Liverpool 1 Sparta Prague 0

Liverpool 1 Sparta Prague 0 (1-0 agg)
Kuyt 86

That was a good bit better than the first leg, and a winning result that we deserved. We played with better tempo, we created more chances, and whilst the winning goal took a long time in coming, it was a fair result.

Dalglish switched things around, but once again going for a 4-2-3-1 formation. He started Kelly and Cole and gave Kuyt a license to roam a bit. Ngog again got the start as did Wilson at left back, and Poulsen came in for Aurelio for one of the central holding midfield berths alongside Lucas:

———— Reina ————-
Kelly – Kyrgiakos – Agger – Wilson
—– Lucas —— Poulsen —–
– Kuyt —– Meireles — Cole –
————- Ngog —————-

Subs: Carragher for Kelly (46), Spearing for Poulsen (65), Skrtel for Agger (85)

Both teams started this match at a better pace than the previous dull encounter. Liverpool had a penalty shout early on. Sparta were lively for a bit with efforts going in as they looked for an away goal. They had a poke over the bar, another shot over, a header saved. Liverpool didnt sit back and got in a good effort when a header from Kyrgiakos was well saved.

Then Sparta had a near gift when Reina missed a corner completely only for the chance not to be taken as we scrambled it clear. A sharper Sparta not playing in their off-season may have buried that one. We got in on the action again when a good cross in from Kelly was met firmly by Meireles but he blazed it a yard over the bar with the goalie beaten. He got a knock in the back of the neck as well.

Joe Cole was having a better game, but not all that stellar either, and he missed a chance. Ngog when given a chance shot high and straight at their keeper making things easy for him. If Liverpool were to score, they were going to have to put their shooting boots on and do better than this.

Then it was the turn of Lucas who made a long-range effort go very close from about 25 yards out. Ngog worked but not with any great effect. Kuyt was his usual hard working self. Poulsen wasnt great. Wilson was concentrating more on defensive duties. Carragher had replaced Kelly at half-time but wasnt able to provide the width and potency that Kelly has. And as the clock counted down, the goal came, rather unremarkably from a corner and a close range header from Kuyt. It was what the team had deserved though.

Sparta tried a bit after that but had little time and Cole had a chance near the end but failed to capitalise. The game ended and we were through to the next round of 16, and that brought smiles across the faces of players, the manager and Stevie G who had to sit this out and watch it from the stands. The tally at the end of the match read Liverpool’s dominating 21 attempts to Sparta’s 9 attempys. Now that was more like it and the contrast between the 1st leg and the 2nd leg was exemplified by that statistic.

So, Liverpool are in the next round. Without Gerrard, without Carroll, without Suarez, and without our ex-player, the unmentionable Torres. Its a welcome distraction from the serious business of the league. Having Gerrard out for so long though is a worry, as it will take him at least a match to get back up to his full speed. Next up in the league its West Ham, which is on paper 3 points. We are quite a few points behind Tottenham and Chelsea so all we can do for now is keep winning.

Lets hope its a habit ….

Redspider

Sparta 0 Liverpool 0

Sparta Prague 0 Liverpool 0 (1st leg, Europa League, round of 32)

This was a woeful performance by Liverpool, as we only mustered up a mere 3 chances and all of them off target. We were really poor and Dalglish can only be left scrathing his head after this one. The only good news was that the opposition were not that much better and the game ended scoreless.

Dalglish stayed with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Gerrard was still missing and was missed for sure. Johnson was started at right back, Kelly was rested as Wilson was given the left back duties. Ngog got the start up-front and Aurelio was paired in midfield with Lucas, with Maxi on the left and Kuyt on the right:

———— Reina ————-
Johnson – Carra – Kyrgiakos — Wilson
—– Lucas —— Aurelio —–
– Kuyt —– Meireles — Maxi —-
————- Ngog —————-

Subs: Cole for Aurelio (38), Skrtel for Ngog (84)

Liverpool started comfortably and looked like they were there to win it. It was a cold night and Sparta looked as if they were stuck in first gear, it being their winter break. Liverpool had some control but lacked everything in the final third. Meireles was good once again and nearly sent through Ngog. Meanwhile Sparta troubled us only slightly as a shot went well over the bar, but then more dangerously when a low shot after a corner just went wide. Sparta may have been tepid but were more dangerous than us.

Johnson was beaten as Sparta threatened down that side, they created a shot from a tight angle which Reina saved. However Johnson was creative going forward as Liverpool tried to string passes together to open them up. Kuyt nearly put through Maxi, after some good interaction between Meireles and Ngog. Then it was Reina’s turn to once again flap at a cross but the gifted chance that fell to Sparta was skied well over the bar. And Kyrgiakos made a good block soon after.

Aurelio went off injured in the first half, with Joe Cole replacing. It was Cole’s pass that attempted to set-up Ngog but he was snuffed out by Repka. Then Repka fouled Ngog off the field ‘in the box’ yet no foul was given although a yellow card was dished out to both players. Then it was Kuyt’s turn to be wasteful when he missed the ball when close in.

