Wasted opportunities

WASTEFUL finishing and brittle defending has characterised much of Liverpool’s season so far – especially the last two games.

Five vital league points had already been squandered at home against Sunderland and away at Stoke due to a combination of the above, and the narrow victory over Wolves would have been a far more relaxed affair if several glorious chances had been converted.

Before the Everton and Manchester United games many Reds including myself speculated that four points would be a good haul, and that is what we achieved, largely thanks to a fortuitous red card decision at Goodison Park.

At the time I thought the draw against United was a frustrating but satisfactory result against the reigning champions, who set out to snatch a point with a very negative game plan and a team packed pull of defensive players.

Alex Ferguson brought three top quality performers off the bench in Wayne Rooney, Nani and Javier Hernandez to try and change the game after we took the lead, one of whom scored his team’s equaliser, and then United rode their luck as we spurned four clear chances to extend our winning run against them at Anfield.

Our impressive second half performance and domination of proceedings was of course some consolation in the immediate aftermath of the contest.  

But in the wake of their humiliating 6-1 thrashing at home to Manchester City on Sunday, I’m sure I wasn’t the only Liverpool fan thinking about why in hindsight we failed to defeat a team that were there for the taking.

United’s goal from their solitary chance of note was clearly the result of poor defending from both Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel, Carragher allowing Danny Wellbeck to win the first header and flick on Nani’s corner and Martin completely losing Hernandez, who made a trademark clever run and nodded in the one opportunity he had. What we would give for a ruthless finisher of his ability and promise at this point in time.

At the opposite end Luis Suarez missed an excellent first half opportunity, and in the final 10 minutes Stewart Downing created two great chances, with crosses to both Dirk Kuyt and Jordan Henderson, the former which Dirk stretched for, producing a good save from David de Gea, and the latter that really had to be put away by our otherwise impressive substitute, but was sent sailing over the bar.

In between de Gea made another impressive stop from a long-range Henderson effort, and a goalmouth melee which saw Rooney out jump Suarez to win an initial header eventually fell to Skrtel (which is rarely a good thing) and predictably ended up in the Kop.

I found myself wondering after the game what would have been the outcome if our aerial behemoth Andy Carroll (yes, the £35million man, to get that out the way) had taken the place of either little Luis or Jordan. Surely he would have stood a far better chance of finishing those chances late on? I’m pretty sure he would have out jumped Rooney at least. Yet despite much-improved performances from Andy against Wolves and Everton and a goal in the derby, he sat unused on the bench.

It was an omission that I presumed was mainly tactical as we had decided to play three in midfield, and one that I thought was perhaps still justified, as we controlled this zone of the pitch and even late on kept creating clear openings.

However, on Saturday against Norwich with Lucas Leiva suspended I was shocked not to see Andy back in the starting line-up. It seemed the perfect opportunity for him to get 90 minutes under his belt.

The game was similar to so many already this season. When the halftime whistle blew a scoreline of 4-0 would not have flattered us, such was our superiority, but we went in just 1-0 ahead thanks to a late deflected Craig Bellamy strike.

Bellamy was very impressive, linking well with Suarez and using his scintillating pace to penetrate their defence. And he showed more out there in one match than perhaps Downing has so far this term. After all, Downing is yet to produce either a goal or assist since his near £20m summer move, and while he has struck a crossbar and produced crosses that should have been buried, he does not look like a direct goal threat. He was disappointing on the right, and seems to currently be ahead of Maxi Rodriguez in the pecking order on reputation alone.

Dirk Kuyt laboured to little effect, having one of those days when he works harder and harder as a result of every poor final ball or touch, and then makes even more mistakes. It was hard to see why he was selected ahead of Carroll, and why Carroll did not replace him shortly after the break.

It is true that we were producing some mesmerising football, yet while Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam both provided creativity in the first 45 minutes, the man who deserved nearly all the credit was again Luis Suarez.

The Uruguayan’s approach play is a thing of beauty, with his skill, control and ability to evade tackles and create chances from out of nothing testament to his unquestionable individual brilliance. He also possesses great vision, and tries and succeeds in doing things you would think he has no right to attempt. Until it is time to pull the trigger, he is possibly the best attacking player I have ever seen in a Red shirt.

