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
