Liverpool Is (Slowly) Moving Forward

First and foremost, I’d like to apologize to the people who follow this blog or my Twitter who expected to read my articles and posts because of the lack of content in the past month or so. To be brutally honest, that motivation to write was somehow missing in me. However, the recent events that transpired for Liverpool FC inspired me to write this one. Without further delay, do enjoy!
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Liverpool FC is a gloriously-decorated club that has won eighteen League titles, only bettered by fierce rivals Manchester United. Domestically, we’ve also lifted seven FA Cups and eight League Cups, including one in 2012. On top of that, Liverpool has also won five European Cups, three UEFA Cups and three Super Cups. This makes Liverpool FC easily one of the best English clubs of all time, and one of the best teams in the history of football.

The common phrase used against Liverpool is that we are a team with rich history, and that’s all we have. The sad thing is that many teams of today can boast recent successes but only very few actually have a deep, meaningful history that carries on from generation to generation. However, that doesn’t make them entirely wrong.

Sadly, it is true that Liverpool was an English powerhouse, but now, we are just considered a moderate-to-good team, while only a fair few will consider us a great team. The last time Liverpool was actually a big team was in the 2008-09 season where we finished with the highest amount of points ever in the Premier League but were still runners-up to none other than Manchester United who claimed the title. How ironic, isn’t it?

The 3 following years from that title slip-up consisted of mediocre results and league positions. Under Rafa Benitez’s last season at the club, we finished 7th in the Premier League, meaning that we missed out on a Champions League spot after qualifying for it for many consecutive years. After Rafa left the club, an average Roy Hodgson took charge, only to be replaced by The King himself, Kenny Dalglish, after 6 months. Kenny Dalglish didn’t stay for long either – he was sacked by the club after his first full season upon returning to the club that coveted him for the second time as manager. He did, however, guide Liverpool to a Carling Cup and also to the finals of the FA Cup, only to be runners-up to Chelsea. That was the first time fans were able to see our captain, Steven Gerrard, lift some silverware since 2007.

It has been a rocky ride for Liverpool, the players, and the fans. We are subject to constant banter, jokes and insults just because we went through a rough patch – which is why the summer of 2012 was a crucial one for Liverpool. We have just parted ways with The King, we ended the season in 8th place, and qualified for the less-coveted Europa League only because we won the Carling Cup.

This begs me to ask the question – what have we done from the summer of 2012 until today, the 8th of February 2013, and where do we stand as we speak? Let’s break it down.

FSG and John W. Henry
As a fan looking in, it seems like this season has been a season of rectifications and fixes. After spending a whopping (approx.) £115 million from the past 3 transfer windows, it was made clear that we wouldn’t have much money to spend to start off the 2012-2013 season. From the 9-digit-millions spent, only 6 players are still with the club today (Luis Suarez, Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Jose Enrique and Sebastian Coates. Andy Carroll is out on loan).

So far this season, we’ve only spent less than half of what we had spend prior to the summer. The arrivals of 6 players in two transfer windows only cost us approximately £47 million only. The contrast in the figures is a clear indication that the owners aren’t willing to spend as much this season and has definitely learned from past mistakes. Better now than never, right?

While many may have huge doubts over the new American owners, I personally think that they’re winning me over as time goes by. Many criticize the owners for their reluctant behavior to spend just a little more during the club’s pursuit of Gylfi Siggurdsson and Clint Dempsey during the summer of 2012. 6 months later, we are all releasing a huge sigh of relief for not doing so, as both players aren’t doing extraordinary for the club they eventually signed for, Tottenham Hotspurs. However…

..another criticism they had to take was that they made attempts to sign Clint Dempsey far too late – down to the last hours of the summer transfer window, in fact. FSG’s failure to complete deals early on in the transfer window left us with a relatively thin squad and loaning out Andy Carroll just days before the window closed left us with shortage of options up front.

Again, forward 6 months, and we signed Daniel Sturridge right at the start of the January transfer window. The deal was deemed completed before the window had even opened, and much praise has to go to FSG for that. Philippe Coutinho was also signed a few days before the window closed, which showed that we have improved our efficiency of transfer deals.

In between the two signings were many internal deals being completed. Joe Cole, who was signed on a free transfer during Roy’s days, was released by the club and joined West Ham permanently. Nuri Şahin, who looks to be surplus to requirements, also had his loan-deal with Liverpool cut short, and he returned to Real Madrid, only to return to the club where he shined the brightest – Borussia Dortmund. During the closing stages of the window, Alexander Doni’s contract with the club was terminated as well due to personal reasons (which was eventually discovered to be relating to his health).

These 3 transactions freed up a total of £240,000 worth of weekly wages on a permanent basis, while the signings of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho adds £100,000-a-week of wages. The net savings from said transactions is £140,000 per week, which sums up a great transfer window in my books.

We’ve added quality players to the squad while getting rid of players that have failed to impressed and/or are on high wages at the club. This also comes after selling the likes of Alberto Aquilani and Charlie Adam earlier in the summer, further cutting our losses for the long-term.

While FSG may not possess the greatest of football knowledge, but at the end of the day, they are mere businessmen. The main reason why they took over the club was to generate profits out of a £300-million investment. If they were to be operating the club at a loss, the club would suffer the subsequent detriments.

However, the transactions that we’ve seen in this recent January transfer window has convinced me that they are the right people to stay for the long-term, and if they do not stray too much from what they have done in the past month, we can truly be a magnificent European club again with their financial guidance.

From the top going down, the next topic on the list will be the man himself, Brendan Rodgers.

Brendan Rodgers
Before his appointment, we’ve seen and heard names like Roberto Martinez being a possible candidate, and the Danish legend, Michael Laudrup being tossed into the ring. Frank De Boer of Ajax and Andre Villas-Boas, formerly of FC Porto and Chelsea were also names being mentioned. Then we have Brendan Rodgers.

Out of those 5 names, I really truly considered only 3 out of 5 of them. In my eyes, Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers just didn’t have the necessary credentials to be manager of a top club like Liverpool. This was coming just a season after Wigan and Swansea both finished 15th and 11th respectively. We didn’t need mid-table managers to revive the club.

Eventually, we appointed the former Swansea man, someone who parted ways with Watford and Reading before ending up in Wales. Looking at his CV, Brendan Rodgers isn’t the most decorated manager out there, being in-charge of Watford and Reading for a total of only 14 months (24 November 2008 – 16 December 2009), both being the result of poor team performances.

At Swansea, he guided them to promotion (via success in the Championship play-offs) and guided Swansea to a mid-table finish in his first season in the Premier League.

Let’s be frank, 5, maybe 6 years ago, no manager with that record would ever stand a chance of even being considered by Liverpool. The question that arises from his appointment was, “have we really dropped to mediocrity?”.

Brendan’s season didn’t start well – only managing 2 points from the first 5 games, although we had to play Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United in those games. Our first win came only in our sixth game, with Luis Suarez’s hat-trick leading us to a 5-2 win over Norwich. That was deemed to be the turning point of the season, and boy was it right. The next 7 games consisted of 2 wins and 5 draws, bringing the unbeaten streak for the club to 8 games before losing 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspurs.

The next 9 games didn’t see Liverpool sharing any points, managing 6 wins, but losing 3 games to lowly Aston Villa, a surging Stoke City and losing 2-1 to bitter rivals Manchester United. 2-2 draws against Arsenal and Manchester City brings us to today – Liverpool on 7th with 36 points and 9 wins.

However, we are currently out of both domestic cups, something that we were still pursuing during Kenny Dalglish’s reign last season. Eliminations by now-finalists Swansea City and Football League 1 side Oldham Athletic FC in the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup respectively leaves us with only the Europa League to compete for.

Brendan Rodgers has certainly brought his own style of football to Liverpool, something we haven’t really seen ever since the deadly partnership of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. This “tiki-taka” style of football is slowly warming up to the club, the players and the fans, but it is still far from that of Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona or Spain.

Brendan Rodgers’ inconsistency in terms of his opening tactics is something that has come under heavy criticism as well. The line-up he put out against Oldham was certainly great on paper, but the risk of having only two midfielders didn’t work in our favor. The tactics deployed against the 2-2 result against Arsenal was also highly questionable considering the club doesn’t have great defensive qualities. But on his day, like in games against both Manchester clubs, we can play to our full potential with the right tactics employed by Brendan Rodgers.

Another topic to touch on our manager is his press conferences and his approach to the media. I actually applaud the professionalism of Brendan Rodgers when placed in front of a microphone. He answers questions very wisely and his words are nothing short of motivational.

The first time I was genuinely disapproving of his statements was his post-Oldham interview, where he outright blamed the youngsters as well as Martin Skrtel for their lack of performance. I do agree that as a manager, he has the right to shoot down his players if they fail to perform, and that is very much respected by me. It takes guts to publicly talk down your own players.

We’ve seen managers talk nonsense and taking the bullet for his players, but what Brendan Rodgers said about his players was nothing but unwise. His tactics failed him, and he did not take the opportunity to change his tactics early enough. If anything, he should also take a portion of the blame, if any blame were to be given.

As Dion Fanning mentioned in a recent article he brilliantly wrote, I quote,

“Everything Rodgers does suggests that he is not just postponing the moment when he will be judged … that he is worried what that judgement will reveal.”

“Rodgers then went to the other extreme in criticizing the young players, but if a manager must sometimes look ridiculous to protect his players, it is not a good idea for a manager to make his players look ridiculous to protect himself.”

“When he said they were soft and needed to understand the demands of playing for Liverpool, he was getting closer to the truth. Everything he said about those players could as easily be said of him.”

Those words and statements are certainly bold ones, but it is hard for anyone to deny that there is at least, a little bit of truth in it.

There is no doubt that Brendan Rodgers is a good man-manager though. New deals for many players like Andre Wisdom, Luis Suarez, Suso Fernandez and Raheem Sterling would tell you just as much. Even with his recent criticism of his players, there is no doubt that he is a figure that everybody loves, not necessarily on footballing terms, but rather, on a personal level.

In short, there are pros and cons to every manager, and Brendan Rodgers is no different. He does bring a lot of positive energy to the club, not restricted to only the four walls of Melwood, but going beyond to the fans who see him at Anfield game in, game out, to the players on the pitch and on the bench, as well as fans who merely see him on a screen.

However, is it fair for fans to put him on a pedestal, even going as far as to chant “There is only one Brendan Rodgers”, that basing off of only 7 months in charge of the club? My answer, is no. If Rodgers is safeguarded by his time at the club being only of a short period, then it is only fair that he is humbled, and not worshipped within that same period of time as well. If the argument is that he has only been in charge for a few months, then it should go both ways.