In the second half, Liverpool looked more accomplished going forward yet still didnt create enough. Johnson was more creative down the right.

Sparta werent completely asleep as they got off a header wide. Johnson was in on the act again and when through pehaps should have shot with his left but instead attempted a poor curl with the outside of his right. Reina was called into action soonafter as he saved low from a shot 10 yards out.

It was 0-0 and Dalglish decided to keep it that way when he brought in Skrtel for Ngog on 84 mins. This invited Sparta onto Liverpool however and Sparta had a lashed shot that just went past the post as Reina scrambled. But that was it, it finished 0-0 and set things up nicely for us for the 2nd leg. The tally at the end of the match read Sparta’s 13 attempts to our measly 3, all of them off target!!!!

That was a pretty bad performance from us. Dalglish cant be too pleased with it, although the result was okay in the end. It certainly shows a lack of cutting edge strength and depth in the squad. He will just have to write it down as an off day. All we can do is look forward to the return leg and know that we are in a good position to get through. Surely the players will play better the next time when back at Anfield ….

Surely?

Redspider

Liverpool 1 Wigan 1

Liverpool 1 Wigan 1
Meireles 24
– Gohouri 65

Liverpool return to earth with a display that lacked punch and a dropping of two points. Whilst we did deserve to win this match, hitting the woodwork twice, we didnt get expansive enough to create enough scoreable chances. Its games and results like these that determine our league position.

Dalglish reverted to a 4-2-3-1 formation, but was missing Gerrard. His presence probably would have sealed the 3 points. Suarez got the start he has been looking for. He was the point player but interchanged with Kuyt in a fluid front four. Indeed, for the second half Maxi was more on the left. Aurelio got the holding midfield berth alongside Lucas:

———— Reina ————-
Kelly – Carra – Skrtel — Johnson
—– Lucas —— Aurelio —–
– Maxi —– Meireles — Kuyt —-
————- Suarez —————-

Subs: N’Gog for Meireles (54), Jovanovic for Kuyt (73)

Liverpool had the better of the opening. We had a penalty shout early on when Suarez was running into the box in position for a cut back but got clipped, but it wasnt given. Then Kuyt tried an effort from distance but it was straight at their goalie. We were going to have to be more threatening than that.

The goal came reasonably early after some good work from Kelly on the right, saw his cross eventually collected by Aurelio who skipped his marker well, got in a cross which deflected and fell nicely for Meireles and he lashed it home from about 15 yards out.

Meireles is having a rich vein of form, not only in terms of goal-scoring, but in terms of playing, and this is good to see. He has proven to be a key player for us.

We kept up the pressure soonafter when Suarez came out to collect the ball, beat his marker and got off a shot from the left hand side which struck the far post. A great effort. Wigan offered zero real threat in the first half.

Wigan woke up a bit in the second half. Kelly was beaten down the wing and the cross was met at the near post but Rodallega side footed it wide. Then, a significant change for us as Meireles had to go off through injury/illness, replaced by N’Gog. Liverpool had to reshuffle the deck up front, and became less threatening. What with Gerrard out, Torres (dare I mention his name) no longer part of the picture, and now Meireles off, we were certainly less equipped in our potency. Suarez was trying though.

But then came their goal. They had been threatening on crosses in the game. Reina had punched some well out it has to be said but was under pressure for several. A cross came in from the right, it was nudged on only for Gohouri to poke it home after being offside at the far post. It wasnt much of an offside and the linesman probably missed the knock-on. Perhaps Kelly could have done better as he was partially guilty of ball-watching. Reina may have done so as well. This was just one of those goals but one key factor was that Wigan had as many men as us in the box, and we didnt have an extra defender in there. Not the way to organise.

Liverpool did come back but were nullified in the main. Suarez took over a free kick duty from Aurelio and hit the bar with the keeper well beaten. Suarez had a good game but in patches. Many times he was getting the ball or trying to get it and was losing out. He was trying though.

Aurelio had a good game, as did Lucas. People have been giving out about Kuyt but he played like he does in most other matches. N’Gog as we know doesnt threaten much. Maxi was reasonable. Jovanovic came on for Kuyt but was terrible. The problem we have is that we just dont have enough quality in the final third.

Aurelio shot over from outside the box as the game was heading towards a close, and Skrtel headed over before the final whistle. The tally at the end of the match read Liverpool’s 13 attempts to Wigan’s 8.

This draw wasnt a fair reflection on the match itself, we did create more than Wigan and should have won, but thats football. We were missing some key players, but we should still be putting teams like this away. Was it my imagination or did Anfield seem dead quiet at times during the match? The fans have to use their voices when things are not going our way. Walk through the rain and the storm and all that.

So, what now for Dalglish and Liverpool? This was a slight set-back but nothing major. He has dabbled with 5-2-3 and it has worked, and the reversion back to 4-2-3-1 was not a success on the day, albeit with the personel changes. Dalglish cited the internationals as a reason but that is clutching at straws.

We have a double of European matches coming up which will be a rest mentally perhaps. Our target for at least 6th in the league is still on track. The outside chance of getting 4th was certainly not made easier due to this result, but we know this is only an outside chance at the very best, and the players just have to keep fighting for it.

