rodgers can see the writing on the wall and knows it really is up to him to figure it out. Everyone needs to do their part. Players have to perform. Do your own job to the best of your ability and there is enough talent on this squad to get results. Players have to perform, the manager has to make good choices and the Reds need a bit of luck.
Couple all of that with a good signing or two in January and this team can still make top four. That is what has to be focused on. The league, unfortunately, has been gone for some time. Fourth place and maintaining a spot in Champions League is still alive because of all the teams in front of them. Thin hopes, perhaps, due to the number of teams above Livepool but many are still clubs that could fall off in the second half. It's all up to the men in the kits and on the sideline. Will this team pull triumph from the jaws of defeat or will they be known as the team that went from the brink of winning a title to the mediocrity of the lower portion of the table? It is all up to them. All the supporters can do is pour their hearts out, as they do week in and week out and hope. Walk on my friends.
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