Regardless of which camp you are, be it pro-Rodgers or anti-Rodgers, there is one thing that’s a given – Brendan Rodgers seems to be here at Liverpool for the long-term. The task given to him in this first season is definitely a mountain of a challenge considering the condition of the clubs prior to his appointment. He is one of the youngest managers to have ever managed the Red club of Merseyside at only 40 years old, and it is no doubt that the club, rich in youth players, will be looking to develop under Brendan Rodgers while he himself develops at the same time.

As long as Liverpool FC do well on and off the pitch, in terms of football on the pitch or the financial side of the club off the pitch, it really doesn’t matter who is in-charge, whether it is Brendan Rodgers, or not. For now, he is the man in-charge. Will it be the same 3, 4, maybe 5 years from now? Even I don’t know. However, while he is in-charge, I wish nothing but the best out of him for the benefits of the club and the fans who support it.

The performances of the team have been getting more and more convincing under Brendan Rodgers. However, we should all not judge a book by its cover, be it positive or negative judgement.

The best time to evaluate how good Brendan Rodgers has been at Liverpool? At the end of the season.

Players and their Form
Nothing is a better indication on improvement than performances on the pitch. What the players do and don’t do is split to two portions, a portion of 80% and another of 20%.

20% of performances comes from line-ups, personnel and tactics which come from Brendan himself, but 80% of performances boils down to the player himself – how he operates as an individual and how he fits into the team to create a unit. It is also impacted by the confidence and the abilities that one possesses, but at the same time, you judge players based on what they do with the ball, and what they do without it.

Of recent times, I personally believe that we are playing outstandingly, probably playing some of the best football we’ve seen ever since the season in which we finished runners-up in the league, barring a small handful of poor performances.

The recent upheaval in terms of form by a number of players has definitely played a big part in this.

At first there were three, and then there were two. The three high-profile signings of Kenny Dalglish’s second term at the club has definitely got to be Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing. Early this season, Andy Carroll was sent out on loan to West Ham for the season and recent reports state that he is most likely staying there after the end of the season. That leaves the club with two more – Henderson and Downing, both who were subject to heavy criticism.

However, both players are now playing their natural game after being freed of the imaginary chains that linked them to Big Andy. Instead of having to put in cross after cross after cross to Andy, they can now play a much more diverse game.

Stewart Downing is showing more than mere glimpses of his old Middlesbrough self which landed him starting spots in the England national team. Parallel to that, Jordan Henderson is now a staple in the Liverpool midfield after ousting out two of Brendan’s early-favourites, Joe Allen and Jonjo Shelvey. The two players are playing exceptional football at the moment, and have made their respective positions their own.

Let’s not forget that England’s Player of the Year – Steven Gerrard. A rough start to this season is now followed by a surge of brilliant, near-flawless form. His passing is as crisp as ever, his work rate is phenomenal and his two goals against Norwich and Manchester City is simply the icing on the cake on that silver platter which is all too familiar with what he’s treated us with in the past.

Speaking of Gerrard, his vice-captain, Jamie Carragher has also managed to brush off criticisms which arise due to his age and reclaim a starting spot in the team after great performances against Arsenal and Manchester City. While he lacks the ability to catch up with quicker oppositions, the experience he has from decades of playing definitely shows through his defensive positioning. He has put in a number of vital blocks this season and his contribution to the team is nothing short of incredible. He truly is the defensive stalwart we all know and love.

Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez are both simply outstanding and their chemistry as well as their mutual understanding is something only teams can dream of. This partnership, if prolonged, can definitely match attacking pairs of the modern day, such as Gerrard-Torres, Dzeko-Grafite and Mandukic-Muller.

While we have plenty of offensive options, we don’t have much to differ from at the back. Last season, we had defended better overall but had trouble scoring goals. This season, it seems to be the other way round – we can score at will, but also concede at will as well.

There are a fair few players who aren’t playing to their maximum potential – Joe Allen comes to mind. His early displays for the club had been great but his form hasn’t maintained since then. Lucas Leiva hasn’t been doing extraordinarily as well, but his performances aren’t bad. Fabio Borini still isn’t back to his 100% while Raheem Sterling and Suso failed to build on their early displays for the club this season.

Don’t be deceived, however. Many of our players that are currently starting or are on the bench are of young ages. People tend to underrate players like Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen, but forget that they are merely 22 years old only. Fabio Borini is only 21, Daniel Sturridge is just slightly older by 2 extra years, while new signing Philippe Coutinho and many familiar names like Suso, Andre Wisdom and Raheem Sterling are all below the age of 21.

Going further in-depth, we haven’t even truly seen the likes of Jordan Ibe, Jerome Sinclair, Samed Yesil, Marc Pelosi, Krisztián Adorján and João Carlos Teixeira in first team action yet. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, I might add. If anything, they are on course for a great career ahead if they develop with the right mentality.

Apart from our oh-so-dodgy defending, there is little to no negatives about our performances lately. The passes are executed very well, the team’s shape and form are organized well, the individual abilities are able to link together and form a great unit. This is definitely heading towards playing the “Liverpool way”, although we are still far from it.

In terms of squad personnel, the only thing we lack is strong leadership and a vocal figure in the squad barring Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. Going back to that Oldham Athletic game (Again? Yeah, again), we saw Sebastian Coates partner Martin Skrtel in the center of our defence, and all goals scored are what Brendan Rodgers claim to be “soft” goals, which is true.

However, we should not lose hope. We have a great squad now than we have had for the past two years. The foundation and base that we have now is one to look forward to in the future. Our team is rich in youth who have massive potential to be great players in 2 to 3 years time and they are hungrier than ever before. With figures like Steven Gerrard to guide them, it is inevitable that at least half of the younger players we have now will pay dividends.

If we can acquire players who not only provide that extra depth, but also quality to the squad at the end of the season, we are well on our way to have one on the best squads in the league (and possibly, Europe). With consistency, the squad will certainly have a significant improvement on the pitch. All of this, I hope, will come with time.

Conclusion?
We have ambitious owners, we have a young manager who I assume will be here for the long-term, great players like Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, as well as soon-to-be great players in our youth academy.

This is the best shape Liverpool has been in for years, and while we had to accept a few mediocre results so far, the rebuilding stages look to be coming to a close soon. The owners have made the necessary steps to fix their past mistakes and we should expect some big signings in the coming summer.

If Brendan Rodgers and the players can build from the positives, learn from their mistakes and maintain consistency, we can surely expect a high finish. Not forgetting that while being out of the domestic cups has its downsides, it leaves us with a less congested schedule and we can still target for a lengthy run in the Europa League.

Nevertheless, we should all still reserve our judgements for Brendan Rodgers and the players until at least the end of the season. We all have to be patient and let the results flow.

Pairing the owners’ actions this season with a higher finish in the league plus a good cup run in the Europa League makes it more realistic for us to sign top players come summer.

If anything, we have already planted all the seeds we need, and will continue planting them for seasons to come. All that’s left now is to just be patient and reap the rewards that will sprout in the future.

With all these factors taking place, I have zero doubt that the club is moving nowhere but forward, granted, at a slower pace than what we are used to from the past. The next 5 years is going to be great to watch.

Will Liverpool be a deadly force in English and European football again? Yes, undoubtedly. It’s just a matter of how long it’ll take. Never have doubt in the club that is now, or has always been, a part of our life. In fact, the phrase “In Brendan (Rodgers) We Trust” is something I cannot agree with, because that trust should extend much deeper and much further than it is now. In Rodgers We Trust? No.

In Liverpool, We Trust. Forever and always. Liverpool is slowly moving forward. Believe in that, and You’ll Never Walk Alone.

Let’s Talk: Liverpool’s Issues

A quick note before I commence to write (and you, the readers, commence to read) the article. All views are my own, and whether the club is performing up to expectations or whether they’re underperformance really differs from fan to fan. Do not take any statements to heart, but try to read and approach each part of the article with an open mind. Thank you, and enjoy.

If anything, Liverpool FC has been going through a stage of major transition for the past season or two, not only financially, managerially and in terms of personnel, but the appointment of Brendan Rodgers in the summer also signalled a change in the club’s play style.

Brendan Rodgers is “known” for his passing style during his time at Swansea, where his club a season ago, did very decently considering they were newly-promoted. He labelled his style of play as “tiki-taka”-like, as seen by some of the most successful teams in the world, ie. FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team.

The first half of the season consisted of games marred with defeats to Arsenal, West Brom, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Arsenal. The only highlight games were a 5-2 win against Norwich, coming from behind to win 3-2 against West Ham and measly draws against the Blues of Chelsea and Everton.

Surely this is no coincidence, considering 5 wins and 5 losses isn’t too normal, while 7 draws are just way too many points dropped. We have the back four healthy for most parts of the season, Steven Gerrard and recently Lucas is back healthy, Luis Suarez is on the form of his life, while young players like Jonjo Shelvey, Jordan Henderson, Suso, Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom are all involved in games and playing alright.

So this begs the question – What’s going wrong? In my opinion, the approach to games are slightly.. “off”, for a lack of a better term.

Top Priority: Retaining Possession?
Now Rodgers has a saying (paraphrased, of course) that if you keep the ball away from the opposition as much as possible, they will have less chances of scoring. In a nutshell, higher possession should equal to less goals conceded.

Now on paper that makes a lot of sense, but the reality of it is far, far off.

Let’s take the Aston Villa game for example. We were dominating possession for most of the game, but still lost 3-1. And why? The answer’s simple: They made full use of their chances.

As far as I know, I don’t remember Villa having a proper chance at goal, and when they did, Benteke made full use of it. Their next “real” goal-scoring chance fell to Andres Weimann, and he doubled the lead. Meanwhile, the Liverpool side continued to squander chance after chance after chance.

I do agree that possession is a big factor that can influence who wins a game and who loses, but something more important than actually retaining possession itself, is to make those chances count – something that Liverpool has been struggling with since the time Steven Gerrard went out injured and Fernando Torres had a dip in form. Oh, and that was years ago.

By narrowing down the focus of the team to retain possession, this leads to the next subject for discussion.

Why doesn’t anyone SHOOT?
That’s the main difference between the passing game that Liverpool plays and the one that Barcelona plays. Retaining possession doesn’t equal to goals. Shooting equal to higher chances of goals. With the lot of Lionel Messi, David Villa, Andres Iniesta and Xavi to name a few, they know when to hold the ball, when to pass it on, and when to shoot..

..but that’s not the case with the Liverpool squad. From my personal observation, most players seem to have that intention to dribble past the whole opposing defence before even willing to take a shot. If you see many chances by the club, many shots are taken after the player is closed down, hence the shot gets blocked more often than not.

It isn’t a question of whether we have the right personnel to take a shot, but rather would they take the shot with a risk of losing possession? We have the almighty Steven Gerrard that seems ever so hesitant to shoot, same goes for Jonjo Shelvey who has a powerful right foot himself. Let’s not forget Luis Suarez and Glen Johnson, as well as the left-footers in Daniel Agger, Jose Enrique and Stewart Downing, just to name a few.

