Changing perceptions

A LITTLE over a fortnight ago a friend of mine, a sports writer and Manchester United fan, commented on Facebook about the nominees for the MBNA Northwest Football Awards 2011.

Stating that he was ‘laughing so much it hurts’, the journalist in question poured scorn on the notion that Liverpool’s defensive midfielder, Lucas Leiva, was among the candidates, and not David Silva or Wayne Rooney.

In terms of the quality of those two top players being overlooked by the judges, he certainly had a point. And in fairness, he later conceded that Lucas would probably be our best player against Chelsea (while questioning the Brazilian’s usefulness against inferior opposition we are expected to routinely beat at home, something many Reds have done in the past.)

Nevertheless, I was somewhat puzzled by his dismissal of Liverpool’s player of the year in 2010/11, and couldn’t help but remark on the irony that his beloved Manchester United would be a much better team if they could sign Lucas, as they sorely lack a player of his ilk and have done since Owen Hargreaves’ brief playing days at Old Trafford. 

This was all too apparent when Manchester City crushed the champions 6-1, running roughshod over their impoverished, bedraggled midfield last month. Thankfully at Anfield on Sunday there was to be no repeat of that devastating display. What we did see instead was the MBNA Northwest Football Awards’ Barclays Premier League Player of the Year collect the post-match champagne for an imperious performance at the heart of Liverpool’s midfield (replicating his showing at Stamford Bridge a week earlier), after keeping the aforementioned Mr Silva quiet and the heralded Yaya Toure trapped firmly in his proverbial pocket.

Make no mistake; Lucas was nothing short of sensational. The statistics are there for all to see: 13 out of 16 challenges won on the ground, four out of four headers won, seven successful tackles in seven attempts, seven interceptions, and crucially, a 92 per cent pass completion rate. 

Yes, his role is not one that lends itself too readily to highlight reels, as he collects the ball from the back four and initiates attacks, keeps the ball moving quickly by playing simple passes to team mates, always makes himself available for a return pass, shuts down opposition moves by tracking runners, wins headers and 50/50 ground challenges and nicks back possession through intelligent anticipation. Defensive midfielders are not expected to be creators supreme, nor feature highly in top scorer's or top assist maker's charts. But two moments in the second half were worthy of inclusion in any compilation package, as can be seen here, with thanks to the tremendous editing skills of MilanKakaBaros. 

The first sees the human steam train that is Toure charge upfield, only to find Lucas inconceivably resistant in his path. Lucas outmuscled his opponent, a man that dwarfs him in size, leveraged his body between him and the ball, won it back cleanly and in one motion, as he was still regaining his feet, sent a pass forward and Liverpool on their way to goal once more. Toure looked so baffled by the whole affair that he could do only one thing – hold out his hands and whine at the referee.

The second sequence sees Lucas facing our goal, collecting a wayward pass from Glen Johnson with Edin Dzeko in pursuit. He turns, finds a little room, and plays a shot pass to Jordan Henderson, before accelerating past Silva and asking for a return ball. Henderson picks out a different target, Luis Suarez, but Lucas maintains his run, and receives an instantly flicked pass from Suarez instead. The ball is chipped, and needs to be controlled with a deft touch, something Lucas illustrates immediately, driving towards the box. On the edge of the area he fed the Uruguayan, whose resultant effort was saved superbly by Joe Hart. 

It would have been a worthy winner of any game, and one for which Suarez, not Lucas, would have been acclaimed. But that is Lucas Leiva’s remit – he is a player in masterful command of his position, who gives the Suarez, Silva and Rooney’s of this world the platform to shine.

Of course, Lucas was far from our only outstanding performer in what was a very promising day for the Reds against probably the best side in the Premiership. Manchester City have blown aside nearly all domestic obstacles this season, dropping only two points before Sunday at Fulham, yet at Anfield they found themselves hanging on for a draw and scraping a point, even before they were reduced to ten men.

