Liverpool 2, Chelsea 1: Back in Form for the Big Occasion

So the question that will keep us Tactical PhDs up for nights, furiously scribbling on our Official LFC Dry-Erase board (since I'm sure whiteboards and chalkboards are both equally racist):

Do you roll with the Three Amigos (Dirk "Dusty Bottoms" Kuyt, Craig "Ned Nederlander", & Maxi "Lucky Day" Rodriquez) or Three Lions (Hendo/Carroll/Downing) vs. Manchester City? 

Sorry if this is a few days early, Pinky (Ed) and the Brain (Noel). But I'm itching to see the crazy-ass permutations for this Dirty Rotten Money double-header. 

Fabio Aurelio? Fuck yeah.

pink an the brain... love it.

I'm rewatching the highlights and I have to say Liverpool played a really great first half. We hustled, we flowed and even though there were some missed balls in the final third that could have been done better, the fact that there were these clinical balls cutting through the Chelsea defense and these intelligent defense splitting runs from players was such a delight to watch.

And for those who think Mikel was to blame for his defensive lapse, I have to say, Charlie Adam was the one who made that intelligent run at him to cause him to stuff up. He was close to the halfway line and just ran like a bull at Mikel as he predicted that Cech would pass to Mikel so even though Cech maybe shouldn't have passed so close to Mikel and Mikel should have been more aware, I think he was shocked more than most that suddenly out of nowhere this bull runs at him like crazy. And watching that goal replay again, I think Adam purposely fell on top of Mikel to stop him from getting up.

I can say that right now I still am not totally a fan of Charlie Adam but if he keeps up with these performances and keeps getting his fitness levels up maybe even to workhorse levels, I have good feelings about this Lucas and Charlie Adam partnership and Charlie Adam in general. I remember not liking Spearing last season but being won over in the end and I feel like this could happen this season.

Thought that was quite the cheeky move when he fell over, I mean, where did he think Mikel was? Haha, he was livid when Adam fell over on him.

Great performance from the team! The inclusion of Bellamy, Maxi, Kuyt to support Suarez payed dividends. Really hope Kenny sticks with this formation and team for a while! Encouraging to see tic a tac passing in and around the oppositions penalty box. Long may it continue and hopefully the international break was just what the doctor ordered. Lets push forward in the next couple of months and realise the potential of this team.

IN OTHER NEWS Torres and Meireles fined by Chelsea FC after the pair were caught attempting to board bus back to Liverpool!

Suarez charged by FA for calling Torres a striker!

team selection very good yesterday. Well done Kenny. More of the same please. :D

Well it looks like Suarez had taught Jordan and Glen the art of nutmegging

Also, I noticed Meireles is in the picture being all sad. Who's got the short end of the stick now. heh

Even though Enrique may have the blame on that goal, it shows how sturdy he has been before and how much we really need him there. No mistakes by him before, that I have remembered, being anything significant. Just goes to show one mistake means a lot, and he usually doesn't make them. Everyone makes them, even Enrique, but he still makes less. He's badass, and awesome, and we can count on him 99% of the time. Today was just that 1%

And it was a mis-hit shot, so he hadn't anticipated it.  Still a mistake, but there was a reason.  Him and Suarez had less than great games today, but they're easy to forgive.

Truthfully, either side could have won that game (Reina won it for us), but we kept bothering them more than they did us and a bit more quality passing from Suarez could have made it a comfortable win.

The free kick was a bit of a worry, we were no where near it when Iva/Luiz got their header.

Luiz lined up about five yards offside before the DK. He starts walking back to the line. The ball is about to be hit and the line starts moving toward goal and Luiz starts moving toward goal before getting back to the line of guys. I think he was still about 2 yards offside when the ball was hit. Nobody caught up to him. That play was obviously worked on by AVB in practice and it almost worked. 

we are the 99%!!!!!

Right about the time of my 3rd Official LFCOffside Bloody Mary, there was a stretch where we backed off and gave Chelsea all sorts of time and space to ping the ball around. I was almost convinced we were destined for a sucker-punch Frank Lampard Price is Right "Plinko" special. Luckily, FFF was distracted by the buffet and free jelly samples. 

