Friday felt like a rally cry, with Benitez uncharacteristically laying into Ferguson, the manager who had the nerve to send him a letter discussing tactics after his Istanbul night back in 2005. He was prepared for it, a small question and he put out a whole foolscap, stating fact after fact. He must have been pondering the issue for some time and with his side sitting on top of the league, he felt that it was the apt time to deliver his attack. The media was divided about it, the Liverpool fans, myself included loved it unanimously. He has given good quotes in his five years at the club, but this was not a good quote, this was Shanklyism. Yesterday though, returning to the VIP area, rather than the dugout, his tactics and approach to the game reminded more of the last couple of years of Houllier rather than of the great man.
The game plan at the beginning looked similar to the one started against Newcastle at St James Park, a mere two weeks ago, a game plan that gave a 5-1 victory. The big difference today though was this time Stoke did not let Liverpool play the way Newcastle did. In the first forty-five minutes back in St James Park, Newcastle committed only two fouls. This was not a case of Stoke acting like dogs of war, but their muscle proved to be much sterner and left Liverpool unable to wriggle themselves through. The frozen conditions seemed to have a serious effect on Liverpool’s South American midfield as both Lucas Leiva and Javier Mascherano looked sterile. The former looked to revert back to type after a couple of encouraging performances, looking too pedestrian, always choosing the easy option, passing to the closest teammate and many times late in the tackle.
The lateral personnel were equally ineffective, unable to stretch the Stoke back four, or better their back ten, both ending up being substituted. Operating on the right-back position, Jamie Carragher looked to be pushing forward trying to give a hand to Yossi Benayoun but at times he was being found out that he’s essentially a centre-back operating on the flank out of necessity rather than imagination. Fabio Aurelio looked rather stiff, and there was no marauding of the flank at all. It might be a harsh indictment but the rookie Emiliano Insua has actually been missed.
Steven Gerrard had a quiet game by his standards, at times struggling to really get hold of the game as he has ravishly done so many times over and again. Rather than having an off day, it was more his positioning, just behind Dirk Kuyt that seemed to impede him from doing so. Still, he was the main inspiration, and had gone agonisingly close twice in the second forty-five minutes. Both times, the frame of the goal shunned him, first after a direct free-kick won ably by Ryan Babel and not in a position too dissimilar from where he scored at Anfield against Stoke only to be disallowed. The second time, in the very dying minutes, a great lay off by Fernando Torres saw him connect while closely watched, beat the keeper but not the bar once again.
It might feel like a tale of hard luck, but the feeling is more of dejection than anything else. The rally cry has not been matched but this was not even a lost battle, rather an unsatisfactory one with admittedly a couple of fatalities that in football terms mean two points dropped.
The game plan at the beginning looked similar to the one started against Newcastle at St James Park, a mere two weeks ago, a game plan that gave a 5-1 victory. The big difference today though was this time Stoke did not let Liverpool play the way Newcastle did. In the first forty-five minutes back in St James Park, Newcastle committed only two fouls. This was not a case of Stoke acting like dogs of war, but their muscle proved to be much sterner and left Liverpool unable to wriggle themselves through. The frozen conditions seemed to have a serious effect on Liverpool’s South American midfield as both Lucas Leiva and Javier Mascherano looked sterile. The former looked to revert back to type after a couple of encouraging performances, looking too pedestrian, always choosing the easy option, passing to the closest teammate and many times late in the tackle.
The lateral personnel were equally ineffective, unable to stretch the Stoke back four, or better their back ten, both ending up being substituted. Operating on the right-back position, Jamie Carragher looked to be pushing forward trying to give a hand to Yossi Benayoun but at times he was being found out that he’s essentially a centre-back operating on the flank out of necessity rather than imagination. Fabio Aurelio looked rather stiff, and there was no marauding of the flank at all. It might be a harsh indictment but the rookie Emiliano Insua has actually been missed.
Steven Gerrard had a quiet game by his standards, at times struggling to really get hold of the game as he has ravishly done so many times over and again. Rather than having an off day, it was more his positioning, just behind Dirk Kuyt that seemed to impede him from doing so. Still, he was the main inspiration, and had gone agonisingly close twice in the second forty-five minutes. Both times, the frame of the goal shunned him, first after a direct free-kick won ably by Ryan Babel and not in a position too dissimilar from where he scored at Anfield against Stoke only to be disallowed. The second time, in the very dying minutes, a great lay off by Fernando Torres saw him connect while closely watched, beat the keeper but not the bar once again.
It might feel like a tale of hard luck, but the feeling is more of dejection than anything else. The rally cry has not been matched but this was not even a lost battle, rather an unsatisfactory one with admittedly a couple of fatalities that in football terms mean two points dropped.
posted by jean paul at 8:56 am
2 Comments:
Disappointing especially with what happened yesterday. Man Scum are now odds-on with the bookmakers to be top before we play our next game on the 19th.
When we are trying to break teams down, like we were in the first 30 mins before Stoke rallied, I think we miss Agger bringing the ball out of defence and initiating attacks.
To be fair to Stoke they created some chaos in our box with high balls and those cRaZy throw ins.
Finally, is it legal to have the sidelines so narrow on the pitch? any closer and Delap would probably be able to throw it from one side to the other (if he can't already).
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When we put Babel on for Riera, tactically nothing change. We remained medciocre as we were. Don't want to sound like I'm a mastermind of the game, but I would have brought Robbie Keane on instead of Lucas at half-time, put Gerrard in midfield ( we lacked creativity in midfield, and in Xabi's absence Stevie is the only man who can lead and create in the heart of midfield ) and Keane behind Kuyt. Later if we're still struggling I get Torres instead of Kuyt. But unfortunatly we did more or less nothing to change the game.
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