It didn’t look that way at the start, the slick interchange of passes between Silva, Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero threatening to cut us wide open on more than one occasion. This City side is thrilling in attack, and very pleasing on the eye. Fortunately when they did break through Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel were quick to obstruct their route to goal and with Dzeko on the bench and Aguero struggling for goals as of late, City didn’t actually test Pepe Reina in the opening stages.

When their goal did come it was from an unlikely source – Vincent Kompany’s shoulder. Silva swung in a cross, Charlie Adam on the front post perhaps advanced further than he should have done and subsequently could not win the ball, and Dirk Kuyt and Johnson failed to prevent Kompany escaping their attention and rising high to deflect the ball into the top corner.

City's joy was short-lived, and I think how quickly we responded changed the course of the game. Kenny Dalglish had dropped Maxi Rodriguez in favour of Stewart Downing, and with Craig Bellamy omitted on compassionate grounds following the desperately sad death of his national team boss, Gary Speed, Jordan Henderson had been reinstated in the side.

The three-man midfield Henderson formed with Lucas and Adam gave Adam the scope to play further forward than he had at Chelsea, a role he took to with relish. Just two minutes after we conceded the Scot shot from distance, the ball took a wicked deflection of Joleon Lescott (who contrary to recent reports still looks like a weak link in the City defence to me) and we were level.

From that point on, while City occasionally troubled our goal, Liverpool were the better team. We pinned back their galloping fullbacks, Micah Richards finding himself in unfamiliar defensive territory thanks to Jose Enrique’s power and pace, and we began to test their resolve. Sadly, Joe Hart was in stunning form, and he showed the kind of steely determination between the posts that wins you titles. The first of many great saves he made with his feet, after Dirk, unable to elude Clichy, pulled back a pass to Adam who attempted to sidefoot a second into the bottom left hand corner. 

Reina made a smart near post save before the break from Aguero, but it was his opposite number who was called into action more frequently in the second half. He wasn’t troubled when Dirk headed poorly down and wide from a Stewart Downing cross, but then he tipped a mishit Downing effort spectacularly over the bar, and went on to make the aforementioned save from Suarez.

In the meantime we were presented with the gift of the latest act of stupidity from Mario Balotelli, a man who amuses me endlessly with his unique combination of God-given football talent, appreciation of fireworks and darts and a brain so small it must rattle within his skull. First Super Mario pulled back Johnson for a professional foul and cast-iron yellow card, then, when any other professional footballer would surely be aware that he was treading a thin line with the referee Martin Atkinson, he clearly led with his arm in an aerial challenge with Skrtel.

It was not an elbow, and not a straight red card offence, but it was a yellow, and with the added help of Martin cynically clutching his head and face, that is what it received. Roberto Mancini has indicated that Liverpool players surrounded the referee in a bid to get Balotelli sent off, but in fact it was his players, led by Kompany who got under Atkinson's nose. I did spot Adam however doing his best elbow impression, just in case the referee couldn’t make up his mind. The bottom line is Balotelli was reckless and foolish, and he has no sympathy from me whatsoever. I felt the same way when Adam lunged into a tackle minutes after a booking at White Hart Lane and earned himself an early shower.    

With City now pinned back and us pouring forward, I was concerned we would be susceptible to a counter attack. Yet when it came, thanks to a powerful run from Dzeko who fed Silva, Reina showed just why he is the finest ‘sweeper keeper’ in football today. He raced to the edge of his box, jockeyed Silva and delayed his decision, forcing him wide until Silva shot tamely at our goal, where three Liverpool players had then assembled.

It seemed like a late, glorious winner was moments away, but Hart was not willing to concede again. In stoppage time he produced a great save from an Andy Carroll header, the big man on as a substitute for Dirk, and then, when the ball fell to Suarez, parried his low drive as well. The rebound came to Downing, who once again failed to show the composure or quality we need from him. Instead of laying it back to the unmarked Carroll, he lashed the ball high over the bar. It marked another below par performance from the winger, who again could be seen arguing with Jose Enrique on the left flank.