Lets stay positive, and lets get back to winning ways. Sparta Prague next for 2 games and then West Ham in the league.

Redspider

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1
- Meireles 69

Wow, now this was a nice win to savour! The added spice was the inclusion of Torres into the Chelsea line-up. But apart from this, we played well and whilst we didnt create as many chances as Chelsea, the ones we did create were better. A great win, and a solid 3 points that now sees us back in the top-6, and just 6 points behind Chelsea who are in 4th. Could we?

There was again a lot of pre-match talk especially as Ancelotti started with Torres. Dalglish once again opted for the 5-2-3 formation, with the 2 wing-backs but with the return of Carragher. A change in midfield as Gerrard was moved back deeper and alongside Lucas, giving Gerrard the job of nullifying Lampard. Maxi was given the left role, but Suarez was again on the bench:

————– Reina —————
– Carragher -– Skrtel — Agger —-
Kelly ———————- Johnson
—— Lucas —– Gerrard ———
— Meireles ———— Maxi —-
————- Kuyt —————–

Subs: Aurelio for Maxi (75), Poulsen for Meireles (83)

The major subtext to this match of course was the playing of Torres, but, like all football matches, its the football thats played which actually counts.

Torres I thought didnt look that comfortable in his Chelsea gear from the off. We got an early test as to his mindset and sharpness when after 90 seconds Maxi inexplicably gifted Torres the ball in an advanced position but Torres skewed his shot from the edge of the box skyward and well wide. That was a let off and the game could have been completely different if that would have been struck well and in.

Chelsea had a formidable attack line of Anelka, Drogba and Torres in a 4-3-3, but they werent stretching Liverpool that much, as the game was tight in midfield and our defence worked well. But they were getting more attempts at goal. One came then when Torres was put through well by Drogba but Carra blocked Torres’s shot as he beared in on goal. Torres also seemed to scuff his shot a bit as well. Torres ‘dream’ move didnt seem to be having a dream start, thats for sure.

Liverpool were playing well in midfield and more than holding their own, with the wing-backs providing width. Then came the actual best chance of the match, when a good cross from Gerrard avoided the Chelsea defenders but somehow an unmarked Maxi lifted his side-foot shot from all of just 3.5 yards onto the bar and away. What a miss. Would we rue it?

Liverpool were bottling Chelsea up quite well, but Chelsea were still fizzing in attempts from range, some closer than others. And on set pieces, we looked somewhat under pressure. Our 3 centre backs were playing well, but Reina as usual didnt command the danger areas on crosses.

In the 2nd half, Liverpool got a mental boost when Torres was subbed off. Ancelotti had gambled by putting Torres into the mix, but I felt it a bad move on 2 counts, first to put him on, and secondly to haul him off so early, even if trying to change things.

Liverpool got the goal soonafter. Gerrard, who had a good game, crossed in from the right towards Kuyt who went for the cross but the ball went through the gap of both Ivanovic and Cech, who seemed to bottle away from Kuyt’s presence. The ball went across the goal to the incoming Meireles, who’s follow-up work again put him in this position, and he shot and scored well from about 12 yards out with his left foot. A great score!

Granted, given the run of play of efforts on goal, it wasnt as if we had been peppering their goal with close shave after each other, but this was at least some recompense for Maxi’s terribe miss.

And as Chelsea changed things and the game opened up, they gave us more chances. One chance was where Aurelio nearly capitalised when after a good run, when he got a shot off only for it to be well saved by Cech.

Chelsea did have a penalty shout when Johnson, a former right back at Chelsea, seemed to give Ivanovic, the current right back, too much of a push, but that would have been a ‘homer’ decision if ever there was one. The game ran out and Liverpool were the winners. And it was a win to savour for sure, with plenty of bragging rights. The tally at the end of the match read Chelsea’s 14 attempts to Liverpool’s 7.

Overall, good performances from many, Kelly, Carra, Johnson, Gerrard and Meireles, but also Lucas who I think deserves a very special positive mention. He played really well and was very effective. Its not often I praise him but he deserves a lot of praise for the way he played in this match.

There is plenty to consider in this game. One, is the formation of Liverpool, when Dalglish once again went with a 5-2-3 with wingbacks and 3 central defenders. This is twice in a row now so cannot just be considered as a one-off. Will he do it again? But then long-term, how does this fit in with Carroll and Suarez? It may fit in with Carroll IF he plays as the single role up front with the wing backs of Kelly and Johnson providing the supply, along with Kuyt on the right and Meireles on the left.

But then, what about Suarez? A small footnote to the win over Chelsea was that Suarez didnt even get on. I think Dalglish should have put him on for Kuyt towards the end, say with 15 to go, because as the game opened up as Chelsea had to chase it, his better pace could have helped to secure the 2nd goal and a win. And he would have gained a lot by playing at Chelsea.

What with an unclear path ahead for Liverpool in terms of players positions and formations, etc, Dalglish is certainly making things interesting.