Unfortunately, if we have learned one thing watching Luis this season, it is that he is either enduring a prolonged period of misfortune in front of goal, or that in fact despite all his positive attributes, he is not the clinical finisher we desperately need. I know he was prolific in Holland, and of course he will create and score a lot of goals. But he seems to miss a lot of chances - chances you would expect him to tuck away. I can recount many already this season, in more games than not, and we increasingly look reliant on him having a good day in front of goal to clinch victory, because few other players are proving to be a consistent goal threat.

This may sound harsh – after all he hit the woodwork twice against Norwich, and he creates the vast majority of his opportunities himself. But I read he had 11 shots on goal, and surely a player of his calibre should hit the net at least once or twice and make the keeper work more often. In this respect he is more akin to an erratic Rooney-type forward than a Hernandez - or indeed in his Liverpool days, Fernando Torres.

The obvious solution is to partner Luis with a top goalscorer, which is what Kenny suggested Andy Carroll had the potential to become, but again, he is not getting enough time on the pitch to develop his game with us. And when he did come on, and was handed the sort of headed chance I mentioned earlier, he too fluffed his lines. Last season Andy was prolific for Newcastle, scoring 11 league goals in just 19 league games for a newly promoted side. We need to find a way to get him back to that kind of form.

Harking back to our other flaw, we are now in the curious position after years of relative strength at centre back and weakness at fullback, of finding ourselves looking deficient at our defensive core and impressive out wide.

With Daniel Agger again absent Martin and Jamie did not convince with or without the ball, particularly in aerial duels, in contrast to Jose Enrique and Glen Johnson, although both fullbacks were culpable to some extent in Norwich’s goal. Enrique allowed the cross and Glen looking unlikely to win the header before Pepe Reina decided it was up to him to deal with it. Sadly even the usually unflappable Spaniard has begun to get the jitters, with an uncharacteristic mistake at White Hart Lane several weeks back followed up by a catastrophic attempt to punch clear the cross that led to Grant Holt’s headed equaliser. 

After the goal the lack of a combative central midfielder became very apparent, with perhaps Stevie yet to find full match fitness and Charlie Adam joining our captain in giving the Norwich midfield far too much time on the ball. With nobody to break up play and provide a calming influence, both resorted to audacious passing attempts, and when we did regain possession we started hitting it long. The fluid football seen earlier in the game gave way to a frantic approach during a spell that could have seen us concede yet again but for the acrobatics of Pepe. More chances went begging late on, and we recorded a disappointing third home draw out of just five games at Anfield.  

   

With our perennial bogey team Stoke City away in the Carling Cup next on the agenda, and then a trip to meet the unapologetic architect of our turgid start to last season, Roy Hodgson, and his West Bromwich Albion side on Saturday, we really need two victories. Firstly to boost morale, and secondly and more importantly to further our quest for silverware and Champions League qualification. Arsenal have now recorded back to back league wins and Spurs continue to look like the team most likely to clinch that coveted fourth spot having put their early season woes behind them.

I hope that to begin with we give Carroll an opportunity in both games, and try to solve our attacking riddle, as for now we may have to wait for a solution in central defence to emerge. If we cannot keep goals out, we must score more and ensure that we do not pay the price for defensive lapses.

This squad has so much potential, but as we approach the end of October, our team and style of play looks no more set in stone than it did on the opening day in August.

Bad Karma

EARLIER this season I was forced to miss our 3-1 home win over Bolton Wanderers.

As a man of limited means I don’t get to many away games, but I attend nearly all our home matches in both league and cup. However, on this occasion, the choice was taken out of my hands.

Because of the rescheduling of the fixture by inconsiderate TV bosses, the encounter now clashed with an important family occasion, my girlfriend’s sister’s 21st birthday party. Being the dutiful boyfriend, I therefore found myself watching the game at their parents’ house.

I’m a believer in karma, of good deeds being rewarded, and thankfully my sacrifice did not go unnoticed. We strolled to victory, and the circumstances could not have been sweeter.

Midway through the game a confident young man walked into the room, and introduced himself as one of the birthday girl’s university friends. This forthright gentleman was a Londoner, and a Tottenham fan, and his first comment after glancing at the action took me by surprise.

“Charlie Adam is so overrated – he’s so average.”