It becomes quite obvious that we definitely have the players that can take a shot from reasonable distances. However, it is just whether they are willing to compromise the focal point of the team (which is to retain possession) by taking a shot.

Vulnerability to Counter-Attacks
By playing the possession game as stated above, it is simple that by slowly building the momentum forward, the rest of the players would also slowly move up the pitch. This is also why Jose Enrique, Glen Johnson, and even Stewart Downing gain benefits by playing at full-back spots, as they are generally allowed to play a more offensive role when the team is on the offence.

However, that leaves the back very vulnerable to counter-attacks. In a passing-oriented style of play that Brendan Rodgers employs game in, game out, one has to take into consideration the vulnerability of the team when it comes to counters. Both Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva aren’t the fastest of players, while the full-backs who double-up as wing-backs can tend to be stuck up front, leaving just 2 or 3 players back to take on opposing players.

Liverpool doesn’t have good defence when it comes to defending in transitions. That’s a fact, and a sad one at that. We are dearly missing Javier Mascherano, a former defensive midfielder of the club, who sits right in the middle of the field when attacking, but is always able to run and chase down opposing players on the break.

By now, I’m sure you want some proof. Again, let’s revert back to that Aston Villa game. When Joe Cole gave away the ball in our own half, Christian Benteke made full use of it and ran towards goal. During that, Martin Skrtel postured himself in a way that opens up the middle of the box for Benteke to run into, while Joe Allen was just clearly outmuscled by the young Belgian striker, allowing him to take a shot on goal and ultimately, scoring it.

Now after a long read that highlights the main issues (in my opinion) with the club and the “struggles” on the field, what are my ideal ways to improve on them?

Tweak the philosophy.. slightly.
I’ll start of with an example of what’s going on at Swansea right now. Michael Laudrup got appointed as their manager, and while only 2 key players of Rodgers’ era has left the club (Joe Allen and Gylfi Sigurdsson), Laudrup decided to maintain part of Rodgers’ play style and philosophy while tweaking it with his own preferred style.

The Swansea we see now is a near-perfect blend of a passing style of play as seen under Rodgers’ era, as well as smart counter-attacks and having a blend of ‘pass masters’ and attacking masterminds. The purchase of Michu and Pablo Hernandez along with the loan of Jonathan De Guzman brings attacking personnel to fit players like Wayne Routledge, Leon Britton, Danny Graham and Nathan Dyer that excelled in Brendan’s philosophy.

Maybe that’s what we need at Liverpool as well. We may just need that slight tweak in tactics, formation and player roles in order to do better. We have the likes of Lucas, Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson who are all capable of retaining possession. At the same time, we have Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard, Jonjo Shelvey, Glen Johnson and Raheem Sterling (to name a few) that contributes to attacks.

Maybe Brendan Rodgers needs to let go of the strictness and reduce the focus of the team to retain possession, and implement a more attacking mindset to the team in order to improve. Maybe he should get the team to let go of possession, but at the same time work on defending effectively and consistently, while catching oppositions on the break.

I’m not a coach myself, so I wouldn’t know as to what extent changes should be made, but ideally, I believe a blend is needed. The passing game is one that is beautiful to watch, as seen with the title-winning Arsenal side, the magicians of the Spanish national team that won 3 major tournaments in a row as well as the Barcelona side under Pep Guardiola, but focusing on it solely and exclusively can hinder performances of the team.

Buy wisely, transfer smartly.
Nothing improves teams faster than transfers, no doubt. If one had the money, changing a division four side to a Barcelona or a Real Madrid side using money to purchase players of said clubs would instantly improve the team.. but that’s just metaphorically speaking, of course.

While the squad is rather solid, we are missing quite a bit of experienced players to fill up the numbers and at the same time, we have a lot of dead wood that would be more useful if converted to cash.

With Jose Enrique finding his most useful place in the team at the left wing instead of being a left full-back, it becomes clear that we need to get a left-back for that area, while a more experienced centre-half than Coates would prove useful. A new goalkeeper that is ready and is willing to develop would be very much welcomed. With the team lacking goals and clear-cut chances up front, a striker and a creative forward/midfielder would be essential.

Now that seems all fine and dandy on paper, because who wouldn’t want to see an inflow of players to the club? Realistically though, money is the main problem. Therefore, what Liverpool, FSG, Brendan Rodgers and the scouts need to do is get players who have high ‘value for money’.

What that means is that no more overpaying for players, no more paying extra for players regardless of their credentials and reputation. With limited funds brings smart buys. We need players that can perform regardless of their price tags.

For example, anyone remember Roque Santa Cruz? Yes, that Paraguayan player that played for Blackburn previously? Low transfer fee, high returns. Anyone else remember a certain Robert Green that now plays second-fiddle to Julio Cesar at QPR? He was magnificent at West Ham, although the club paid little for him. No? You don’t remember any of the two? Alright then. Michu – that’s all I need to say.

That’s what we need. Buy players early, but quietly. Buy players of quality, not of prices and world recognition. Buy smartly, spend moderately, bring in quality, improve significantly.

Patience, but the clock is ticking.
I’ve said in a previous article that patience is what the club, the owners, the manager, the players and especially what the fans need. We have barely reached halfway through a season and many are already calling for Rodgers’ head. Is that indeed what we need? Is sacking a manager the right way to approach it? Yes, but not when it’s only been almost half a year.

If we are to truly achieve consistency on matters off and on the pitch, we need to give the personnel of the team a reasonable amount of time before letting them go. This applies to both players and managers.

For example, before the season truly started, many were hoping for the departure or Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing, just to name a few. However, given a bit of time, many of them has proven they may just step their game up.

Jordan Henderson has established to become one of the few vital players of recent weeks, very often coming on as a substitute and strengthening the team, even stabilising the team and making them a better attacking unit going forward. Stewart Downing has also improved immensely from his miserable first season under Kenny Dalglish. His game against Aston Villa highlighted what he can or may bring to the club in the near future after being arguably one of the standout performers in said game.

Same goes with Brendan Rodgers. I personally am starting to think that if performances don’t improve, he won’t have a long-lived managerial career at Liverpool. However, I won’t be so quick to judge him. In fact, I give him until at least the end of the season before fully evaluating what he has done throughout the season.

While patience is very much needed, we also have to be reasonable with the amount of time to be given. If the performance of the team or if performances of players don’t improve, then we need to evaluate and reconsider if certain personnel are worth keeping or not. For example, if the team fails to perform well on a consistent basis, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brendan gets the axe.

All in all, we would all need to be patient because we can’t expect great results week in, week out, but at the same time, we can’t sit around and watch the team crumble each and every game while waiting blindly for improvement.

As always, I kindly ask for feedback, input, suggestions and your own personal thoughts on the matter. My target with these articles is definitely not to close out certain matters, but instead to spark debate an encourage interaction among fans.

Thank you very much for reading this article. It’s one that I’m particularly proud of, as a lot of time was put into it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thanks once again. Have hope in your heart everyone, and You’ll Never Walk Alone.

My Ideal Transfers for Liverpool FC

As I’m writing this, it is the 12th of December, and the much awaited, much needed January transfer market for Liverpool is just within reach.

After the sales of the likes of Charlie Adam to Stoke, Nathan Eccleston to Blackpool, as well as loan deals for Andy Carroll to the recently-beaten West Ham and Jay Spearing to newly-relegated Bolton, the Liverpool squad is immensely thin. These are just a few players whom have left, of course.

While there are a handful of players who left the club, a few were brought in as well. Fabio Borini and Joe Allen, two players that Brendan Rodgers is familiar with, have been brought in for a reported combined fee of £25 million. A while later, a £3million transfer of Oussama Assaidi happened underneath everyone’s noses, being a transfer that came out of absolutely nowhere. Nuri Sahin was also brought in on loan.

Not even halfway through the interval between the windows, Fabio Borini suffered a foot injury during his time with his national squad while Lucas Leiva suffered an injury of his own. Due to this, the squad is immensely thin, forcing the use of youngsters within the youth squad.

While Lucas is back, the absence of Borini has seen Downing, Suso and even Enrique played more in offensive positions. Recently, when Luis Suarez was serving a one-game suspension against West Ham, even Jonjo Shelvey was deployed further up the pitch, signalling just how limited our options are up front.

This begs the question – what type of players should Liverpool target in this coming January transfer window? Here are my ideal options.

1. A Versatile Forward
By “versatile forward”, I mean someone that can play anywhere across the front three. Thus far, we’ve been using a few make-shift wingers in Suso or Enrique, although both have excelled in that role. However, Suso is more of a super-sub-like of player, often playing better when brought on, while Enrique can do alright as a wingback for Liverpool.

Stewart Downing has been at most, decent in forward roles, occasionally putting in a good cross, although his performances are still way far from those of his days at Middlesbrough or Aston Villa. His recent performance against West Ham was very mediocre at right wing, although he did play shockingly well at left-back after Enrique’s injury forced Brendan Rodgers to make a change in tactics.

On the other hand, two regulars – Suarez and Sterling, have both managed to retain their forward spots in the first team, although Sterling has been struggling when playing through the middle in a few games. Fabio Borini is absent through injury, and the lack of playtime for Oussama Assaidi is widely questioned and wondered by fans.

This obviously calls for a versatile forward to be brought in, someone comfortable of running the flanks as well as take responsibilities as a centre forward if ever called upon. We had that in Dirk Kuyt, Maxi Rodriguez and Craig Bellamy last season, but unfortunately, all three veterans to the game have left the club.

My Choice? Theo Walcott.
I remember watching Theo for the first time in an England game, when my dad said that he’s been watching Walcott for a rather long time and would be a good centre-forward. He’s been incredible at counter-attacks with his blistering pace, and can also put in a decent cross every now and then. His ability to finish the ball and put it where it belongs is one of the few players that Liverpool needs.

Recent contractual breakdowns signals an opportunity for Liverpool to pick him up and offer him his centre-forward spot he so desperately craves. A reported valuation of £12million seems reasonable.

2. A Target-Man
“But we have Andy Carroll…”

Andy Carroll is just tall and big, but that’s not everything when it comes to a target man, at least not in my books.

A target man has to be strong, balanced and able to hold the ball confidently up front. He has to be able to make short-distance dribbles and runs (off and on the ball), as well as able to take one-touch shots. Finally, he also has to be good with his head, heading the ball with purpose.