Point being, like Snooki's moment of fame it was an uncomfortable 30 minutes. I was looking at the bench for that game-changing-make-the-semi-hot-Chelsea-trainer-squirm option in King Kenny's court. (Not yet, Andy. Get a hair cut.) They were the right calls, but Downing/Hendo were stem the tide, hold the fort moves that begged the question, "Is a point good enough?"

But Glenny Kravitz proved it ain't over til it's over and Pepe Reina...you complete me. You are John Terry's anti-thesis: bald and classy. Credit to everyone, even you Chaz, for fighting on and reminding all the Chelsea supporters why they support Manchester United in the first place. 

Oh, and to AVBilbo Baggins...that "let's see if Meireles and Torres can come on for 10 minutes and crush their former team's soul" move? That was "let's build ANOTHER Death Star" level stupid/arrogant/naive. Stick that in your hobbit pipe and smoke it. Fucking douchebag.

You're not going to make me go and google 'Snooki' to find out who that is are you?

If you do, have a drink nearby and don't attempt to swim for at least an hour afterwards. You've been warned. 

its like a cross between a gremlin an alf.  see southpark season 13, jersey episode.

Do we have an award to give to NTX?  For best reply? 

Bacon?

From afar I thought I'd always like Villas-Boas, but today I found myself irritated beyond belief. Probably because I just despise Chelsea and all they are, but can't argue with your conclusion.

He didn't start two of his better players, that sounds like a pretty non-douchebaggy move. And anyways, lets not be too hard on the guy; he's gonna be unemployed in a month or two.

His press conference after the game was humble and pretty respectful too.

Was it mean, or were Raul and Torres both purposely wasteful in their chances? I mean, Torres' turn-around curler from 30 was funny, but Raul's wish-upon-a-star shot just made me think that maybe he did it for a reason.  

you are thinking too much

Have nothing to add; thanks for the recap. Here's to Tuesday uhhhhhh: ynwa.

Tuesday?  Next game Sunday no?

Here's to Spurs dropping points (like confetti) starting tonight.

So that's what happens when you get to keep the same defence for more than one game!!  Reina's great save won us that game, despite the awesome solo effort from Johnson for the winner.

Suarez, Enrique sub par performances, but we still looked dangerous, Suarez' passing probably cost us at least a couple of very good chances on goal.  I'm pleased Luis has a week's rest now.

Johnson had an excellent game and it wasn't his fault for the goal as he had to cover the potential wide ball.

Adam did well because he didn't go off wandering, but kept formation.  Not sure what happened in the 2nd half though, he was missing for half of it.  

Clearly left his corner taking boots at home, and trying to blast a 40 yard free kick was a bit dense, especially as they were not enjoying us putting them under pressure.

Mata was well contained by our Glenda with Kuyt offering protection, but after the break Mata moved in from the side and suddenly they took over the midfield, and we didn't know what to do about it, so we withdrew and tried to absorb the pressure [and failed].

Despite the general delerium of the win, I hope KK/SC look at that and discover what wasn't working for all our sakes.  
Citeh will have watched that and will look to exploit it, though their passing will generally be sharper and higher tempo.

Chelski are in a bizarre position following a bizarre decision of paying up £13.5m to acquire the services of a very inexperienced manager, who is now predictably having to learn his trade in a very tough, fast paced league.  And it shows.  Add to that they've got ageing players and  suspect centre back pairings and you have to wonder what Roman's thinking.  

Anyhow, not our problem.  We've got a good squad, and having seen the big guns pulled out for the top teams, it shows how Kenny's used all opportunities to give the new and young guns lots of pitch time to aid their development given the age of the seniors, while not sending the lambs out against the top teams to prevent any unnecessary humiliation.   

Of course time will tell if it pays off.  My money is on the last ten games / run in for the season being the key time for this team, with further improvement next season.  That's simply maturing time needed for what is essentially a new team.  And I think that will be good enough for a top 4 finish, though bizarrely, it might be at Chelski's expense rather than Spurs'.  

