West Ham’s Unpleasant Impressions

By: Noel | February 28th, 2011

“Liverpool seem incapable of mustering any kind of meaningful attack. Having Andy Carroll up front in a game like this, that’s what we need.” So said Silent Bob in the matchday post.

Certainly I can understand where he was coming from, and with the wealth of quality comments lately I’d like to take some time at the end of the post to look at a few of the more noteworthy impressions passed along in the earlier match and post-match posts. Still, my biggest impression was and remains that sitting Steven Gerrard deep in midfield and pushing Raul Meireles forward into the most advanced central role continues to be an approach that doesn’t help anybody.

In his recent run of form, Meireles’ goals have often come arriving from late rather than as part of some neat interplay in the packed forward areas. His recent winner against Chelsea–set up by Steven Gerrard from a more advanced position, no less–springs to mind as a prime example. Most will also recall the brief run in the winter under Roy Hodgson where the central pairing of Lucas and Meireles was about the only good thing going for Liverpool on a consistent basis before Gerrard returned from injury and the Portuguese player found himself shunted back out to the wing and the club’s performances dipped.

Then you have Gerrard, continuing to show his wandering tendencies against West Ham, tendencies that remain problematic when he isn’t the furthest forward player in midfield and often leads to a numerical disadvantage in defense–a situation made worse by an over-reliance on high-risk, high-reward passes. Those iconic Hollywood balls are more forgivable in the final third–especially when he has a knack for pulling them off–but from deeper positions they hurt Liverpool’s ability to retain possession and wear down the opponent, and on numerous occasions on Sunday they gave West Ham a short field to work with while Raul Meireles was stuck up with the strikers. Allowed to continue in some kind of central free role as a world class version of Charlie Adam, free to largely ignore the defensive side of the game, is a situation that remains puzzling, and it often leaves Lucas to cover the entire midfield while conceding possession in more defensively dangerous areas of the park. Moreover, it’s not only that it aids West Ham’s counter game when the ball is turned over closer to Liverpool’s goal, but also that it lessens the reward side of the equation since even when the passes come off all it usually does is establish Liverpool in the attacking third, something that could have been achieved with a patient, low-risk short passing game.

Perhaps at one time Steven Gerrard’s best position truly was in the center of the park, even if his best statistical seasons with the club have come on the right and directly supporting the striker, but in recent months his desire to play risky balls combined with a seeming disinterest in a solid defensive game and smart positioning have meant that when he joins the side he brings far less than he otherwise might. Certainly it’s odd to look at the match statistics and discover that Gerrard had 49 successful passes in 74 attempts–a rate of 66%–while attempting only two tackles from a fairly deep-lying position, while Lucas completed 57 passes, clocked a success rate of 85%, and made six successful tackles–plus one unsuccessful attempt. Meanwhile, in his 49 minutes on the pitch even Raul Meireles attempted four tackles. At the same time, with possession often conceded in midfield and Liverpool slowly losing that battle to a fired up West Ham, the defense reverted to the long-ball game. After all, if trying to play it short meant having the ball come right back as often as not, one begins to understand why an already shaky defensive unit might have begun to launch it as far from danger as possible.

Having Andy Carroll up top might have made a better target for those increasingly desperate, aimless hoofs. But it wouldn’t have helped Liverpool take control of the match and look any more like the at times slick, well oiled pass and move side that seemed to reach its zenith against Chelsea a few weeks ago. As at the end of January, the biggest problem against West Ham seemed to be that Steven Gerrard’s current position isn’t one that is especially good for the entire team, and from that one problematic piece the entire side ground to a halt.

***

As I said, though, that’s largely an impression. A fairly accurate and fair one, I’d hope, but nonetheless an impression and rather difficult to support with pages of statistics in a sport that at times can still be resistant to easy number crunching. So in fairness to the impressions of others, and to spread the venting of spleen around a bit, a quick highlight of some impressions from the aforementioned matchday and post-match threads:

Just in case it looked as though I was using the earlier comment from Silent Bob as a springboard for a purely contrary argument, it should be pointed out that he also said, “Gerrard is having a terrible game. He should come off. No idea who should go on, but nevermind.” So there’s that, too.

“Really, if this goes the way it’s looking, there should be no more rubbish talk about snatching 4th. Yes, we’ve come a long way since the dark days but we’ve got to keep this shit real!” That comes from Yann, and I think it’s fair to say that after a few shaky displays where most of us just stuck our fingers in our ears and pretended everything was hunky dory, yesterday’s was a wake up call that couldn’t be ignored.

“Can’t complain, the best side won. Had they not sat back on the 2 goal cushion, they could have had more. Carra and Skrtel need putting out to pasture. Wilson looks a little out of his depth at the moment. Gerrard didn’t wake up until 20 minutes to go. Cole still can’t do anything…

At least Suarez is showing he’s good enough, despite the hacks saying he won’t cope with the PL. Lovely turn for our goal. Lucas appeared to be on the up again, although still needlessly giving away free-kicks in dangerous areas…

I’m worried about Carroll starting now. Are we going to resort to long high balls to the big man all the time?