The litmus measure of course are results on the field. If a formation works reasonably well, and produces a result and the 3 points, then great. I think Kenny was aiming for a draw with the formation, and most fans certainly would have been happy with that.

So, what next for Liverpool? Next in the league its Wigan, 3 points on ‘paper’, 3 points target. Hopefully Kenny and the players can keep this momentum going. Then, its Europe again with an away and then a home tie versus Sparta Prague.

Things are certainly looking up for Liverpool, and lets hope they continue ….

Redspider

Liverpool 2 Stoke 0

Liverpool 2 Stoke 0
Meireles 47
Suarez 79

Liverpool’s run of wins continues, this time deserved and with slightly more aplomb. It was after a hectic transfer window set of changes, but Dalglish and Liverpool got back to the football and won with an unusual changed formation.

There was a lot of pre-match talk, what with Torres being sold, and the arrival of Suarez and Andy Carroll. Dalglish didnt have Carroll available. He opted for a new 5-2-3 formation, with 3 centre backs and 2 ‘wing-backs’. Indeed, with Kuyt playing the leading position and Suarez on the bench, this formation looked lacking in teeth:

————– Reina —————
—– Skrtel – Kyrgiakos – Agger —-
Kelly —————————— Johnson
——— Lucas — Aurelio ———
—- Meireles ———- Gerrard —
—————– Kuyt —————–

Subs: Suarez for Aurelio (63), Shelvey for Meireles (75)

If Kenny was taking a risk with his imaginative and perhaps “retro” formation of 5-2-3, it looked at the start and indeed for most of the 1st half that his gamble wasnt going to pay off. Liverpool didnt get going for the first half hour. Stoke were behind the ball in the main and threatening little, but they were nullifying Liverpool, quite easily.

It took until after the half hour mark before Liverpool looked like a decent threat. Meireles and Gerrard were working well, and the passing was getting better with Kuyt. The ‘wing-backs’ of Kelly and Johnson started to get further forward and we created chances.

The first chance of the match fell earlier to Kyrgiakos, as he headed a Gerrard corner goalwards only for ex-Liverpool Diao to clear it out. Stoke had a couple of attempts, one a Carew header from a cross by ex-Liverpool Pennant. Liverpool also had a penalty claim.

Then a great chance as a good cross from deep by Kelly was met in the 6-yard box by his opposite wingback Johnson who’s header brought a great reaction save from their keeper. That was close and a positive sign of things to come. Then Kuyt got in on the action, heading wide from a Gerrard cross, and then volleying over from close range, before shooting straight at their goalie after a good passing move involving Gerrard, Lucas and Aurelio.

Early in the 2nd half Liverpool got the goal they deserved. A free kick outside the box from Gerrard deflected off the wall, was only barely-cleared by a Huth touch into the path of Meireles and he lashed it into the net with his left foot. Stoke were flat footed and ball watching to a certain extent but the hunger of the Liverpool players with many advanced forward and battling contibuted to this goal.

But Stoke weren’t here for the ride and Carew countered almost immeditaely but his shot from outside the box went just wide of the far post.

Then on came Suarez. He looked lively from the off I thought, and sharp enough even not having match practice since his ‘monster’ biting incident at Ajax. He was on the scoresheet soonafter when a straight ball through from Kuyt, as Stoke pushed up to the halfway line, resulted in Suarez being one-on-one with the kepper. It wasnt an exquisite finish from Suarez with his left foot, the ball barely getting towards the goal and the defender only barely failing to clear it. Torres would probably have done it better. But what a start for the player though, and for the fans. 2-0, this was going well.

Stoke had one more attempt but it was straight at Reina, indeed it was their only attempt on target for the whole match. It has to be said despite the win, Stoke were much poorer than when we met them last time. The tally at the end of the match read Liverpool’s 13 attempts to Stoke’s 6 attempts.

The magic of Dalglish continues, although this was a seismic change of personnel during the week. Lets discuss that.

Torres
There’s a whole swirling of thoughts when I think about what has happened and Torres going to Chelsea for 50m. The thinking also has to be tied into the concurrent signings of Andy Carroll and Suarez.

First, for Torres to be valued at 50m is good, 50m is normally a lot of money that could normally buy several or many world class playes. Fernando was valued at 70m at one stage. I have (had?) a lot of time for Torres. He is a quality finisher. Granted, there were times this season when he didnt seem to be putting in all his effort for Liverpool FC, but with the change of manager and a chance to get back into a top-6, if not a top-4 finish, I thought he could be cajoled to stay another season and at least to the end of this season.

I can understand any player of his calibre if not being in Champions League football and what that means to him. That is enough to push any player on, and Torres has shown us some loyalty by staying when we didnt have any CL football this season, so he is not a ‘judas’.

However, his desire to leave now is certainly questionable. And to a rival. Chelsea are likely to be in the top-4 mix, have been for the last few seasons and are a rival to us for finishing up there. So, for Torres to go to any of our rivals, and there I would include Tottenham and Man City, as well as Arsenal and Man Utd of course, is hard to swallow. If he had left to join Real Madrid for 50m it would have put a different complexion on the move. And such a move at the end of the season would have been ‘acceptable’ by me. So, for now its a loss. Its not all Torres decision making. Liverpool owned his registration so could have said no. They had a price. And its galling in a way that they would sell to Chelsea. Time may be the ultimate measure as to whether this was a good decision or not by our ‘new’ owners.