Thus far, I’ve not seen Andy being able to do that. He is rather clumsy at times, almost always falling and tumbling throughout a game. His headers are sub-par. While having scored some goals, his heading still hasn’t convinced me. Often times when long balls are played to him, he does win the aerial battle, but does not direct the ball where he wants it to be. Again, stats are mere numbers, so I don’t judge Andy Carroll’s heading abilities by the number of aerial duels he’s won, but rather where the ball ends up at and whether it was intentional or not. He’s a good player to some extent, but a Liverpool-worthy player? Maybe not.

After draws with Stoke, Everton and just barely beating West Ham, it’s clear that we need a physical presence upfront to hold off teams with stronger defenders.

My Choice? Anyone.
No, seriously, I’ve no names to throw on here because most above-average target men aren’t realistic targets (Falcao, Llorente, etc.). There are calls for Edin Dzeko, but that is highly unlikely as well considering his wages.

It’s in situations like these when the scouts of the club are key. They have to find talented, high-potential players that are able to play this style of a striker that can be transferred at an affordable price.

For example, Aston Villa bought Christian Benteke – a strong, young, talented and most importantly, affordable player. Liverpool should be looking to do the same.

3. A Creative Midfielder
One thing about a passing team is just how painfully direct the game can be at times. We have Steven Gerrard playing the defence-splitting pass every now and then, Suso has his clever moves on the ball while Suarez and his nutmegs speaks for themselves… But that’s pretty much it.

Direct and straightforward passes can become way too predictable and it makes it very easy for opposition to defend a team like Liverpool. In the past, we had Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera, whom are both more than capable to bring creativity to the team whenever needed, and we seem to be lacking that at the moment, considering Joe Cole hasn’t been replicating his trickery from his days at Chelsea.

My Choice? Christien Eriksen.
Hey, if we can spend £35 million on Andy Carroll and £15 million on Joe Allen, why can’t we spend on Eriksen? Brilliant talent at just 20 years of age. Attacking minded, can dribble, score, make the pass. Already a Danish international and a key player at Ajax. Realistic? Not too bad actually. Not high in chance, but still realistic to a certain extent.

4. A Versatile Defender
If there’s one thing that looks very good on paper, but not in the score lines of our games, it’s the defence. A back four consisting of Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Jose Enrique can be deemed to be a solid one. But the overall performances can be inconsistent at times.

While we have Sebastien Coates, Andre Wisdom, Martin Kelly and Jack Robinson waiting to be the next defensive line for Liverpool, I personally think it would hurt to add just a bit more experience into the team.

With Carragher ageing and slowly being phased out of the team, a replacement is much welcomed. Adding on to that, Jose Enrique seems to be like one of those left-backs that are actually much better in a more attacking role, such as Fabio Coentrao and Marcelo of Real Madrid or Michel Bastos of Lyon.

My Choice? Toby Alderweireld.
Belgian defender who is still young, playing for Ajax, which speaks for itself. We’ve seen how good Tottenham’s Belgian signing from Ajax is, maybe Liverpool should give it a go. Able to play at left-back as well, he would provide necessary cover for both centre-back and left-back spots. He’s playing rather well and his peak might just be approaching.

The Spurs are also lurking around for him, and he would be an affordable buy for Liverpool.

5. A “Young” Goalkeeper
As many athletic saves as Reina has done throughout his Liverpool career, we can all agree that he’s not getting any younger. Prior to his injury this season, he has been mediocre at best. His highlights were the (very lucky) penalty save against West Brom and his quick reaction save against a point blank header in a Europa League tie with Udinese at Anfield.

On the downside, he has let in and made quite a number of mistakes as well, including a very poorly attempted save against Cazorla’s efforts that nabbed him a goal for Arsenal, a half-hearted attempt against a Van Persie penalty, and conceding easy goals against Norwich.

All in all, it’s been an up-and-down season for Reina, although he has been quite good after recovering from his injury. Nevertheless, he’s approaching the 30-mark, while our second and third choice keepers (Brad Jones, Doni) are veterans to the game. The closest player to the first team is Peter Gulacsi, who isn’t really convincing thus far, and that is why I think we should start looking for continuity NOW.

My Choice? Again, anyone!
When it comes to getting goalkeepers, everyone is a possible target. No one would expect Hugo Lloris to leave his home-nation as well as one of the top clubs in the world, but he did.

As long as a particular goalkeeper is affordable, young (aged 24/25 and below, in my books) and willing to learn from the veteran keepers of the club, he could possibly be a target.

Yet again, these are MY personal opinions on who Liverpool should target for in the January transfer window. It is NOT the absolute best solution for Liverpool, and my ideal targets aren’t limited to the players listed above, because I wouldn’t be analysing every single possible target for Liverpool. There are many other names (like Daniel Sturridge, Thomas Ince, and so on so forth), but I can’t possibly be listing every single one of them.

We all know that the media and rumours spreading around can go haywire at times like these, and everyone has their own views on who can be brought in to improve the club. Therefore, this article isn’t meant to close out debates, but rather to spark more debates and discussion. Regardless, as always, we’ll just have to wait and see.

As always, walk on with hope in your heart, and You’ll Never Walk Alone.

Stats Are Mere NUMBERS

SUBSTANCE OVER FORM THEORY

Personally, I have never been particularly fond with game stats, be it possession, shots, saves, passing percentages and all that jazz. While many sites and Twitter accounts are purely dedicated to stats, I’ve never been really too into stats.

…..but why?

To put it simply, it’s because while it does allow certain conclusions to be drawn, it doesn’t reflect the true nature of particular aspects of the game. By that, I mean that stats speak, but not on the game in its entirety and definitely not on its specifics.

I’m an accounting student myself, taking up a professional certificate course. In accounting and auditing, we learn something called “substance over form”. It’s internationally-recognised definition is “an accounting concept where the entity is accounting for items according to their substance and economic reality and not merely their legal form. What it means in lay-man terms is basically to disclose information based on what is happening in reality rather than what is seen on paper.

Now how does this relate to football? Really simple. A team can just keep playing safe, short-distance passes around their own half. While getting high percentages in possession. By looking at that particular game’s stats, you’d think that they were “dominating” and “taking the game to the opposition” when in fact, they aren’t.

Since I’m a Liverpool fan, I’ll continue examples with the use of Liverpool players to demonstrate. Keep in mind, it’s all about looking at the reality of it rather than pure numbers.

Joe Allen is a good example, bought by Liverpool for a fee of around £15 million, is very known for having one of the highest pass completion percentages in the league (surpassing 90% if I’m not wrong). To be frank, I’ve never really seen much of Joe before he was linked with Liverpool, and of course by looking at those stats, one would want him at any club.

After watching a few games of Joe’s during the 2012 Summer Olympics as well as his performances in Liverpool, it becomes clear to me why he has such a high percentage of passing completion. Majority of his passes were either to the back, or parallel passes, and on top of that, most are relatively passes of short distances.

Now of course I’m not going to throw numbers for you to read, but it’s clear why Joe Allen can achieve that feat, and it’s simply because most of his passes are easily executed. That is an example of “substance over form”. On paper, his 90+% passing rate is phenomenal, but watch his game in its entirety, and the reality speaks for itself.

Speaking of passing, Steven Gerrard, the club’s Captain Fantastic, has been a man often slated for his less-than-normal displays, while many question his passing accuracy, often times losing possession by executing his passes.

But again, substance over form. Take a step back and think about what kinds of passes he makes – diagonal balls to open play, over-the-top through balls, defence-splitting through balls on the ground, and so on. Now compare these passes with short passes, which levies a higher risk of losing the ball, but at the same time, which carries a higher potential of being a rewarding pass? I’m sure the answer speaks for itself.

Another example would be Andy Carroll. While many praise him for his aerial capabilities, winning headers more than losing them, does anyone actually see where the ball ends up AFTER it gets contact with his head? There are times when he does direct the ball towards goal or towards the feet of teammates, but there are definitely more times when he has headed the ball and end up clueless as to where the ball actually is.

There are times when stats can be the same as the game in reality, for example Arsenal’s passing percentages reflecting their fluid, free-form style of play, or a high number or aerial duels won by a Stoke team focusing on long-ball tactics and having target men upfront. But how often do these happen?

This theory and application of substance over form can apply to basically any team and any player. Luis Suarez may have had 10 goals this season, but how many shot attempts has he actually taken? Wayne Rooney, one of the league’s most consistent scorers in recent years – how many goals from penalties contributed to his tally? Possession stats, how much time was actually used up by passing the ball around the back four?

Compare two strikers with 20 goals each – one with dazzling displays of dribbling before scoring , and another just scoring open goal tap-ins. Who would be a better player disregarding the amount of goals as both are equal in that department?

It’s hard to make out a game by looking at stats alone, because they are just for reference and comparison, but never truly reflect the game and the performance as a whole. Now, I’m not saying stats are “rubbish”, or should be ignored, or “useless”. All I’m saying is, stats are mere numbers, good for reference, good for getting a rough idea of any game, but more often than not, actually observing a player has more credibility.

I’m not here to slate any players, or to upset any fans. I’m just here, writing this article because I feel that there is an overdependence on stats to reflect how good or bad a player is or isn’t. There are times when stats reflect pretty accurately to a player/team’s performance in reality, but there are also times when it doesn’t.

Again, I cannot emphasise this enough. This article isn’t to slate, bash, criticise or insult anyone, be it players, or the fans and it is one that is sure to stir up controversy, debate, agreement and disagreement. However, the contents that you have read above is purely the views and opinion of my own, so feel free to have yours. This isn’t an article to draw final conclusions, but rather to work up the mind and to allow everyone to have a conclusion of their own.

So, do pure stats affect your judgement, or do you look at the performance as a whole? Do you agree with the substance over form theory, or do you disagree? That, I leave it to you.

Let’s Talk: 5 Points on 0-0 with Swansea

1. Downing CAN play left-back, but doesn’t mean he should.
I’m gonna say it now – We should keep Downing just for the fact that he can be our utility player, like how Khalid Boularouz was in Chelsea under Jose Mourinho. Downing can play on either wing, on either side of the midfield, and at left-back. That’s a lot of positions covered by just one player.

However, just because he can play at left-back, doesn’t mean he should always be there. Many people slate Downing for his performance against Swansea yesterday, and it’s a fair one at that. However, where was Jose Enrique? If Downing were to be at the wing, he would track back to defend, but why didn’t Enrique do so? (And especially since Jose didn’t have a great performance in the second half).

The performance by Downing at left-back was bad yesterday, despite him playing fairly decent so far when called upon to be a full/wing-back. I’d rather have him upfront and attempt to run the left flank with the chance of a decent ball crossed into the box.

2. Average Joe’s?
Well, Joe Allen was average, but Joe Cole wasn’t even close.

You’ve got to admit, Joe Allen hasn’t had a good game for a while now. His “spectacular” passing accuracy have shown to be due to playing relatively safe passes in midfield. Yesterday, he played aggressively average in my opinion. Giving up the ball too easily, making a few clumsy tackles, and not really building momentum to push the team forward. He’s still somewhat young, and I have nothing but hopes on him that he’ll progress and develop to be an amazing deep-midfield playmaker for Liverpool in the future.