Tough but fair from Paul–though I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Lucas only gave away one free kick, which hardly seems out of line for the deepest midfielder–and others made quality comments that echoed his concerns about the defense, with Carragher and Skrtel both coming in for a pile of rightly deserved criticism even if they didn’t always get a lot of help from the way the entire side was playing. In any case it was a tough day and a tough match, with lots of blame to go around, but I’ll let Galahad close things out with a mix of optimism and realism:

Suarez is going to be a great Red. He’s got skill and talent to spare. Even though West Ham frustrated him for most of the game, he still nearly scored a goal and had a beautiful assist to Johnson. He was a magnificent acquisition in the transfer market. Kudos to FSG, Kenny, and everyone else who made it happen…

Fans tend to be reactionary, especially me, so I’m trying to take a step back and be objective about this team. The more I think about it, the more I believe this is a rebuilding year for LFC. I think the Champions League is out (although the Europa League is still a possibility). I also think Kenny is the right manager for Liverpool over the long term (at least the next few years), but he’s not the immediate savior I originally thought him to be. As much as I wish things were different, there is no quick fix for the Reds. With time and patience I think Kenny and FSG will bring this team back to glory, but it’ll probably take another season or two before that happens.

Well, that’s sobering. And we didn’t even get into the whole Martin Kelly injury situation.

Some Related Liverpool Posts:

Category: Match Recaps, Premier League

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ground penetrating radar

At least it was a fighting performance from both teams.
Guest

Shouldn't the central midfield be oriented like this:
Gerrard
Lucas Meireles
-After the 08/09 campaign, I cannot understand the logic of having Gerrard as anything but a trequartista. He's not a winger, he's not a holding mid. he belongs in the hole behind the striker. Period.
Red2death

What we need are matchwinners - players who can single-handedly turn a match with 2 minutes of brilliance. I think we're on the right track with that. Gerrard is one, Suarez another, and Adam would fall into that category too if we eventually get him.

Yes, we played like crap against West Ham. Not to take anything away from the need to play well, but every team plays like crap once in a while, it happens. What accounts for the points difference at the end of the day are the matchwinners who can carry their side even when the tactics are all wrong, teammates are tired, when Liverpool looks just like any mediocre team out there. For an example of matchwinners you'd have to look at Man Utd. Throughout their current golden age they've very often played like crap, sometimes for long stretches, this season included. But there's always a couple players out there whom you know can somehow rescue them - Ronaldo, Giggs, Scholes, Van Nistelrooy, Cantona, Beckham. The team will be horrible as a whole for 90 minutes, but because Giggs dribbled and sent in that one cross which went it off Dennis Irwin's arse, they still come away with 3 points against a mid-table side.

Much as we need to play better as a team, we need winners. Some players have that quality and some don't. Can't define it but I'm sure everyone knows it when they see it. We don't have enough of them.
Glenn

I felt as everyone else that the team as a whole played particularly like crap. But I also did notice something during the game about Wilson. I noticed that he looked a bit out his depth and not necessarily in the defensive side but on the offensive side. Overall in the game he completed 44 of 65 passes for a rate of 68%. Which wasn't that bad but if you isolate the first half he only completed 16 out of 28 for 57%. More importantly most of them were passes in our own half which of course just helped West Ham keep the pressure on us.
Venuamrit

Comment erased for multiple offenses, including (but not limited to): violating the laws of good taste, homophobia, heterophobia, grammatical atrocities, typing with your fist instead of your fingers, etc.
Ed

Thanks for everyone who chimed in on the open thread, and apologies for disappearing. After getting home I was greeted with a faulty internet connection of my own and a neighbor who finally password-protected theirs. Selfish bastards.

Good stuff, Noel, agreed about Gerrard and in general, as usual.

Did want to comment quickly about the rush to denounce Kenny Dalglish as a failed messiah of some sort, which seems to be the easy criticism for those on the outside looking in after a few down performances. A piece in the Guardian left me with a particularly bad taste--"King Kenny not yet a messiah for Liverpool." Well no shit. I can't remember anyone around here, or anyone whose opinions I spend much time reading, proclaiming that his arrival meant Liverpool would rush to the top of the table instantly as a result of him once again gracing the touchline.

I think we all were rightfully excited by his appointment and engaged in our share of hyperbole (how dare us), but still largely aware that Liverpool weren't automatically the chosen ones. We knew this squad was capable of more than we got in the first half of the season, but that they'd also require quite a bit of strengthening regardless of who was in charge. Dalglish at the helm meant that we at least knew someone was in charge that understood the club and was on the same side as the supporters, not that he was going to lead a trek across open water to make Liverpool the Premiers we hope they'll be.