Andy Carroll
We all know a little bit about him, an ‘english’ style cente forward, battling, good in the air, tough. But what I dont see are enough ball skills. To want such a player is one thing, how he will mix into the team playing wise, but to spend 35m on him is surely unfathomable?!? Even 20m would be a stretch in my opinion. 17m, would be enough, I would have thought, 35m is crazy, really. And forgetting about the money aspect, how will he fit in with a team that doesnt have fast wingers?!?

Suarez
23m for him is on the high side. He did well at the world cup, can finish goals, but whether that will translate into the english league remains to be seen. His compadre who has come on well since he left the premier league is Diego Forlan. He didnt perform in the english league so there is no guarantee Suarez will perform. He has got off to a reasonable start though.

Overall
Liverpool are are at yet another cross roads. When Dalglish took the helm, it remained to be seen if his magic with the same players would have been enough to get things back on track. Whilst there hasnt been a sea-change under him, there has been progress and the slide has been arrested.

But with a complete change in the attacking line-up with these transfers, this is I feel a big risk. And 50m-23m-35m is an investment of 8m. Dalglish will have to play Suarez and Carroll, which will take a while to gel in. Also, in what formation, 4-4-2? And how does Gerrard and Meireles fit into that scheme in the advanced midfielder role?

There are many questions, many imponderables, and for me an unclear future. With Torres at Liverpool, at least we knew what we had, we knew where Stevie G could play with him and we knew we could get results, a top-6 finish for sure and in a ‘normal’ season a top-4.

Now, I have no idea whats going to happen. A lot will depend on how the players play, where Dalglish plays the new players and how they mix in with the old. One problem is that this is mid-season, and unlike the summer season break, players wont get any match practice apart from real ones. It could be a costly learning environment for Liverpool and these players.

I am not totally enamoured by Carroll. For me, Torres is clearly a better player. And Torres is better than Suarez. And indeed Suarez may be better than Carroll. The club is taking a gamble that two players will be better than one better one. We will just have to wait and see if that works out. For me, its a risk, and its a risk that it may not work out, that Liverpool wont make the top-6.

The times, they are a-changing ….. but to what, I have no idea.

To add spice to the situation, next up its Chelsea on Sunday. At least our defenders know Torres well, but this match could certainly have a few fireworks …..

Redspider

Liverpool 1 Fulham 0

Liverpool 1 Fulham 0
Panstil og 52

Liverpool get a win, just about, in a bit of a scrappy affair where chances by both sides were had. The ‘luck’ of Dalglish may be rubbing off, even if this was a lesser and a less potent performance.

Dalglish again went with a 4-2-3-1, with the same back four line-up, welcoming back Gerrard but playing him in the deeper midfield role, and keeping Meireles advanced. Poulsen had the greater defensive midfield responsibility as Liverpool missed Lucas:

————– Reina —————
Kelly – Skrtel – Agger – Johnson
—– Poulsen —— Gerrard —–
Kuyt —– Meireles —– Maxi
————- Torres —————-

Subs: Shelvey for Kuyt (66), Aurelio for Poulsen (80)

Liverpool didnt play as well as they did in some recent games. However, we were certainly brighter for a large first part of the match.

Liverpool got off to a good start, when Meireles, who had another good game, passed the ball very nicely through for Torres, who controlled it and put it into the net. Unfortunately it was wrongly, in my opinion, ruled off-side. Where is a female linesperson who knows the offside rule when you need them! That was a let off for Fulham.

We threatened again soonafter, a cross in from Kelly was met with precision by the head of Meireles but only somehow the Fulham keeper made a great save when it looked like it was going in. That was close. Then Gerrard tested him before he then saved from an excellent effort from Glen Johnson who came inside on his right foot. Liverpool were doing well but had no goals for their efforts.

Fulham then showed that they werent just there to be beaten. Dempsey tested Reina who parried before the ball was cleared, and then a real good chance from Dembele who on his weaker left foot from close range, after a by-line feed, could only shoot straight at Reina from 12 yards out.

This game was not all out attacking as both defences and midfields mopped up build-ups and moves. But then early in the 2nd half Liverpool got the goal they deserved, when a Torres shot on the edge of the box was badly deflected, hit the post, and in the melee with good follow-up pressure from Meireles and some by Kuyt, the Fulham back sliced his clearance into his own goal. It might have been messy, but Liverpool were deserving of this 1-0 lead.

But thereafter, Fulham upped their game, and Liverpool allowed them to play and create chances. Indeed, chance after chance. Dempsey had a volley saved, then ex-Liverpool Danny Murphy had a free that went wide. A Fulham header from a corner had Reina beaten but was cleared off the line by Meireles, barely after he mis-kicked before finally being cleared. Then Dembele had a quick shot saved by Reina as we dug in with a rearguard action.