I said I thought he was a good player, but before I had the chance to defend our new Scottish midfielder at length, Mr Adam placed the ball on the corner spot, took a swing of his cultured left foot, and whipped a cross onto Martin Skrtel’s head. 2-0. Exactly a minute later Dirk Kuyt played in the man from Dundee, who obliged by unleashing a low right-footed shot that nestled in the corner of the net.

3-0 to Liverpool. 1-0 to me.

My smile was now as wide as the Mersey, and my newfound friend slightly less cocksure. But the next day things got even better. Sitting down to watch his cherished Spurs face Manchester City at White Hart Lane, what unfolded before us was nothing short of a football lesson. And it was Harry Redknapp’s side who found themselves sat in the corner wearing the dunce’s hat.

City were mesmerising, Dzeko, Aguero, Nasri and Silva’s link-up play a joy to behold, and the 5-1 scoreline flattered Spurs. I gave my new pal a handshake and wished him a safe journey home. I’m pretty sure I was still laughing by the time he got off his train back at Euston.

Sadly, all of this gloating has been a preamble to an obvious riposte – and a dose of bad karma brought about by crowing in victory.

Shorn of the misfiring Peter Crouch, and with a motivated Emmanuel Adebayor in his place, Spurs recorded an impressive 2-0 win away at Wolves last week. The Tottenham side Liverpool faced yesterday was a team transformed, and it was us who were shown how it should be done.

Looking at the two line-ups and judging the opening exchanges, it was clear how far they had come in just three weeks. Luka Modrić is no longer the subdued figure angling for a transfer, and once again looks like one of the finest footballers in the country. Alongside him was the man who officially holds that title, the reigning PFA Footballer of the Year, Scott Parker. Guile allied with grit.

Niko Kranjčar, so ruthlessly exposed when asked to play centrally against City, was back on the right wing, with the pace of Gareth Bale a constant threat on the opposite flank. Their 4-4-2 spearheaded by Adebayor and Jermaine Defore looked extremely dangerous.

We shaped up in a 4-3-3 formation - the first of many mistakes made by Kenny, in what was surely the worst performance of his second spell at Anfield. That isn’t a slight on the King, because even the great managers get it wrong on occasion. This was one of those occasions.

Firstly, any Red seeing Martin Skrtel at right back, set to face Gareth Bale, must have shuddered. I like Martin, and think he can do a job as a squad player, but for me he is rash, physically weak despite looking so imposing, and should be fourth in line out of our central defenders as the season progresses.

When it comes to the right back position, he shouldn’t even be considered. But to be fair to Kenny, the absence of both our first and second choice players in that position through injury, Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly, didn’t leave him with many options. I’d have preferred to see Jamie Carragher, a fullback who became a centre half, out there if necessary, or the other right back in the squad, the youngster Jon Flanagan, selected. Perhaps following a shaky performance from him against Sunderland on the opening day, Kenny didn’t feel he was ready to face the Welsh winger.

Whatever the reasoning, Skrtel was the choice, and surely ahead of him therefore must have been Dirk Kuyt, tasked to double up on Bale and provide industry and commitment to protect our weak link. Instead we got a player who increasingly looks like a central midfield prospect, Jordan Henderson, tucking in on the right where he is not comfortable, and he was largely anonymous.

On the left hand side Jose Enrique had an okay game compared to most, but again he was left exposed by the man ahead of him. Which brings us back around to Charlie Adam.

I was delighted when we signed Charlie, as I saw him as a player with great vision, a lovely range of accurate passes both short and long, and deadly set pieces. I thought he would give us another dimension, and increase our goal threat, because he set up and scored so many goals for Blackpool last year.

What has become more apparent however since watching him up close week in, week out is his defensive frailty, his lack of mobility, his over ambition or reliance on picking the perfect long pass (which can lead to him conceding possession cheaply) and his dirty streak. He makes bad tackles, and occasionally nasty tackles, often when stretching for a ball he has lost or when trying to recover ground when caught out of position.

Admittedly things were already going very badly, as Spurs had flown out of the traps and Modrić scored a sensational goal. Then the sight we all dread came to fruition once more, with the brittle Agger leaving the field injured. What followed was a very short spell in which we started to settle, and I hoped we could ease our way back into the game. Only for Adam to make life ten times harder.