However, it seems to me that this Liverpool team is now really starting to gel, as the new players with the exception of Downing (and last year’s big buy Andy Carroll) have settled well, and are growing into their stature as Liverpool players with each performance. Adam looks very much the part after his early difficulties, and despite the over-the-top criticism in some quarters, Henderson looks like a very good young player to me. He was impressive again, and following a great cameo against Chelsea, he used the ball well, showed good movement and grew into the game in the second half. 

I am delighted to say that we look like a good side again, a team that passes the ball incisively and with confidence, a team that can come from behind and responds to setbacks in a positive manner, and a team that shows the bravery and belief to push for maximum points no matter who the opposition or circumstances. The obvious concern is our lack of goals, because if Suarez is going through a barren spell as he is at present, it is hard to see who will step up to the plate. But the team as a whole is playing good football, we are defensively solid and we are creating enough chances.

Looking to tonight’s game against Chelsea I would hope for more of the same approach that worked so well in the league, yet a slightly adapted frontline with Carroll as the spearhead. Bellamy should return along with Maxi, and at the opposite end Jamie Carragher will be back in defence for the first time in a month. We haven’t missed Jamie since he has been out of the side, which has been testament to the form of Skrtel and Agger, but I still think he has a lot to give. 

I would expect Martin Kelly to play and Jay Spearing, but beyond that I can’t see many youngsters featuring, and I think Kenny has some difficult decisions to make. With two games in 48 hours we will have to field some tired legs, and at present it’s hard to see how we can omit any of our four spine players – Reina, Agger, Lucas and Suarez – and maintain our strength. 

Not long ago the thought of a Liverpool spine without Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher would be incomprehensible. But as Lucas Leiva could tell you, things can change very quickly in football.

If it ain't broke...

AFTER producing our most disappointing performance of the season at home against Swansea, it was somehow perversely logical that we would produce our finest away at Stamford Bridge.

This current Liverpool side seems determined to confound expectations, surrendering points at Anfield against lowly sides yet rising to the occasion when faced with sterner opposition.

Whether this is a question of mentality, employing a different tactical approach in big games, or simply lacking the quality and collective experience as a team to perform well consistently, I’m not quite sure. But in a strange way I felt more confident on Sunday than I did before our draws against Norwich and Swansea, and I expect I’ll have the same gut feeling when we host QPR in two weeks' time.

The fresh, attacking line-up we fielded against Chelsea immediately boosted my belief. For months Liverpool fans have questioned why the players who led our revival under Kenny Dalglish last term, spearheading a fluid pass and move game that saw us demolish Manchester United and Manchester City and trounce teams like Birmingham and Fulham, have been left on the bench or demoted to occasional League Cup participation, in favour of underperforming summer signings.

Both Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt, who between them scored or created 22 goals under Dalglish from January to May, have often been left out at the expense of Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson, who in four months in a Red shirt have contributed just three – none in Downing’s case. Kuyt did sometimes play up front, but the man who has assumed that role this year when we have gone two up top, Andy Carroll, has been involved in just two goals.

Our new wide men have performed admirably at times, because Downing started very well on our left flank and has created several chances that should have been converted, and Jordan has shown a lot of potential despite being asked to play as a conventional right winger, a position in which he doesn’t look comfortable. 

But their repeated inclusion week after week, ahead of two players who shone so brightly and linked so well with Luis Suarez just six months ago, has been somewhat baffling, as has the limited use of Craig Bellamy, who in his brief cameos to date has looked to be in the best shape of his career, and the exclusion of Jay Spearing, another star performer in 2010/11.

We caught a glimpse of what that attacking quartet was capable of in a glorious 45 minutes away at Brighton and Hove Albion in the League Cup, as all four terrorised the Albion defence with interchanging runs, astute movement and at times, sheer brilliance. A 5-0 scoreline at the break would have been kind to The Seagulls.