This was not pretty. We didnt look like getting the second goal to deflate the pressure. We defended with guts more than composure until the end and both the players and fans were glad to hear that final whistle. The tally at the end of the match read Liverpool’s 11 attempts to Fulham’s 12.

This was a performance which perhaps Dalglish didnt expect. After a 0-3 away win at Wolves, with more or less most of the same personnel, you would expect the team to kick on, to relish being at home, and to sweep in a few goals in a game of domination. We did okay in the first part of the match, but totally let Fulham back into the game.

But perhaps there were a few factors. Gerrard was in the defensive midfield role on his first game back. That is not his best position, and he does tend to be a bit ‘slower’ on his first game back. Poulsen is not as good in terms of the mop-up role as Lucas is, who has grown slowly into that role and now can carry it out reasonably well. Kuyt was also subbed off on 66 minutes, and he is a solid battler and tackler and has strong defensive qualities, and more than Shelvey. If anything, Liverpool’s formation became a bit disjointed when Shelvey and then Aurelio came on. So, not great substitution choices by Dalglish in my assessment.

One huge problem Dalglish has now is what to do with Meireles and Gerrard. Their best positions are the same position, the advanced midfielder role. Meireles has demonstarted that he is very effective there, as has Gerrard of course. And both players are less effective elsewhere. He cant play both there, and he would have to radically re-shape the side if he were to have both of them advanced. To compound the problem, Joe Cole also prefers that same advanced position, as he doesnt play that well when positioned right midfield (where Kuyt is best deployed) or left midfield (where Maxi has been doing a reasonable role).

Its not easy being a Manager when all the pieces of your jigsaw dont fit perfectly. Of course, players can be moved and can adapt to new positions, but sometimes this can take many matches, plus sometimes it just doesnt work out. Time will tell what Dalglish opts for. This transfer window would have been an opportunity for him to fix some of the gaps. Babel going is a relief in a way as he was never effective on the left, and his only usefulness was coming on as sub with his pace. And if Suarez does arrive, what formation will Kenny opt for and who will he play where. Choices, choices.

Overall, a very welcome win. We are in 7th place and 5 points behind Sunderland in 6th. Thats a gap so getting 6th place will be our next target. We are 6 points behind Spurs, and 9 behind Chelsea in 4th, both having played a game less than us.

Things remain positive, next up its Stoke at home in one week, no game on the weekend. Winning ugly may not be pretty, but I think most fans at this stage would just take the win and 3 points no matter how it would happen.

Keep it up team !

Redspider

Wolves 0 Liverpool 3

Wolves 0 Liverpool 3
- Torres 36
– Meireles 50
– Torres 90+1

Now that is more like it! A solid win for us, fully deserved, plus away from home, and Kenny Dalglish’s first win. Plus, the players played well, not perfect, but well. Even if the opposition was lowly Wolves, given our recent loss against them, this was a very welcome result.

Dalglish again went with a 4-2-3-1, again with the same back four, this time giving Poulsen a holding midfield role instead of Spearing, and the rest up front the same:

————– Reina —————
Kelly – Skrtel – Agger – Johnson
—– Lucas ——– Poulsen —–
Kuyt —– Meireles —– Maxi
————- Torres —————-

Subs: Shelvey for Poulsen (73), Aurelio for Maxi (81)

Wolves approached this game as the last time, but Liverpool were in a different mood and showed a great combative spirit throughout. Wolves created little real threat in this match and Liverpool defended reasonably and threatened well at the other end. It should have been more.

Meireles had a great game and was instrumental throughout. Poulsen gave Wolves their first scary moment, when his shot was blocked after being set-up by Lucas, who also had a good steady game. Meireles was linking up well and set Torres off, who’s shot was well saved. Meireles sent in a long strike and Maxi also forced the keeper to save. This was looking good.

Then the goal came. Poulsen slid a pass through the backline of Wolves onto Meireles who was clear before he fed it across the keeper to Torres on the 6 yard box who stroked it home. Nice move and a nice goal for 0-1.

Wolves woke up a bit at that point with shots from Fletcher and Milijas. Liverpool were warned not to rest on their laurels. Liverpool had a chance early in the second half when Kuyt racing through on goal with only the goalie to beat poked his shot tamely and straight at the Wolves goalie. That should have been two. Would we rue the miss?

Well, we got a bit of magic soonafter. Meireles, who has been threatening with some long shots all season, received a header out and he took it full on the volley. It dipped and beat the keeper flat out from 25 yards out, going right into the corner. What a goal. More of these please Mr Meireles!

The manner of that goal took some of the fight and feistiness out of Wolves. They have been here before, on the losing side of matches this season. And they were looking at another one.

Liverpool reverted to a more counter-attacking style. On one of those, Meireles set up Shelvey, but with just the goalie to beat he placed his shot wide. I think this is another example of perhaps Shelvey showing us that he is not good enough. Time will tell but there are only so many golden chances that a player can be given.

And as the game petered out, Liverpool fought well on a break, with Kuyt putting in some good effort. Although his run and attempted shot was foiled, the ball broke to an unmarked Torres who from 8-yards out slammed the ball high into the net, this time with his left foot (the first goal was with his right foot). Well done Nando. The tally at the end of the match read Wolves 12 attempts to Liverpool’s 15 attempts.