While Joe Cole assisted in a goal and even got himself a goal of his own against Young Boys in midweek, I honestly think he didn’t play well in that game. It was lucky, and a matter of “right place, right time” for him. His introduction ahead of Suso was a puzzling one at that. Did anyone notice him on the pitch last night when he came on? Because I sure didn’t. That says it all about his performance.

3. Shelvey and Henderson are ones’ for the future.
The England Under-21 teammates (well, until recently) are a solid base to build Liverpool for the future. These two midfielders are of different natures and play styles, but hopefully they gel to be a solid midfield partnership.

Jonjo Shelvey has been dubbed “the next Steven Gerrard”, while Jordan Henderson is already the England Under-21 captain. Shelvey is a more attacking-minded midfielder, always going forward with the mentality to score and create chances, while Henderson is a very underrated player, having abilities to move the ball across midfield and into attack.

Yesterday, Henderson had a fairly quiet game, but his performance was sound. Always hustling for the ball and pressuring the oppositions is what a midfielder has to do. The midfield is the first layer of defence before the back four, and Henderson is excelling very well in that role. Jonjo Shelvey came on as a substitute later on, and his ferocious shot on goal in the dying minutes of the game was denied by an on-form Tremmel who was up to the challenge.

A combination of the both at their peak seems to be similar to a midfield combo of Gerrard and Alonso that was greatly enjoyed by Liverpool fans. While both have their ups and downs so far in their Liverpool careers, constant determination and training will get them far for sure.

4. Speaking of Gerrard…
He hasn’t been the same Steven Gerrard we know and love. I know that. I also know that he tends to give the ball away too easily and a bit too casually. But I also know that the team won’t be nearly as good without him, and let me tell you why from my perspective.

His passes are just phenomenal. His defence-splitting passes takes a whole lot of vision, skill, technique and courage to do. While he doesn’t have the highest passing rate, you need to look at his type of pass attempts. Joe Allen may have a better pass rate, but what are his types of passes? Mostly square passes, some back passes, all relatively short and safe. Gerrard plays passes that bring the team forward as a whole, opening play when needed and creating chances.

He played an excellent through ball to set Sterling free on the right flank and yet another chance was created. Just at half time itself, Gerrard had 4 chances created, closest to him had only 1.

Imagine a midfield of Henderson-Allen-Sahin/Shelvey. The game in the middle of the park would be so direct and only a few times would chance-creating passes be made. While short passing retains possession, you need risky-but-rewarding passes to actually be on the offensive end of things.

I’m saying this now, pass rates, possession, they are MERE numbers. Instead of looking at figures, why not watch the game in its true form and judge from there? That’s why, Gerrard is irreplaceable, at least for now.

5. Patience (and a while lot of it) is needed.
January cannot come soon enough? True and untrue. A change of tactics, formations, players can all change the way we play now. On the other hand, a top striker would certainly be welcomed, as well as a creative player to bring that spark into the squad.

We as fans need to be patient, but be realistic and accept when the team doesn’t play well, just like yesterday. Do I think that Liverpool deserved a win against Swansea? Honestly, no. A point is more than deserving based on the performance. We were very, hesitant (for a lack of a better term) up front in the final third. We were shaky at the back, with Swansea almost breaking the deadlock multiple times.

Sometimes, the scoreline doesn’t mean anything because judging the performance is what gets us going forward and improving at the squad. Did the scoreline reflect our performance against Swansea? Yes, quite accurate too I might add.

Pointing out negatives shows where the team can and should improve on, and isn’t that what every fan wants? Be realistic in judgement, and that’s what makes statements and opinions as accurate as it can be.

As always, have hope in your heart, and You’ll Never Walk Alone.

Liverpool-Chelsea Analysis

To continue on with the articles so far, here is my in-depth analysis of the Liverpool and Chelsea game just a few days ago! The descriptions and player analysis are written in no particular order, but anyway, I hope you enjoy the read regardless and lets get started!

Pre-Match Analysis
With news that Martin Skrtel will be out from the Chelsea tie due to a flu, many Liverpool fans immediately casted doubt on how good the team will play against the European Champions.

Better news came along when Pepe Reina was reported to be fit to play after being sidelined for roughy a month now, but unfortunately failed a last minute fitness test. Needless to say, Brad Jones continued his presence in between the sticks, something he’s been doing relatively well so far.

With the rest of the team fit, including Glen Johnson returning to the side, Brendan Rodgers opted to stick with a hybrid 3-5-2, 5-3-2 type of formation, just as he did in midweek. A back three of Jamie Carragher in the middle between Andre Wisdom and Daniel was the foundation of the defence, while Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique played as wing-backs on the right and left flank respectively.

The midfield trio of Allen, Sahin and Gerrard remained, while Sterling and Suarez partnered as forwards up front. Suso was on the bench, just as he did against in their Europa League loss in Russia.

For Chelsea, no changes were made except for the back four, where Ivanovic partnered John Terry, who has just returned from a four-match ban following his infamous incident with Anton Ferdinand. An injury to Ashley Cole meant that Ryan Bertrand started at left-back for Chelsea.

Match Analysis
FIRST HALF
In the early stages of the game, it was basically Liverpool having possession without any plays or attempts on goal while Chelsea made full use of any possession they get.

Fernando Torres, the man that some love to hate, and some hate to love, wasn’t having the best runs of form of recent weeks. But nonetheless, his ability to lead counter attacks were a threat to the Liverpool early on after being given a whole lot of space to work with. He also had one of his attempts on goal saved by an arguably on-form Brad Jones.

Wisdom has been a player that’s going down in terms of form and performance. His inexperience really could’ve costed Liverpool to go 2-0 down before the half when he tried to play ball back to Brad Jones, but he did it very sloppily and failed. He was really lucky that Chelsea didn’t capitalise on that rookie mistake. In recent games, Andre Wisdom has been arguably bad ever since his bad displays in the Everton game, and his inexperience is unfortunately creeping up.

Steven Gerrard, on the other hand, continued his decent run of form from the Newcastle game a week ago, and his lobbed-pass from the midfield to Glen Johnson making a run on the right in the 11th minute was comparable to that of David Silva’s to Edin Dzeko just an hour before this game. There was also a moment of composure and experience when Gerrard managed to play the ball out to Joe Allen despite having players crowding him and the ball in the 28th minute.

Speaking of Joe Allen, he’s had one of his worst games so far this season. Early on, he was easily caught in possession by Oscar. Later on, after having a good ball played to him after great building up from the left, he could’ve taken a shot, but a bad touch made him lose the ball, and Chelsea played another counter attack. Should hold back in his usual position and stop counters.

Nuri Sahin was seen pushed back a little, playing a holding role in midfield rather than being given the free role where Gerrard excels in. Sahin played better in holding role while going forward gradually. Overall, it was a decent performance by Sahin, but many props to him for actually taking the only shot on goal for Liverpool in first half when given space.

An undeserving corner from when a Liverpool possession was lost because of Howard Webb came in the 19th minute. Somehow, Daniel Agger failed to stick to John Terry during the corner, and with a trademark John Terry power header, Chelsea took the lead at 1-0. The corner may have been undeserving, but the goal was. Giving such space in the box to any opposing player is never forgiven, and that was what allowed Terry to score.

Brad Jones should be forgiven for the goal – it was an unmarked header, it was a power header and it was almost point blank. No keeper would’ve saved a header that powerful. Regardless, Brad Jones had a great game as he’s had so far this season. He was up to any challenge the Chelsea players brought to him, he was very reliable and consistent in coming out to catch the corners. Outstanding for a second choice keeper.

Unfortunately for Terry, his outstanding goal was only rewarded with an accident of an injury. Ramires nudged Luis Suarez just outside the box, one thing led to another, and Suarez was seen tumbling, only to land on John Terry. The impact affect his shin, and Terry immediately went down and stayed down. He was subsequently replaced with Gary Cahill. On a bright side, it was amazing to see Luis Suarez at Terry’s side throughout the whole physiotherapy procedure although the injury was not his fault and not intentional at all.

The “3 at the back” formations clearly aren’t suited for Liverpool, especially with Martin Skrtel out of the side. We’ve seen the back 3 get sloppy and uncoordinated many times in the first half. Counter-attack after counter-attack, the back 3 has been really shaky and were lucky not to concede again. In the closing stages of the first half, a counter attack led to Juan Mata running past Jamie Carragher off of a header, who pushed the ball past Andre Wisdom, getting into the box in a one-on-one situation with Brad Jones only to fire his shot over the bar.

It’s been the same theme for Liverpool in the first half as in many games prior to this one. Have their fair share of possession, lucky not to concede more than they should have and not getting decent shots in to test the goalkeeper at the end of lengthy spells of possession. It’s not a matter of having a lack of strikers or forwards, but a matter of being too casual in the final third. There was little to no runs to draw defenders out and create space in the box. Only a few shots were taken, and most of them were weak. Brad Jones had way more to do compared to Petr Cech.

SECOND HALF
Early in the second half, Joe Allen continued his below-par display. He was being too casual in bringing ball up and gets ball stolen by Torres, but as always, Liverpool were lucky that it didn’t lead to a goal. In the rest of the second half, he was relatively anonymous. Not really getting much of the ball and was somewhat absent in defence.

Someone who was playing well was Jose Enrique, while having a bit of a bad display in the first half (as most of the Liverpool squad), played well in the second half. There was an instance when Enrique failed to control a lobbed ball by Gerrard, after Gerrard played a pass that brilliantly opened the play. Thus far, he was having a defensively decent game.

From the half time interval until the hour mark, Liverpool were getting forward much better but the defence was equally shakier. Chelsea played very smarty and decided to focus on confident defending, and relying on counter attacks to get forward, and there was no reason they shouldn’t. Torres is good running on the ball despite not being able to have a clinical finish, and he’s great at holding the ball and keeping possession in the final third. Also, one could never forget the three players behind him just waiting for the chance to counter attack as well (Hazard, Oscar and Mata). Pair that with a relatively shaky back three of Wisdom (who was having another less than average game), Carragher and Agger, it’s a sign of a change.

More proof of that came in the 55th minute, when a header from Torres was fantastically saved by Brad Jones. In the attempt of clearing the ball, unfortunately, Steven Gerrard was seen on the ground from a supposed knee injury. But nonetheless, the skipper continued playing after extensive medical treatment and continue his play as normal.