[Spurs' season is going pretty well, but I don't think Arsenal will maintain their form through the whole season.  It's too dependent upon Van Persie's fitness/form, talented though he is.]

For us, games where those new players don't play I think will do them a lot of good and not without reason.  Henderson is always good when he comes into an already working system.  He sees the team playing, knows his role and comes on and executes energetically.
If you think about it, he's a bit young to 'create a new system' or 'lead the charge' which is what this team has had to do.  

Not surprising.  It's the old wisdom of only introducing a couple of new players at a time which we're not doing partly because of the disaster that was the summer 2010 transfer window.  

By the end of this season, that damage will have been put right.

while im doing everything in my power not to drop a nuclear 'i told you so' bomb on everyone re adam, my game ball honestly goes to pepe reina. that was an absolute BLINDER of a save. season defining save. fo' sho' 

while i fully plan on basking in this glory for at least another couple days, i think uve spotted what mancini will have highlighted from this game, which is to say david silva.  Lets be honest, citeh can tailor their game tactically and selection-wise for whatever the opposition's weakness is.  and mancini is definitely a good enough manager to pick at tactical frailties.  our frailty is still what it always has been - a soft underbelly.

Granted, we've unearthed a world class DESTROYER in Chaz, but silva sat behind an in-form balotelli and aguero, plus yaya toure is a bit more challenging than a clueless obi mikel, an off the boil drogba and an underutilized mata.  Even without introducing meireles into the game, the simple switch of putting mata behind the front 3 all of a sudden exposed us. and badly.  all kudos to our team, and specifically to adam for his hollywood pass to release cafu on the break (and cafu's messi-like take for the goal), but i think we can all agree citeh will be a mountain compared to chelsea.

we didnt need the man marker on mata cuz avb stupidly shunted him to the flanks, but will mancini make the same mistake?  will the same amount of pressing be useful against a side that can pass around you, out muscle you AND hit you with speed on the breaks?
At a certain point this citeh game just comes down to who shows up to Compete.  But a lil tactical curveball (and im thinkin wee hammer here) might not be such a bad idea.  Good news is Clarkey and the King have shown an absolutely monstrous set of stones when it gets to big time games and always set out the team to win.  that, pyschologically, has got to be huge for the team, and i dont see it changing just cuz the Arab Money's comin to town...

i agree that suarez's passing was pretty awful today
henderson made a brilliant run when he came on

it was a great run.

Well done Kenny.  And we all thought when he said he'd play a 'weaker' team against Chelsea, he meant the Carling Cup tie, not this one.

I like our 'weaker' side.  Always have.  Here's hoping he sticks with it.  Surely Maxi and Bellamy can be more than impact subs - at least for portions of the season when others aren't quite as on form.  

And kudos to Glen Johnson too.  Before the match I'd pegged him as our biggest liability.  Was worried about a possible Mata v Johnson situation giving us trouble all afternoon.  In the end, he had other ideas.  Good running and decent skill as usual.  But the finish - back of the net instead of the post or the stands.  Wonderful.    

And finally, the match stats - 
Shots / On target / Scored
= 9 / 3 / 2
How's that for a change!  So much better than our usual 25 / 10 / 0!

good post, on a good write up.

Today was a good day.

And that's about all there is to it.

Didn't even have to use your A-K?

Quality!

I got to say, it was a good day.

Why we don't keep the Kuyt-Maxi-Suarez partnership on the pitch is a mystery. It's by far our most creative pairing and generally results in goals. In its inception last spring, this partnership was the terror of the league and ran circles around Chelsea today.

Thought Carroll looked pretty dire out there late. Square pegs in round holes, I'm afraid.

really? he was on the pitch for less than 4 minutes.

Agree, if he were a seasoned 30-year-old playing in his 50th game for Liverpool against Chelsea I might actually consider using "dire" for to describe that appearance.