Anyhow, preaching to the choir, as I'm reading more of the same in the open thread and here, but that's largely what I was left with as I caught up this morning on some of the reactions from yesterday. Good stuff folks.
Smitty_w

With 4 of our attacking players being far from 100% match fit don't see how we could expect much better
bro

all am saying is when transfer window re-opens. liverpool will be headliners evry day off the papers with some shocking transfers that will be laeving and coming but at the end will be a hell off a strong squad because i think we will be 6 players better off and 4 being big names and the rest being real quality subs. whats the deal with frank ribbery i would love to target him with kaka also looking on a move. he can play the free role that gerrard has but with out leaving the wopping gap because gerrard can hold back a little. becuase his goals are drying up so unless he playes behind luis like he did with torres witch is not going to happen because off andy carrol i would now keep him back and let raul and who ever else we can get in maybe kaka would be amazing
KC

I love Kaka, he is amazing but he's also 28 and just recovered from injury. And he signed into Real Madrid for a record amount (before CRon) which means you would have to pay a heckload of money for him even though he probably will not be getting much squad time in RM. I would spend Liverpool's hard-earned money on other players who are younger but have the qualities to reach the level's of Kaka or further.
bro

worth putting in a cheeky 20 mil bid see if we turn heads as i think we would get 3 quality years out of him and 1 or 2 decent. but ye defo i see your point and its a dout it would ever amount what so ever. am also with you on getting young players in as am hoping on a team of young very hungery and giffted players myself but 1 or 2 mature but not yet old players for experince would be a strong spine
Stey

Spineless chokers, thats what the majority of the squad is made up of, with Gerrard, 5 YEARS past his prime, the embodiment of that, they build your hopes up.....and then knock them down, time and time and time again, they are a f*cking DISGRACE!.
Dj-Chutfield

Before you start knocking our skipper, let me remind you that he single-handedly dragged a shitty Liverpool side kicking and screaming to both the Champions League and the FA Cup finals and was the reason we won both finals. He saved an even shittier Liverpool side from defeat in Napoli with an outstanding one-man show to net a hat-trick in less than 45 minutes THIS SEASON so I don't know what this five years past his prime bit is about. He is Liverpool through and through and deserves no criticism whatsoever from us fans.
bro

i dont think that he actualy is a liver pool fan that stey
Rosco

Amen to that. Some "fans" have unbelievably fickle outlooks.
cheekyfellow

This is the time that I truly feel that us not being able to sign Charlie Adam is starting to hurt us. That, and Torres would have probably scored a goal a game had he partnered Suarez. I am with the kites right now, so I am not sure if this makes any sense.
Yann

If there’s a constant which for me follows each match LFC play, win lose or draw, its that I always look forward to reading what Noel writes – he has a good sense for the angles and narrative which flow from any performance and is in tune with supporters’ needs. Once again Noel, well done lad.

One of the real problems to do with a lack of quality depth in the squad is that some players clearly do not feel under the kind of pressure to perform that they would have to endure if there was genuine competition for team places. I’m looking at you Ngog.
redtrev73

I hear ya Yann. Is ngog the only player pining for woy? The kid has never been a world-beater in terms of his work-rate and application but wow, just....wow. So much lethargy and half-assery in one so young. Has the air of a man who knows the exit looms and that from next week onwards he probably won't get a sniff.
Noel, fair play for once again eloquently expressing the essence of what was emanating from my living room yesterday re. The Captain and the huge problem of him in a withdrawn role...of course my observations were expletive-laden, lacking sang-froid and y'know...incoherently pissed-off.
McrRed

Kinda agree, yet Ngog was the one chasing the bouncing ball for our goal so perhaps a bit unfair...I can think of a few who need to buck their ideas up before Ngog.
redtrev73

Fair point about the goal McrRed but to be fair the poor sunday showing was on the back of two woeful euro efforts too, so.... Don't get me wrong though, i'm not instigating a witch-hunt because as you say, there'd be quite a few tied to that particular stake...I've said before that fourth was an unrealistic target and yesterday proved that. Kenny has a HUGE job on at LFC but i can take anything now that he's back in charge. With my optimistic hat on I'd have to say Suarez looked fantastic any time our lacklustre midfield got the ball anywhere near him and is cole maybe playing himself back into something approaching form??
Can't dwell on the injuries to kelly (the other good performer, i.m.o.) and raul coz i've still got my fucking optimistic hat on...
Musiicmob

well done west ham, a good game.
Jag_cooper

Could not agree more about Gerrard. He leaves an inbalance in the midfield. No doubting he's a superbly gifted player, but with the players we have, and his tendency to go forward, we are left short at the back. We no longer have the Macherano's and Alonso's covering the defence. Lucas is doing that all on his own after Poulson was exposed for his lack of pace. Gerrard has no alternative but to compromise his game unless we bring in a new holding midfielder to partner Lucas.
ouch

good article... i thought i was the only one thinking that Stevie was running around like a headless chicken leaving Lucas exposed and understaffed in midfield!