So, what now for Liverpool? That was a solid win, and we needed it for morale. The manner of the play was also good though, so maybe some of Dalglish’s aura is rubbing off onto the players. We need to win games like these. We are now just 9 points behind Spurs, who are in 5th. Our next run of games in the league are two home matches against Fulham and Stoke. We should be taking all 6 points there.

Then its away to Chelsea. Thats a different matter. They are on their way back to form perhaps. Whats key in that match is the manner that we play. It doesnt matter if we lose perhaps, a draw would be nice of course too, but the players have to play well in terms of their capability. Gerrard will be back for that match.

Onwards and Upwards ….

Redspider

Liverpool 2 Everton 2

Liverpool 2 Everton 2
Meireles 29
– Distin 46
– Beckford 52
Kuyt (pen) 68

We only played so-so in this match but at least we fully deserved the draw. The “magic touch” that fans hoped that King Kenny would bring didnt transpire as we failed to put away some chances in the first half.

Dalglish again went with a 4-2-3-1, weith Kelly again as right-back, and giving Spearing a rare start, dropping Poulsen and Jovanovic and seeing the return of Maxi:

————– Reina —————
Kelly – Skrtel – Agger – Johnson
—– Lucas ——– Spearing —–
Kuyt —– Meireles —– Maxi
————- Torres —————-

Subs: Kyrgiakos for Agger (46), Shelvey for Meireles (80)

Both teams are fairing poorly this season in the bottom half of the table and it was a game that neither wanted to lose. Liverpool started brightly with Torres getting off a shot. Spearing started well too, and the midfield with Lucas and Meireles was working well.

Liverpool were having the better of the match and Torres came very close when after some good work from him on the right he angled a shot that cannoned off the Everton post, and the follow-up was blazed over by Kuyt. Liverpool were certainly in the ascendancy.

Liverpool got a deserved lead on 28 mins when after a double-save by Howard from Kuyt, first a header and then a close range shot, the ball fell to Meireles and he let fly from about 18 yards firing the ball into the net past a hapless Howard.

Liverpool nearly got another soonafter when Torres shot was saved and Maxi’s header went over the bar. This was more like what we want from this Liverpool team.

The half-time break was a welcome respite for Everton and they came out of the blocks fast, getting an equaliser straight away from a corner. Reina should have done better but came for the ball and was left flapping at air, as Distin’s header went down through his legs with Johnson on the line unable to head it out. It was a comedic goal but a type of goal that we give away all too easily and frequently. After all that domination in the first half, we were now all square at 1-1.

This bolstered Everton who took the game to us. They seemed more resilient in the 50-50 and kept digging away. Their resilience paid off a few minutes later when some tussling tackles and passes resulted in Beckford getting enough space goalside, having gone past Kyrgiakos and staying ahead of Meireles, he scored from 14 yards out.

It was a poor goal to give away. Meireles was on the wrong side of him, but Liverpool got sucked into losing tackles, Kelly was floored, Kyrgiakos was at 6′s and 7′s, and Spearing didnt get back to do his job. But fair play to Everton who battled for that goal.

Liverpool didnt give up but continued to spurn any chances they created. They did get some fortune when Howard fouled Maxi unnecessarily when he was running away from goal giving away a penalty. It was a break that we needed and was slotted well by Kuyt to make it 2-2.

Both teams weren’t playing with that much quality now but were risking players forward in an attempt to get all 3 points. No clear cut chances were crerated however and the match played out to a draw, despite the endeavour. It ended up with Liverpool’s 19 attenpts to Everton’s 10 attempts.

So what now for Liverpool and Kenny Dalglish? He can certainly see that he has a lot of work on his hands. The team can play well at times as shown in the first half of this match, yet when they dont take their chances results and points can slip away. Dalglish is still experimenting and trying out players. He is doing okay with his efforts. He will need Stevie G back though if Liverpool are to string a few wins together and get out of the bottom-half and into that top-6 area.

I dont think anyone is thinking of 4th right now, and rightly so. Next up its Wolves, Fulham and Stoke – on paper, 9 points, but this season is not being played ‘on paper’.

Redspider

PLAYED 20 REVIEW

PLAYED 20 – REVIEW

We eventually got to the Played-20 stage for all teams after the Xmas period. The ladder format is as follows:

44 Man Utd
43
42
41
40
39 Arsenal
38 Man City
37
36 Tottenham
35 Chelsea
34
33
32
31
30
29 Bolton
28 Blackpool
27 Sunderland, Stoke
26
25 Blackburn, Liverpool, Newcastle
24
23
22 Everton, Birmingham, West Brom
21 Aston Villa
20 Wigan
19 Fulham
18 Wolves
17 West Ham

No prizes for seeing where Liverpool are, right in the pack in the lower half. The 1st 10 games saw us with 12 points so the second batch of 10 games see us getting 13 points – We are consistently poor and well off the pace for 4th or 6th. Something HAS to change if we are to get to where we want to be.