Nevertheless, Kenny bamboozled everybody, dropping Andy Carroll, Downing and Henderson, recalling Dirk and Craig, and giving Maxi his first league start of the season. Lucas Leiva and Charlie Adam anchored the midfield and an unchanged back five put paid to the suggestion that Jamie Carragher might return in place of Martin Skrtel.

The team selection was the first of several tactical masterstrokes made by the King, pitting speed, guile and feverish commitment against an uncertain Chelsea defence, employing a high defensive line so ruthlessly exposed by Arsenal in their 5-3 victory last month.

In the first ten minutes Maxi was twice played in with Chelsea caught on the back foot, his limited pace the only thing (besides John Terry’s flailing arm) that prevented him giving us an early lead. 

It was already obvious that John Terry and David Luiz were not on the same wavelength, although to be honest Luiz didn’t look on the same wavelength as any player in a blue shirt. On paper he looks to have everything in his game that a modern defender needs, yet his rash approach and lack of nous must frustrate those around him.

There were scares – Jose Enrique losing Juan Mata who collected a cross and drove a shot well wide of Pepe Reina’s goal, and a free kick from Didier Drogba that hit the side-netting yet was announced as a goal by Sky’s commentator Martin Tyler. I was sure it had gone wide of the post and bounced back behind the net, but his insistence that it was a goal, as Drogba seemed to smirk but not quite celebrate in a Mario Balotelli fashion, left me a little worried. But the score counter remained 0-0.

Lucas, despite collecting a yellow card for a foul on his compatriot Luiz (something he comically tried to excuse by telling the referee that the Brazilian was his friend) was imperious in midfield, the booking not hindering his game one iota as he tackled and foraged. Yet it was his midfield partner who was my Man of the Match, Charlie Adam showing the discipline, workrate and defensive ability I seriously doubted he possessed.

The goal was a case in point, Adam sprinting forward to close down Jon Obi Mikel after the holding midfielder received a hazardous pass from Peter Cech. It was a brave decision that could have left Lucas exposed if he had not won the ball, but Charlie managed to feed Bellamy, who played it to Suarez, who laid the ball back off to Bellamy inside the box. Many strikers would have shot, but Craig hesitated and weighted a perfect pas across to Maxi, who was actually in a better position to score and did so in part thanks to a fortunate bounce.

Craig had a great first half, showing intelligence and a calm head when he had the ball, and all the fighting spirit and the snarling attitude we have come to love him for when Chelsea were in possession. He gives us a combative edge, a burning will to win, and I was delighted to see him tell Frank Lampard exactly what he thought of him.

At half time I commented that Chelsea would surely respond after the break, and Andre Villas-Boas did just that, showing exactly why he has gained a reputation as Europe’s finest young coach. Mikel was hooked for Daniel Sturridge, and Chelsea’s wingers were pushed up higher onto Glen Johnson and Enrique, who had enjoyed a lot of freedom in the first half, Johnson making one magnificent, marauding run that could have opened the scoring.

We looked leggy after playing with such intensity earlier in the match, something we have seen too many times this season. Our lack of fitness and inability to sustain a performance seems to be an ongoing problem, as we keep fading during the second half of games. Yet on this occasion it seemed to me to be a consequence of how hard we had pressed and the regularly cited effects of an inconvenient international break. 

Florent Malouda began to exert his influence on the game, with Glen receiving nowhere near enough protection from Dirk, who looked tired and far from his usual industrious self. Suarez, Bellamy and Maxi also looked very jaded, with Suarez subdued throughout, playing as with a minor back injury, and Maxi no doubt lacking match fitness.

Skrtel and Daniel Agger again produced top class performances, winning balls on the deck and in the air against Drogba, and justifying the time Kenny continues to invest in their partnership. But when the Chelsea equaliser came Agger was partly at fault, along with Enrique, Adam, Johnson, and worst of all, Dirk.