The team slowly transitioned from a 3-5-2 into their standard and comfortable 4-3-3, with Andre Wisdom and Glen Johnson playing as full-backs, Carragher and Agger in the centre-half positions, while Jose Enrique was pushed forward into an advanced role on the left. From here on out, Jose Enrique seemed to have settled in much better, being able to be the man to give the team more options forward and also tracking back to defend.

It was about time wasn’t it? Just as the team was switching up the formation to get at least a point from the game, a change in personnel was imminent and necessary. Suso, the player that had a magical display against Anzhi in midweek, came on for Sahin in hopes that he would be able to change the game. And what do you know? He does!

After a corner was awarded to Liverpool, Suso stepped up to take it, and in all fairness, it was a badly delivered corner as well. No decent height to it and it was curling to the near post. On a regular day, that corner would be deemed as a poor corner, but Suso was lucky indeed. His poor corner was somehow met by none other than Jamie Carragher, who brilliantly directed it with a flick off of his head into middle of the goal line and picked up an assist when his flick found Suarez, and all he had to do was head into an open net.

The rest of the players were celebrating with Jamie Carragher because of how rare he assists in goals, while Luis Suarez made his celebrating run from the goal to the corner flag for his persistence and being the saviour of Liverpool time after time.

Prior to the assist, Jamie Carragher was extremely lucky not to concede any goals for all the times he was caught on the run by the Chelsea side, especially when Juan Mata failed to convert in the first half when he shot the ball over the bar. He definitely wasn’t as shaky as Andre Wisdom at the middle of the 3, but his performance was decent to say the least. The assist was a plus as well!

Continuing on with the game, Raheem Sterling has had a very quiet game overall, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been contributing in the final third. Gets the ball often and moves the ball around. In fact, he displayed good technique in a volley later on but was unfortunately blocked by the cluster of Chelsea defenders in the box.

Meanwhile, Jose Enrique was playing much much better in the wing role and not just a wing-back. After Suarez scored the first goal, he was very unlucky not to double his tally after a great first-time through ball over the top from the left by Enrique to play Suarez one on one with Petr Cech. Unluckily, Suarez didn’t manage to get a shot in when the Czech Republic goalkeeper somehow got a touch of the ball, and it went out for a goalkick off of Suarez. Looking back, Suarez should’ve played a chip or took a placement shot to try and get his second goal. In fact, he could’ve played a pass to Raheem Sterling who was making a run down the middle and would’ve got an open goal all to himself. As they say, should’ve, would’ve, could’ve.

The surprise everyone got much later on was when Jose Enrique was named Man of the Match! Looking back once again, it was pretty deserving, wasn’t it? Had a pretty bad start in the first half, but got better going forward late on, playing through balls and being and option in the midfield and in the final third. To cap it off, Jose had a superbly controlled near post shot that Cech barely saved after pass came in from the right.

Ultimately, the game ended as a stalemate, with each side grabbing a goal each, both sides putting in a good performance overall, an both sides having their fair share of chances at both ends.

Post-Match Thoughts
It’s clear that Liverpool had a disappointing first half, arguably worse than the first half against Anzhi just a few days prior to this match. While they went forward a bit better, the chances were created, but there was no end result or any true shots on goal apart from Nuri Sahin’s effort. They were defensively shaky as well, being subjected to many counter attack efforts by Chelsea.

They played much better in the second half when Brendan Rodgers went back to the regular 4-3-3 instead of the 3-5-2. It’s clear that having 3 at the back wasn’t working well looking at the games against Anzhi and Chelsea, especially without Martin Skrtel. The defence were very very lucky that they didn’t concede more than they could’ve. However, the attacking movement of the team vastly improved from the first half.

It’s good to see that the team has improved from the 3-0 defeat to West Brom on day 1, but I personally think that switching into a 3-5-2 is taking a small step back. A good match overall, and let’s look forward to get as many points as possible and turn draws into wins.

As always, have hope in your heart, and You’ll Never Walk Alone.

7 Talking Points on Liverpool-Anzhi Game

In the wake of one of Liverpool’s worst ever defeats this season to Anzhi Makhachkala, where the scores ended at 1-0, here are 7 key talking points to be reviewed and analysed from the game.

1. Brendan Rodgers’ Experiments
With the Chelsea game awaiting the team during the weekend, one can understand why Rodgers decided to rest majority of the first team players. Of the players that started against Newcastle prior to this game, only Andre Wisdom and Brad Jones travelled to Russia to remain in the starting line-up, with Suso also making it in the list of substitutes.

That means, a whole load of ‘cup-starters’ travelled as well. The likes of Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Jonjo Shelvey, Sebastien Coates and Jamie Carragher all started, giving them the game time they all desperately need and want.

Rodgers also deployed a 5-3-2 formation (or some would dictate it as a 3-5-2), playing Coates, Carragher and Wisdom at the back, while Jon Flanagan and Stewart Downing played as wing-backs on the right and left wing respectively.

It’s great to see that we have a squad that can fit a standard 4-3-3, as well as a 3-5-2 to accommodate who we are up against. It’s definitely something we can use mid-game if we need a quick change of tactics. Although the execution of the new formation was quite poor, the idea was there.

2. Mentality in Early Stages
One thing that I’m personally, highly disappointed about is the way we played in the first 20-30 minutes. The back three and the midfield were playing so passively. There wasn’t a really intent of bringing the ball up, instead only parallel and back passes were the majority of the ball movement. This passive-minded play was deservingly jeered by the home fans, and it’s obvious why. Anti-football is just generally frowned upon as it discourages exciting football that everyone loves to watch.

The only time you’ll see this negative passing plays are when teams are leading by a slim margin and want to keep hold of the ball. In short, we were playing the ball around at the back as though we have already won the game.

Back passing and parallel passes across the back are generally risky in nature. An underpowered pass may lead to an interception and so can bad first touches when receiving the pass. An opposition that works hard to pressure these kinds of play will almost certainly win the ball back with ease.

Was this Brendan’s tactic all along? To just play at the back for long periods of time and just retain possession in hopes of a draw? Only he will know.

3. The Back Three
On paper, we have one of the toughest back three we can field. Wisdom is a strong defender, Coates is good in the air and Carragher is experienced.

In relation to point number 2, the parallel and back passes were very, very risky indeed. All three of the centre-halves have relatively low abilities on the ball and any mishaps may have been costly. For example, when Andre Wisdom lost the ball on the right side, Anzhi almost capitalised on that chance, only for the shot by Eto’o to be saved after a great cross to the middle.

They were quite solid at the back throughout despite the risky passes. Quite unlucky on Coates’ side though, when Lacina Traore managed to somehow flick the ball over Coates before chipping the ball over Brad Jones for the goal. Apart from that, there was literally no marking on Traore again when a cross came in from their left wing, only for Jones to save a point blank header from him.

There were times when the defence couldn’t keep up with defenders in terms of pace. They were caught way behind on the break in the second half, as well as struggled to chase down Traore when he scored the first goal.

Overall, it was quite a solid performance, although there are many areas for the centre-halves that needs to be improved on. A 3-5-2 can certainly work, but the quality of the back three needs to be way better for the execution of it to produce results.

4. The Youth Players
Of the first XI fielded out, 9 of them were Englishmen, and out of those 9 Englishmen, 5 of them were 21 years old and below. Andre Wisdom has been the recent inclusion into the squad and performed decently so far, Jonjo Shelvey has already made himself a regular substitute in the league, Adam Morgan was started up front after his impressing displays for the Under-21 side, Jon Flanagan returned to the squad after being out due to injury, and finally Conor Coady makes his full debut in last night’s match. Sebastien Coates was also another youngster starting, but we are all already familiar with him.

Conor Coady had an alright first game for Liverpool despite playing his passes very safe, mainly to the back three rather than forward. Jon Flanagan had a good game playing as a wing back, often getting forward in many instances, although his defensive game was slightly off.

Adam Morgan had a decent outing despite having to have a badly off Joe Cole playing behind him. He also managed to play a lovely through ball to Henderson on goal, but Henderson wanted to return the favour rather than test the goalkeeper.

In the second half, Morgan was replaced by Dani Pacheco while Suso was brought in for Coady.

Dani Pacheco was a bit of an opposite from the person he came in for though. He made good runs and attempts to get the ball, but never really materialise anything from the possession. After his contribution to the Under-21 side, one would expect him to do the same thing in the first team, but was his performance was disappointing to say the least.

Suso on the other hand, was an absolute master class, and that’s an understatement. He brought so much flair and creativity to the pitch since his substitution. He made brilliant runs and went by defenders so easily. His shot on goal from outside the box was easily the best we’ve seen from the team as a whole for the whole game. Would he be the Man of the Match for Liverpool last night? Absolutely no doubt about it.

5. The Future of Joe Cole and Stewart Downing
Two of the most hated players in Liverpool for now have been given a chance to impress by getting a starting spot against Anzhi. Did they impress? Well to be honest, Joe Cole did not, but Downing was decent.

Downing had an aggressively decent game in my honest opinion. Playing as a wing back, he did quite alright going forward and tracking back. Did pretty well in covering the left back spot when needed, and he still has the legs to run at defenders. Although he did often under or overpower his crosses, at least he was the one attempting to create chances while the rest of the team were relatively laid back. He just needs to work on his crosses and his set pieces and he’ll be an asset to the team.

Joe Cole looked very tired, unfit and was a totally different player from his time at Chelsea. The only good play he had was when he latched onto a loose ball after Gabulov saved a ferocious shot by Suso, but ultimately failed to score into a semi-open net. The flick off his head from a Downing set piece was half-decent. He made little to no chances for the team, didn’t make good runs, didn’t take on defenders, almost nothing the whole game. He was deservingly subbed off later on in the second half for Assaidi, which ended his rather unimpressive outing for the night. My prediction would be that as soon as a decent offer comes in, Cole will be off.

6. Goalkeeper Dilemma?
Ever since Pepe Reina got injured after the previous international break, Brad Jones was given a surprise as well as the responsibility to be the man between the sticks. Overall, he has been fairly reliable, while seeing a few shots hit the back of his net, he did pull off quite a few brilliant saves so far.

It wasn’t any different yesterday. The only mistake was probably coming off the line way too early when Lacina Traore chipped it over Jones for the winning goal, but many arguments arise. In a one on one situation, any goalkeeper would come off their goal line to defend it. It was a brilliant move by Traore to get into the one on one situation, and it was brilliant control and skill to flick it over Brad Jones.

Throughout the game, Brad Jones saved a great attempt on goal by Samuel Eto’o in the first half when he was free to shoot after a cross from the left. Next, he also saved a point blank header from Lacina Traore, the goalscoreer himself when he manage to head the ball from a cross unmarked. The reflexes and the composure to catch the ball immediately after saving it was an incredible way to stake his claim as a first choice keeper. If it wasn’t for Jones, we would have probably suffered a worse defeat.