Good performance today, would like to see the urgency and pressure of the first half in every game Liverpool play and not just against the big teams. Positives were the sharpness of Bellemy and Suarez to pounce on any break. The openness in the second half and the chances Chelsea had leave allot to be desired. Great to get a win.

Just got back from a work conference on the Sunshine Coast, so to come back to this news is just fantastic!

Get in there!

Sunshine coast.  so over rated against this damp foggy london weather tinged with essence of smog.

Yes JS; hard to understand why I left!

I think Chaz was still lacking a bit in defense. That 'passive Liverpool defense' that allowed malouda to waltz through was largely Mr. Adam.

Also, there were plenty of times when I saw him struggling to track back or lacking the pace or energy to help out.

And his corners and free kicks were rubbish.

All that being said, he set up both goals and so that outweighs his defensive lapses.

His workrate ebbed and flowed with his teammates around him; he was largely the reference point on both sides of the ball in midfield. Malouda (being a left winger) should be marked by Kuyt (our right midfielder) when he comes from deep or Johnson (our right back) when he gets the ball in an advanced position. Malouda waltzed past Kuyt with Kuyt watching him, and Johnson was watching Ashley Cole. It's hard to fault a central midfielder for not tracking a winger when we have wingers on the field whose job it was to track their wingers.

Also, the fact that it was 2v3 in midfield made Adam's task even harder, but he ended up being one of the top 3 players on the pitch.

You want to see defensive lapses, look at John Obi Mikel.

Further, Adam was involved (and closing down from behind) until he reached the edge of the area, at which point he backed off. Could have continued the challenge, but given his propensity to get a little clumsy, I was glad he backed off rather than try to dispossess Malouda in what could have ended up as a penalty. 

Exactly, he was involved as the closest player to Malouda, but allowed Malouda to run away from him.  It showed the problems he has in defence that we've all seen.  He can be sluggish and a bit lazy with a propensity for allowing people to run past him which hurts his effectiveness as a central midfielder.  The fact that he set up both goals doesn't change that.

Barring those defensive lapses and how bad he was at corners and free kicks, he was good though.  You can't ask for much more than what he gave the team today in his role, but he's still the same Charlie Adam, and we were lucky today that his offensive abilities outweighed his defensive deficiencies.

Right, but he was essentially right behind Malouda as he entered the penalty area, and there's just not a lot you can do at that point unless you've got the pace to pull ahead. He made up a good amount of ground and either had to make a risky challenge or ease off. Maybe poor positioning led to that, but I'm more prone to excuse that given the context (Kuyt not tracking Terry, which sucked Johnson wide; the fact that it was a fucking terrible shot that had no business ending in a goal; Enrique spacing out at the far post). 

I think his defense was better than you're giving him credit for; I'm right there with you for pretty much all of the season leading up to today, but he was really good by any standard, especially if we're comparing him to versions of himself "helping" defensively earlier in the season.

But really, I don't care that much, I'm still enjoying the replays of the opener and the winner that I've watched roughly thirty times.

My favorite part about Adam today was that he actually played some pass and move, and then unleashed a few great passes at the perfect time.

Charlie won 5 of 8 tackles today and 2 interceptions. (Lucas won 5 of 8 tackles) He was really getting stuck in his challenges today, unlike any other games. We had 3 shots on goal all day that resulted in 2 goals. Charlie dispossessed Mikel in a dangerous area that resulted in a goal and played the long pass to Jonno that allowed him to create his brilliant goal. He was instrumental in both goals. From my perspective, without Adam on the pitch today we are lucky to draw that game and would likely have lost it. Can't say much more than that.

I went back to look at the video of the Chelsea goal. When John Terry played the ball into Malouda, Malouda was already 5 yards past Charlie and 10 yeards to the outside. Glen Johnson was moving out to pick up Malouda. Charlie expected Glen was picking up the oncoming Malouda. John Terry sprinted up the wing and was not tracked back by Kuyt at all who should have easily ran with him. Kuyt was 5 yards goalside of Terry when he started his run. Glen moved off of Malouda to pick up Terry on the outside and now Charlie saw this and tried to get back to pick up Malouda. The MAIN reason that Malouda had the space was because Kuyt did not track Terry's run and Glen backed off Malouda. Malouda takes a shot, scuffs it to the far post and Sturridge finishes it. Enrique at the far post had 10 to 15 yards goalside of Sturridge while the play was developing and DID NOT track his run at all. Just let him run to goal. The main reasons for that goal were 1) Kuyt not tracking Terry and 2) Enrique not tracking Sturridge. Charlies expectation that Glen had Malouda marked was a reasonable judgement.