Lets look at the points garnered by the teams in matches 11-20:

24 Man Utd
23
22
21 Man City, Tottenham
20
19 Arsenal
18
17 Bolton, Stoke
16 Blackburn
15 Blackpool, Sunderland
14
13 Liverpool
12
11 Newcastle, Birmingham, West Ham
10 Chelsea, Wigan
9 Everton, Aston Villa, Wolves
8
7 West Brom, Fulham

Whats clear to see is the implosion of Chelsea, who are even doing worse than us getting just a mere 10 points. Relegation candidates West Ham did better than that. Man Utd are in the clear ascendancy and it looks like it is theirs to lose. Man City look like a challenger and Arsenal are hanging around.

In terms of a top-4 finish, we are now 11 points adrift of that and getting further behind. At this point of the season, players will now start realistically looking at finishing lower than 4th, and such a vista can make pulling out good performances even harder! The Liverpool players and the new management team of Kenny Dalglish and coach Steve Clarke will have to dig even deeper.

Its a sorry season …..

The difference in the points tallies now comparerd with this stage last season are as follows:

+9 Bolton
+8
+7
+6
+5
+4 Sunderland, Blackburn
+3 Arsenal, Stoke
+2
+1 Wolves, West Ham
0 Man City
-1 Man Utd Tottenham, Everton
-2 Wigan
-3
-4
-5
-6
-7
-8 Liverpool, Fulham
-9
-10 Chelsea, Birmingham
-11
-12
-13
-14 Aston Villa

We are 8 points worse than last season. Its only 3 games so in theory it can be pulled out of the bag. The only problem is that it doesnt look likely from the way we are playing in the matches as its not as if we are beating teams off the park only for the results to somehow go against us.

Other disasters are clear from the table above, Chelsea’s demise and that of Birmingham and Fulham, and no prizes for seeing Aston Villa propping up that table.

Lets hope (and perhaps pray) that things will look rosier in 10 games time …..

Redspider

Blackpool 2 Liverpool 1

Blackpool 2 Liverpool 1
- Torres 3
Taylor-Fletcher 12
Campbell 69

If Dalglish thought that getting Liverpool playing in the right way was going to be easy, then this match was a demonstration of the difficulty of the task ahead. Liverpool were tepid in this match, and with weak defending allowed Blackpool all too easily to take away all the points on offer.

Dalglish again opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation: Kelly was again started at right back but Johnson was put in somewhat surprisingly at left-back. Meireles got the AM role with Poulsen brought in to play alongside Lucas. Maxi was rested as Dalglish gave Jovanovic a perhaps surprise start:

————– Reina —————
Kelly – Skrtel – Agger – Johnson
—– Lucas ——– Poulsen —–
Kuyt —– Meireles —– Jovanovic
————- Torres —————-

Subs: Shelvey for Kuyt (76), Ngog for Poulsen (85)

Liverpool got off to a solid start and scored early on. Kelly supplied Torres in behind the defence and Nando smashed the ball high past their keeper to make it 0-1 on 3 mins. There were smiles all round. Could this be the spark the players would build on?

Blackpool however didnt let things lie and fought well for every ball. Their reward probably came sooner than they expected on 12 mins. Meireles lost the ball in midfield, a through-ball was luckily squeezed by Agger and Taylor-Fletcher found himself clear one-on-one versus Reina and he finished it easily. Oh No. Liverpool leaking yet another easy goal.

This seemed to unsettle us. Blackpool came more into the match and should have scored from a header which was missed from just 4 yards out. And then a poor clearence from Reina was curled back over with Reina beaten.

And it continued in the 2nd half when Reina had to save a 20-yard shot. Then Reina was busy again saving over the bar.

Blackpool on the other hand were timely in their defence, snuffing out supply to Torres and Meireles who played well. Kuyt had a low effort on goal that was saved.

Then came Blackpool’s 2nd, which perhaps once again typifies this season. A long cross in from the right was headed back across the box only to find an unmarked Campbell who finished it well from close range with a diving header. It was an emphatic goal which somehow took the fight out of Liverpool even with 20 minutes to go.

Liverpool did a bit of huffing and puffing but nothing of note. Dalglish tried by bringing on Shelvey, and then Ngog. But there were too many players out there just not doing enough to get past a battling and valiant Blackpool team. The game ended Blackpool’s 13 attempts to Liverpool’s 10 attempts.

So, what now for Liverpool and Dalglish? This was a poor loss, and a match where Dalglish could see at first hand just how big his task is going to be. Unless Dalglish is able to bring in somehow some quality at the transfer window, he will by and large be playing with the same players that Hodgson had, and results are not likely to be all that different. All it would take perhaps would be a few players that could be a positive catalyst on the other players. Those types wont be easy to find.

It may take magic to save Liverpool’s season. Is 6th now the only viable target? And does Kenny have that magic. This is a long season so far and it will remain a long one til the end, I am suspecting. Not for the faint-hearted.

Next Up, its Everton. Somehow I could see this being back to a charged affair. They are weak this season so we should be taking all 3 points.

Come on …..

Redspider