People say that Pepe Reina needs competition, and I believe that Brad Jones is doing alright as a second-choice. While I’d like to see a younger goalkeeper brought in when January comes along, I do believe that Brad Jones will provide sufficient cover for Pepe Reina if needed.

7. Henderson and Shelvey
Jonjo Shelvey and Jordan Henderson, two players that people should expect to step up in the midfield of Liverpool, had a mixed outing in last night’s game.

Jonjo played very nice passes that opened up play and brought the team forward. Henderson on the other hand played it very safe throughout the first half. There wasn’t really much that came out of midfield, but at the very least, both Shelvey and Henderson barely put in a wrong foot in the first half.

Jordan also made a brilliant defence-splitting run in the first 45 minutes, and was accompanied by a killer through ball from Morgan to get on goal. Ultimately, he decided to cut the ball back and what was once a goal-scoring chance turned out to be nothing. It was clear he should’ve taken a shot, but it’s fair to say that under that amount of pressure, missing it would bring criticisms just as bad as passing it. However, I give props to him for actually getting forward and running into spaces behind the defenders in a Gerrard-like style, something that you don’t see midfielders do on a daily-basis.

In the second half, both players were relatively quiet, playing their own game, moving the ball around and was just keeping their positions intact. Shelvey did lose the ball a few times due to sloppy play, but fortunately it didn’t cost the team. Henderson was getting forward a little and playing passes left and right, but again, nothing came out of that.

Overall, taking into account performances from both halves, the two midfielders played alright. Nothing spectacular, but it wasn’t bad. I’d personally expect more out of them, and I can only hope for them to grow and develop to the future of our midfield.

Final Thoughts
The game we played was very passive at first and there was so little intention of actually getting the forward and bringing the game to Anzhi. The passes up front will mean nothing if you don’t create any chances out of it. That’s what Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool need to work on – changing the possession numbers into goal numbers.

For a squad with second stringers and youngsters, playing far far away from home, a 1-0 defeat was alright, although much of the credits go to Brad Jones for his performance.

The young midfield trio of Henderson, Shelvey and Coady still have a long way to go to become top players. In time, I’m confident they will some day considering their age of 22, 20 and 19 respectively. And the same goes for Adam Morgan, Coates, Andre Wisdom and Jon Flanagan. There is plenty of room to grow and plenty of time for development. Suso is a brilliant player already, just needs to keep his feet on the ground and he’ll go on to be a Liverpool star.

All in all, we just have to look forward to the next game against Chelsea, and take the development of the team one game at a time. Have patience and one day we’ll (hopefully) rise to be an elite team again. Keep the faith, and You’ll Never Walk Alone.

…

Oh, and Suso is an absolute master class. Have I said that already?

Liverpool-Newcastle Review

DISCLAIMER: This is not an actual “play-by-play” article or a Match Report. It’s a mix of Player Ratings and a Play-by-play, so that my opinions on players are at least backed by the events throughout the game. It’s a bit messy in the sense that I don’t actually follow the plays in order, but I hope it doesn’t get confusing. Anyway, enjoy and have a good read. Thank you in advance!

To start things off, it’s been a long time since our Captain Marvel himself, Steven Gerrard, had something for Liverpool fans to cheer about. The last goal scored by him was in a 2-1 defeat against none other than Manchester United. It’s true that he has not produced the best of performances this season thus far, but it’s a sad truth indeed.

However, yesterday’s game against Newcastle was Gerrard’s 600th game for Liverpool, and both fans and critics gave their fair share of respect to the club captain. It was a brilliant sight indeed to see Gerrard receive a special Liverbird trophy, presented to him by Gary McAllister, a former Liverpool great. All fans of all sorts had nothing but good things to say about Gerrard, contributing many silverware to the cabinet and easily being arguably the best player to put on the Liverpool jersey.

With the mention of Stevie G’s special mention done, it’s time for the real deal – a tough game against Newcastle.

Pre-Game Analysis
Newcastle are famous for having one of the deadliest striking partnerships in the league, Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cisse, both making instant impacts to the team, scoring loads of goals last season. Apart from that, they also have a box-to-box midfielder in Cabaye, as well as the skilful Hatem Ben Arfa. Defensively, they have decent players at the back. Club-captain Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor aren’t the best of centre-halves, but they are strong and good in the air.

For Liverpool, the main worries would be how Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger would fare against the strikers from Senegal as well as having someone like Hatem Ben Arfa on the wing.

Brendan Rodgers opted to run his usual line-up from the previous games. Enrique continued at left back considering that Glen Johnson is still out due to injury. Brad Jones remained in goal, and apart from that, nothing much is different.

Match Analysis and Review
FIRST HALF
Early on, it was a pretty routine approach by Liverpool, that is, maintaining possession, linking up passes to build momentum going forward and create chances whenever the opportunity arises.

The first thing I realised defensively was that Gutierrez, Ben Arfa and Papiss Cisse were all relatively quiet in the opening stages of the game, showing how you can control the game by nullifying key players in oppositions. Demba Ba still got quite a bit of the ball though.

At the other end, Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez were just having a field day in the beginning stages of the game, continuously linking up to get forward. Raheem had a brilliant display of skill and pace going up against Vurnon Anita on the left wing. It’s always an amazing sight when a youngster, especially at Sterling’s age of 17 to run up against defenders so confidently AND beating them. Following many similar passages of play was a very notable free kick taken by Suarez, just curling a bit wide from the top right hand corner of the goal. A little bit lower and Tim Krul may have a huge task to do in order to save that free kick.

I’m not sure if it’s because of the 600th game for Gerrard or not, but in the first half, he played outstandingly. His passes, his hustle, his work rate, it was all much, much better than his precious games so far this season. Early on, he was constantly hustling for the ball and managed to put on loads of pressure on Newcastle players, and even won the ball back on several occasions. His corner deliveries were also very good in the first half. The outward-swinger had a deadly spin and dip, but it was unfortunate that no goals came out of it.

The fullbacks were a different story, but on total opposites. Jose Enrique at left back was playing quite alright offensively, but had a few struggles in defence (apart from a fantastic tackle and a brilliant display of strength and positioning to win the ball back from Ben Arfa). Andre Wisdom was quite alright at right back, but had a torrid time going forward. Sure, he got into those full back positions up front, but he just could not do anything with the ball other than pass it to the centre.

Moving up further on the pitch, Joe Allen has been a sound performer, just doing his job to distribute the ball as usual, but later on started to be way too inconsistent with his passing. An example would be a pass in the 16th minute, giving away the ball way too easily by his standards and Newcastle were on the break, but luckily they did not capitalise on that error. Meanwhile, Sahin has been absent on the pitch. Made a few runs and getting into attacking positions a few times but ultimately, never receiving the ball.

Suso, while quiet, played very decent, making a few good passes every now and then as well as making a brilliant run into the box and winning a corner off a deflected shot. His flick over the head of the opposition to Wisdom, followed by a quick run forward was a good show of his skills as well.

Overall, Liverpool dominated most of the first half (for roughly 25-30 minutes to be exact), but later on, it is clear that Newcastle were getting back into the game. Controlled more possession than earlier, played more offensive passes, and in general were just building up more and more momentum. The balance of the game which was once in Liverpool’s favour, was tipped back to be an even game for both sides.

It’s been the same old story for Liverpool for seasons: Dominate the game, controlled most of the possession but failed to capitalise on it. The main rule of any sport is that if you don’t make your chances count, oppositions aren’t afraid to make theirs count. And it showed.

While Liverpool had many shots cleared and saved by Tim Krul, all it took was Newcastle’s first shot on target to find the back of the net.

A brilliant run from Ben Arfa on the right wing, with some dazzling ball control saw him outrun and beat off Jose Enrique, only to see his cross overshoot everyone in the middle of the box. However, Yohan Cabaye surprised the entire Reds’ defence by appearing at the far post with the ball, took a nice touch and fire a spectacular shot into the back of the net. And with that, the stats and numbers going in Liverpool’s favour had no meaning anymore considering they were 1-0 down right before half time.

It remains to be seen who’s truly at fault for this goal. It could be Enrique whom slipped up when defending Hatem Ben Arfa on the right wing. It can also be Andre Wisdom who clearly shows his inexperience as a full-back by drifting into the middle too much instead of marking Cabaye on the far post. It could also be Brad Jones for letting the ball slip pass him so easily. It’s easy to point fingers, but take nothing away from Cabaye. It was clearly a show of what a box-to-box midfielder can do in an attacking position, smartly placing himself at the far post, took a nice first touch off the cross, and finishing it superbly with good technique on the shot.

It’s been a good first half overall for Liverpool minus the goal conceded. However, Liverpool’s inability to capitalise on chances up front and letting Newcastle settle into the game is an area that they must improve if we ever want the three points.

Let’s skip ahead to the second half, shall we?

SECOND HALF
If there’s one thing about the second half, it’s that you can notice Steven Gerrard being everywhere on the pitch. He’s bringing the ball forward, he’s retaining possession in midfield, he’s tracking back to defend. A fine display of his past-self. His dead ball deliveries were deteriorating though, as well as a few misplaced passes here and there.

We started to dominate the game as usual, but nothing to show for it. Newcastle were great on the break, and we were lucky not to have conceded. Brad Jones did pretty alright considering the strike force he was up against.

Nuri Sahin was overall, anonymous apart from a great effort literally just wide of the far post and a few fouls here and there. Suso was having less and less of a good game, which meant a substitution for Jonjo Shelvey was clearly imminent.

Now substituting Jonjo in and not Henderson shows that Brendan Rodgers did want the team the push up much further. As seen before, Henderson was played as a sub in previous games to add some midfield stability as well as a player who would run the whole pitch to defend. But no, Shelvey came on, signalling the intent to really push forward.

Jose Enrique was beginning to really go from ‘quite alright’ to ‘poor’, until he played a beautiful long ball to Suarez, whom chested it down superbly, one touch to go around the keeper, and getting an equaliser with an easy touch into an open net. That goal was easily one of the best goals I’ve seen from Suarez even after considering how many brilliant goals he’s scored for us. To control the ball for the first time, coming at such pace and angle, it takes a world class player to do that, what more with a defender right behind him. Absolute class.

Suarez also made a good turn and led a counter attack from the middle, playing an open Sterling on the break but one touches too many and he loses the ball to a defender. One thing Sterling can really improve on is his finishing. His goal against Reading was a great one, but his finishing in games after that had to be and could’ve been better.

Shelvey had a pretty bad game up front ever since coming on. After a wonderful run by Suarez on the right, he laid the ball off to Shelvey, who should’ve buried the ball into the back of the net, but barely made a good shot. Later on in the game, a great run by Downing on the left wing led to a pinpoint cross to Shelvey in the middle of the box, but failed to capitalise on it as well. We can see how good Shelvey can be getting into attacking positions, something other midfielders didn’t do the whole game, but he has to be getting these chances on target at the very least.