Adam tried to win the ball but failed, providing Malouda with space to advance. Kuyt made no effort to track the winger, which left Johnson exposed, and caught between marking Ashley Cole or closing down the man with the ball. By the time Adam caught up with Malouda it was too late to risk a tackle from behind, and his mis-hit cross found Sturridge, who eluded both Agger and Enrique.

Chelsea now looked most likely to win the game, and it took a world class save from Pepe from Branislav Ivanovic’s header to keep us in it. The save was truly outstanding – not only did the Spaniard dive down low very quickly to stop a difficult effort, he also managed to exert enough force with his arm and hand to divert the ball past the post and well clear of goal. A lesser goalkeeper may have made what was a tricky save, but spilt the ball back into the danger zone. It’s often said that a world class goalkeeper doesn’t just make saves, he earns you points, and that is what Pepe did on this occasion.

I was very impressed with the character we showed at this stage, refusing to buckle under the mounting pressure. But we needed a helping hand, and it came from the manager, Kenny reshuffling his pack and bringing on Henderson for Bellamy, then later Downing for Maxi.

Henderson helped us regain our shape in midfield, tucking in to give us three players against Chelsea’s midfield trio, and slowed down the pace of the game. He used the ball well and also made the most of the opportunities he had to run at Ashley Cole, hurdling challenges and playing in Downing as part of an incisive move. Dirk should have done far better with the final shot, opting to use his right boot when it fell on his left, and dragging the ball wide. At the time I thought we had blown our chance to nick all three points.

Fortunately, that was not the case. Chelsea brought on our two former players, the hapless Fernando Torres, who looks utterly disinterested in football altogether, and the man with the worst haircut in the game, Raul Meireles. Neither seized the chance to make the next day’s headlines. That honour in fact fell to our ex-Chelsea man, Glen Johnson.

Adam played the pass of the game – a sweeping ball which either Xabi Alonso or Steven Gerrard would have been proud of, and it found the fullback high up the field. The fact that he was allowed to push on in the dying minutes said a lot about the positive approach taken by Dalglish, and our refusal to settle for second best. 

What happened next said a lot about Glen’s natural ability as a footballer, as he drove towards goal, evaded Cole and Malouda, switched the ball between his feet and finished with aplomb in the bottom corner. Dirk Kuyt’s part in the goal is also worth mentioning, as it was his intelligent run that distracted Cole and opened up the space for Johnson. Small details.

In the moments that followed I’m not sure what I enjoyed more, the joyous celebration of Glen and Downing, Kenny’s touchline jig, or the replayed images of John Terry tumbling over as he just failed to prevent the goal. There was a time when a Liverpool victory at Stamford Bridge was as rare as an Everton win at Anfield. Now we’ve had three in the last four seasons. What a turnaround.

The next challenge facing the Reds is an even sterner test – the multi-million pound juggernaut that is Manchester City. Each week they seem to pulverise whatever side is put before them, any early resistance met by the introduction of several more superstars from their gold gilded, diamond encrusted substitutes bench. They have at least a team and a half full of top talent, a tremendous striker in Sergio Aguero and the Premiership’s best midfielder, David Silva. 

These resources have been enhanced by a new attacking philosophy, with right back Micah Richards playing like a right winger and holding midfielder Nigel De Jong often sacrificed in favour of more attacking talent. They look likely to win the title, and let’s face it, that is the lesser of two Mancunian evils.

However, City are coming off the back of a demoralising and hopefully exhausting defeat away in Italy, in which they were comprehensively turned over by a superior Napoli side, and this has made their hopes of Champions League progress slim indeed. Now is as good a time as any to face them, and I would like us to employ the same players and high pressing approach against Roberto Mancini’s men that worked so well in London. 

If City have one weakness it is in defence, namely the space their fullbacks leave behind them, and Vicent Kompany and Joleon Lescott’s vulnerability when faced with quick or intelligent movement and strikers peeling off them in and around the box. I know four men in Red shirts who fit the bill…