Exactly. Which, credit to Terry for his run, because it was definitely vital. 

Agreed. But since I don't like giving Terry credit for anything, what I would say is Craig Bellamy would have kicked Fat Fucking Franks big Fat Fucking Ass. He would have done him.

And here ends the sermon.

Too much alcohol, Jonny. Holidays.

usually I would agree with you but I saw Adam go into challenges today cleanly and strongly much different from his tackles in previous games. I think he did really well

And the 4222 formation is proving its worth.  With 2 wide players who can cut in and 2 mobile forwards, Adam and Lucas must generally hold back to hold the fort and not often go marauding / wandering up front. 

I think this is why Adam looked so effective today, he worked in that formation and we kept surrounding the ball with attempted scything passes to the front to release  others.

One thing he has to do is stop running up behind players but go to the side of them as Lucas has learned to do. 

He made up ground on Malouda before the goal, but because he wasn't alongside him had to let him go.

Brilliant game,as usual we saw how stressful it is being a liverpool fan
Glad bellamy started,an upgrade from downing anyday
maxi's finish was good
just a little worried about enrique because he shouldve been guarding that side for the goal
atlast johnson shows what hes capable off

Hey all, very nice result today!!

My favorite part was when the Spanish-speaking announcer called our matchwinner Glen "Cafu" Johnson.

Just wanted to say that I was really happy to see Bellamy start this one (Maxi, as well). He was all over the place, running down the wing, defending in the box, and that lay off to Maxi for the goal was perfect. I was getting wary of Charlie Adam's apparent claim to the starting XI but that pass to Johnson for the goal - I want to see more of that. I liked this starting lineup. I don't want us to regress to Suarez/Carroll up front until there is more of a connection there, but in order for there to be a greater understanding, I suppose they need to play together more often, no? Sigh. 

Great write up.

Also- having a choice of center backs was pretty nice. Seems like the first time in forever

Our fullbacks suffered pretty terribly in the second half just because the wingers started losing steam. Kuyt failed to track back for long periods in the second half, and Maxi showed his lack of match fitness. I think Jose Enrique finally had a challenge by having to deal with a truly great winger and a solid fullback on that left side. I think considering, he looked superhuman.

although Enrique struggled a little I think the fact that most of chelsea's attack came on the right shows how well the left was covered. At least that's what I like to think

Great win today. A real team effort. Every man on the pitch contributed and gave 110%. DAgger and Skrtel were massive. Pepe great as always. Jonno's individually brilliant solo effort for the winner. Charlies best game in a Red shirt. What a first goal. What a second goal. That's finishing!!! Maxi was fabulous.

Jonny? I just saw Charlie and Jonno's post match interview with Sky. Charley dedicated the win to Brad Jones. He was articulate, composed, bright, sensible and really a nice guy. I could actually understand the Scottish accent. I won't be giving any more criticism. He is breaking his ass out there and I'm just watching on TV. He put in 8 tackles today and won 5. Assisted Jonno on the 2nd and dispossessed Mikel to create the first goal. If he would just go on a mission to get in awesome shape, he could increase his pace and maybe be more of a force. His positioning today was much better. Chelsea did have 60% of the possession which forced our mids to stay at home more.

He doesn't even need to gain more pace.  Those crazy runs he made came from ball control and mentality.  He does need to get in better shape, but really just needs to replicate his tackling and ball control from that game.  If he keeps up form along with his good passing he can be a pretty vital component to our starting 11.