Speaking of Downing, many wonder why he was brought in instead of Assaidi. There are pros and cons to both players. While Assaidi has better abilities at his disposal going forward, Downing is able to bring the ball forward as well as track back to defend when necessary. It’s clear that when attempting to get the win, Assaidi would’ve been the better choice, I agree. But at the same time, I can see what Brendan Rodgers intended to do with this particular substitution.

Now one thing I’d want to point out is that although Gerrard was a little less impressive than in the first 45, he did play two sublime long passes in the second half. The first would be in the 71st minute, when Gerrard played an exceptional long ball from the right midfield to the left wing to open up play. The second would be in the 85th minute when he played a long through ball, on the ground, from the left back position, to spot Raheem Sterling on the far right side of the pitch. While Gerrard has been in one of his worst forms this season, usually giving away balls too easily, it’s undeniable that his vision is unmatched and his creation of chances like these are what keeps him in the squad day in, day out. He’s not the fourth top chance creator in the league for nothing.

In the 83rd minute, Fabricio Coloccini made a clumsy challenge on Luis Suarez after Luis played a beautiful flick to set up Raheem Steeling on the break. The referee stopped play and sent Coloccini off without hesitation.

After the equaliser, there have been many attempts on goal, many chances created, but ultimately, the game ended all square at 1-1.

Post-Match Thoughts

1. Was the red card on Coloccini fair?
Yes, in my honest opinion. Yes because it was a harsh tackle and could’ve possibly be and injury-inflicting one. Luis Suarez was lucky not to get any marks after that tackle. Viewing the replay, the arm was up, the studs were up, it was all a harsh tackle and the red card was deserving.

There was a call for whether it was intentional or not, but it’s hard to say, personally. Viewing the replays, it seems as though Coloccini approached the tackle in that way because he was trying to back out of it, but clearly too late to stop. From the first glance, it was intentional. After watching the replays, it’s probable.

2. Standout Performers?
It’s definitely Luis Suarez. He was struggling at first in the first half to really test the keeper, but a fine display of skill, class and composure led to a wonder goal, considering the nature of the long ball by Jose Enrique, the pressure he was under by the defender (Coloccini) and that there was still the keeper (Krul) to go past, he did it all in style. World class? No doubt.

Other shouts would be Raheem Sterling, while not getting a goal himself, did make loads of runs at defenders. His pace is truly an asset, especially on counter attacks. If he starts to hone his finishing skills, he’ll be scoring more goals from all the chances he’ll get.

The last shout would be to none other than Steven Gerrard, the man with 600 games himself. Much, much better performance and what a step up from previous games this season. Arguably his best performance ever since his hat trick against Everton last season! He covered so much ground the whole game, played many great passes that opens up the game, most of his corners were deadly and definitely led by example. Rarely put in a wrong foot offensively and defensively.

3. The “Not-So-Goods”?
Jose Enrique was pretty great at first, and so was Wisdom. Both slowly played worse and worse, although Wisdom wasn’t given THAT much to take care of.

One thing about Andre Wisdom is that going forward, he tends to get a bit clueless, resorting to simple, predictable passes to the midfield instead of attempting a run down the flank or put in an early cross. Also, losing track of Cabaye on the far post shows his lack of defensive discipline and experience.

Nuri Sahin was absolutely anonymous this game. Made a few passes, made a few runs, and only has one (great) shot to show for. Apart from that, two clumsy fouls was also noticeable.

Shelvey was fairly decent. Should’ve got the winner for Liverpool, twice! I applaud him for getting into the box though. That’s something we’ve been lacking.

4. Unsung Heroes?
Martin Skrtel had a quiet, but great game defensively. No major mistakes at all. Another would be Brad Jones, making great saves from shots by Ben Arfa and Sammy Ameobi late in the second half.

Overall Thoughts
To some, the team played good, to others the team played great. To me, honestly, the team played decent, they played alright.

Some weak links in the team needs to step up or sit down on the bench, while others need to maintain or improve even more from yesterday’s performance. Slightly unlucky to not gain all 3 points, but you can’t blame it on luck if players can score.

Relying on Suarez to score game in, game out isn’t the way to go about playing a team game. A one-man team can only last for so long before he wears out. The team as a whole has got to be hungry for goals, hungry to score. Something Rodgers could look into would be to get midfielders into the box. Even if someone shoots, there’s the off chance that the deflection or rebound would be in our favour to follow up.

Another thing I’d want to see is an actual striker on the bench. There’s Samed Yesil and Dani Pacheco in the squad, but they aren’t even on the list of substitutes!

Brendan Rodgers said in the post-match interview that after dominating most of the first half, and then head into half time 1-0 down, it’s easy for the team to play too hard out of desperation for the equaliser. It’s a very good statement as it is true that many teams and players will want to play too hard to get a result that shows their dominance in a game, but may tend to slip up and concede a second goal.

Brendan Rodgers may not make the best of decisions at times, he may not have the best of tactics at times, but his professionalism in interviews and such have been on a different level.

In Brendan We Trust? For probably for 2 to 3 more transfer windows, yes.

Either way, don’t lose hope my fellow Reds. Rebuilding is a phase where we all have to be patient. It will definitely take some time. For now, we just need to hope the star performers maintain at the club, while more talent is brought in.

Have hope in your heart, and You’ll Never Walk Alone.

7 Quick Fixes for Liverpool FC

To start off this blog and it’s first article, let’s have a quickie. Here are my 7 Quick Fixes that Brendan Rodgers and the Liverpool squad can do to possibly get a better team until January’s transfer window comes along.

1. Pick Goalkeepers Based on FORM, not CLASS.

Yes, it’s sad but it’s the truth – Pepe Reina is not the same keeper from Benitez’s days. He very well may spike in form again, but at least not for now. So far this season, his form can be described in one word: Clumsy.

A bit harsh, but again, it’s the truth. While he did pull off some amazing saves (like the point blank header from the game against Udinese), he also did let go some awful goals (such as the second Norwich goal).

Am I the only one over the years, fears every corner that comes against us because I’m not fully certain nor confident that Reina can save it? Probably, probably.

No matter how good Pepe was, he isn’t our best keeper now. Brad Jones took over for the past few games and performed to expectations so far. Until Pepe performs well in training, BR should continue fielding Brad Jones to be the man between the sticks.

2. Shore Up The Defence.

While we have (arguably) the best defensive centre-halves in the league, boasting two strong defenders in the forms of Agger and Skrtel, we’re still conceding goals that should and could be defended better.

Barring the fact that we’re unlucky to not have Martin Kelly and Jon Flanagan due to injury, we still have sufficient players to play match day after match day. There’s still 4 centre-halves (5 if you include Wisdom), Glen Johnson as our only true right back and 2 left backs. The problem is the inability to clear our lines.

Game after game, we get the 1-0 lead and we’re struggling to defend. We were lucky to get clean sheets against Reading and Anzhi, the defence was absent when Everton scored 2 goals to equalise during the Merseyside derby and the 3-1 defeat to Swansea is self-explanatory.

3. Stop With the Back-Passes.

We’ve seen what back passes has done this season. Skrtel’s really ridiculous back pass caused us to get a mere point against Manchester City while Stoke almost capitalised on another back pass that could’ve made us fall to another defeat.

Passing back the ball should only be done when absolutely necessary, like a last resort. Puts the goalkeeper under unnecessary pressure, it’s risky, and it’s unproductive.

Martin Skrtel is the main culprit here, no doubt. Famous for his back passing when he has options passing forward. Try telling me a game when he doesn’t turn around after receiving a pass.

4. Don’t FULLY Rely On Wisdom at Right-Back.

While many are impressed with Andre Wisdom, I for one isn’t fully impressed, yet. He’s strong, he’s a bit of a thinking-player, but no where capable of holding down the right back spot on his own.

Defensively, he’a been consistent and at most, decent. My problem with him being at the full back spots is that he’s not good on the ball enough to start an attack from the back if needed, and as with most young players, he’s inexperienced.

Against Anzhi, he’s been indecisive at times after receiving the ball on the right, and doesn’t find passes that bring the play forward. Often times, he passes back to the centre-halves. Don’t even get me started on his performance against Everton that led to his early substitution.

His ball distribution and ability on the ball isn’t ideal, I would say, to play as a full back. Defensively, yeah sure, he’ll be alright, but not going forward.

Should we continue playing him there? Until Glen comes back, I don’t see any choice other than an ageing Jamie Carragher or Henderson being wasted at right-back rather than his most effective position in midfield.

I repeat, he is decent at right back, but not great.

5. Change Up The Formation.

For now, we’re playing a simple 4-3-3, while good because of the simplicity of it, also brings a few negatives. In a 4-3-3, there will be a lone striker, and often times no one to back up and support him apart from the two wingers.

Also in a 4-3-3, it prompts the need for two midfielders to hold back a bit while one more should push forward. Often times, there will be a lack of connection between midfield and attack.

I’d much prefer it if we played 4-1-4-1, where Joe Allen will play in front of the defence to stop attacks and to distribute the ball. This allows an extra layer in the midfield to link the defence to the midfield, to the attack a little easier.

6. Let the Youth Step Up.

If there’s something we’ve learn since Brendan took over, it’s that he doesn’t hesitate in bringing in the youth players into the first team. We’ve seen Sebastian Coates, Andre Wisdom, Jack Robinson, Suso, Raheem Sterling, Daniel Pacheco and Samed Yesil all getting a run out be it in the league games, or in cup competitions.

We’re having a striker crisis with Luis Suarez being our only recognised striker after Fabio Borini picked up an injury. However, I don’t believe that there are no solutions for it until January.

We have Daniel Pacheco, Samed Yesil and Adam Morgan all playing in the under-21 squad, but now they have to be included into the first team, even if it means being an unused substitute.

The argument here would be that they aren’t ‘recognised strikers’, but it’s better than nothing. Who knows? Playing them might actually let them show their potential, like how Federico Macheda stepped up for Manchester United seasons ago, for example.

Jack Robinson and Sebastian Coates should also be given more game time in the defence. Both of them had great outings in the Europa League, probably on-par with Andre Wisdom’s introduction to the side.

7. Shoot!

The problem with the passing game is that there is so much emphasis on passing the ball around and retaining possession that players forget to shoot!

How many times in recent seasons have we dominated possession, camped in the oppositions’ third but still drew the game?

It’s simple really, the more chances you created, the more shots you’ll be able to take, the higher the chances of scoring a goal. And I’m not talking about Suarez alone, but the team as a whole should start shooting more.

There’s absolutely no point building up play without getting at least a shot on goal at the end of it. As the saying goes, you don’t shoot, you don’t score.