The referee appeared to have decided to issue a booking for every foul, at least every foul committed by a Liverpool player. I think we made eight fouls and received six bookings, Spurs 10 in return for only one yellow card. But possibly the first Adam tussle aside, which I think could have seen him escape with an early warning, the referee was not at fault, and he should not be blamed for this defeat. Spurs were superior in every department, and our fouls were stupid and reckless.

Adam may not have meant to hurt Parker, but he shouldn’t be lunging at a player like that when on his last warning. When he caught Parker’s leg it was the closest he got to him all afternoon.

I feel we need to consider resting Adam when away at places like Spurs, as he’s a player who will shine against dross at Anfield and help unlock the door against teams that park the bus, but doesn't seem suited to a battle away from home. 

I would much rather have seen a Lucas and Spearing combination yesterday, which worked to great effect last year against some illustrious opponents, or even a pairing of Lucas and Henderson. Spearing’s tenacity was missed, and it puzzles me that players like him, Maxi and Dirk, who shone so brightly last season under Kenny, are sat on the bench, when those ahead of them are hardly pulling up trees. 

Skrtel’s red card came at a time when I was beginning to think we could ride out the storm and nick something. Down to nine men, the floodgates opened. Skrtel was again perhaps unlucky with his first booking, but the second yellow was never in doubt. Enrique was then turned by Jermaine Defoe for Tottenham’s second, and the match as a contest was over. But in reality it had been from the start, with even Lucas chasing shadows in the middle, Downing isolated, Suarez frothing at the mouth and in danger of receiving a red himself, and Andy Carroll looking so out of sorts it was painful to watch.

I can see the reasoning behind dropping Andy when others are performing well and he is not, but on the other hand he is supposed to be the future, the player we are set to build our attack around under Kenny. Dirk is not the future at 31, so much as I prefer him with Suarez and think they link up well, I believe we should give the 22-year-old the nod for a run of games, and try and play him into form. I think it would be good for him to know that if he misses a chance or two, or struggles for sharpness, that he will still be in the side the following weekend. He needs to get back to the rampaging beast we saw at Newcastle, instead of this timid, lumbering giant, and confidence is key.  

The goals that followed once Skrtel needlessly kicked Bale only served to underline how poor we had been and how impressive Spurs were on the day, the peerless Modrić head and shoulders above the rest. All day long the gap between our defence and midfield formed a massive chasm, and Modrić revelled in the free space he had between the lines.

It seems Jamie is dragging our defence back nearer and nearer to Pepe Reina’s net with every passing game. If we are to improve defensively we must push our backline higher up the pitch, but that is not in the best interests of the man organising our back four on the field, due to his diminishing pace. It was hard to gain much of an impression of Coates given the circumstances, but I really hope before long we see him partner Agger, flanked by Johnson or Kelly and Enrique, and the whole defensive line advance 10 yards. At least. 

 

Between now and next Saturday against Wolves, I’m praying Steven Gerrard makes his return, to bring some much needed leadership, presence, attacking impetus, and above all, quality. But with such a lengthy layoff, there is no guarantee he will hit the ground running. It will be interesting to see where he fits into the team. Ideally Kelly will return at right back, Coates keep his place alongside Carragher if Agger is unfit, and one of Adam or Henderson make way for Gerrard to play as a central attacking midfielder ahead of Lucas and the partner of Kenny’s choosing. I’d like to see an attacking three of Downing, Stevie and Suarez supporting Carroll, and maybe get a glimpse for the first time at the attacking quartet Kenny has in mind.

Before I finish I’ll say this - we must remember that following such a heavy defeat, our worst in eight years, all is not lost. We are not as bad as Sunday indicated, nor as good as the routine dismissal of Bolton suggested. We are a work in progress, and it’s evident that us, Arsenal and Spurs, the probable contenders for fourth place, all look capable of dropping silly points and switching from Jekyl to Hyde at the drop of a hat.

All of which brings this rather depressing second post to a conclusion. I should clarify that – it has been depressing for me and other Reds, no doubt. But if he reads it, it will probably be a source of great amusement for a certain cheeky chap from north London. Mr David Domb - I believe that is 1-1 sir!