Excellent play from Adam today. He finally looked to be a solid partner for Lucas by holding the proper position in the center of the park without hopelessly charging down the ball while leaving Lucas exposed or trying to do too much himself. Hopefully, this means he's starting to understand his role in the side. 

As others have mentioned, Kuyt looked pretty awful for a good stretch of the second half, which seemed to play a major part in Johnson's struggles. As I've said in seasons past, maybe it's time to give Kuyt a bit of a rest (not send him to the reserves) and use Maxi/Bellamy/Downing on the wings a bit more often. 

Finally, on renewed calls for Johnson to play RM: that was a trademark attacking fullback's run. Yes, he struggled defensively for a part of the second half, but that also coincided with Kuyt being repeatedly upfield and sloppily tracking back, leaving Johnson 1v1 with Mata/Malouda having 5-10 yards of space to run at him. That's not a situation you want to put any fullback in. Anyways, that was forgetting his solid defensive work for the entire first half. When looking at Johnson, take him for what he is- an attacking fullback who plays well when we have an active, pressure-based defense. He is not a backs-to-the-wall, 8 in the box, last ditch clearance defender. If the RCM and/or RM leave him exposed, he will struggle. If you provide him with proper midfield positioning, he provides a solid attacking contribution and good defensive positioning for a midfield pressing game.

Joel, re Jonno - quite right.

wins like that make me want to get out my pimp stick and strut.

You'll Never Fu**ing Walk Alone!

Chaz's best game is the one where he miffs every free kick and corner he takes?  Seriously, I cannot figure this guy out!  Although his method of dispossessing people leaves me as confused as it does happy, the dude was a force in defense today and the pass to Glen that led to the winner was exactly what we bought him for.  

Big ups to Kenny, big ups to Maxi, big ups to Skrtel, big ups to Liverpool FC.

Here's hoping he has another crap day at corners and set pieces next week. With all the rest that went along with that today, of course.

what was awesome about him dispossessing mikel  was that he fell down on top of him after, stopping mikel from running back to fix his mistake. Whether that was on purpose or not Charlie Adam was awesome today

Mikel wrapped his arm around Adam's legs and tackled him.  My son and I were shocked he didn't get a card after the fact.

The whole thing was very funny. I watched the video replay online a few times. Charlie is watching the ball with his back to Mikel. He's backing up slightly and Mikel sees he's not looking and swipes him down with his leg and maybe his arms too. Definitely Mikel was trying to knock him down. And he falls right on top of Mikel. Very funny.

Enjoying this victory but all those Chelsea fans will be taking out their Man City shirts and wanting revenge next game!

Absolutely fantastic win and one which we really needed.

Big credit to King Kenny for sticking with Skrtel and Agger who were both terrific.

Maxi one start, one goal must surely start over Downing - no goals, no assists.

Good to see Kuyt starting and Bellamy was impressive as well.

Great finish from Johnson but he really can't defend can he?

Lucas and Adam were very good and I thought it was Adam's best game in a Liverpool shirt.

Also Pepe's save at 1-1 was crucial.

The two stars of the season so far Suarez and Enrique were not at their sparkling best but both really contributed.

BRILLIANT!    YNWA! 

It is quite something when our 2 stars of the season Suarez and Enrique have below par performances and we still did well and won.

Reina I think really saved the day for us with his top draw save, I'm going to check that one to see if it was actually an offside attempt from the free kick, but I think that reflects what was an almost even game.  What happened to us in the second half?

What a waste of time,energy an money.Our supposedly grannies,though they can't sustand an effort for 90 min,are still better than Carroll,Henderson and Downing all combined.
Viva Bellamy,Maxi and Kuyt.Time to take right decisions and preferably right now.

I can see complaints about Carroll, Hendo and Downing, but Henderson made some good moves/runs in the few moments he was allowed, and Kenny wanted quick, short moves, something Carroll isn't up on yet.  Have you turned in your Resume to the king?  I bet he's looking for answers.

haterholic.

It's a mixture of haterade and blotter acid (LSD). Just can't get enough of that good shit.

guys, guys.  Drugs are NOT the answer, no wait.......