Liverpool 1, Blackburn 1: The Ghost of Christmas Past

The points each Big 6 got during the Christmas break so far: MANU 6, MANC 4, SPURS 4, ARSE 4, CHELS 2, US 2. We have the toughest remaining schedule with Newcastle & ManC. I am afraid the separation is going to happen.  

how long it will takes for LFC to go back to Bill Shankly's era...??? LFC is sleeping for over 20 years...still work in progress...

Different era different appraoch. Today 4th is good. Scratch my head still. Money rules. The Bill Shankly's era may return if another shiekh or a Roman buys LFC. Unless FIFA gets serious about the salary cap similar to that of the Americans, all we can hope for is another 2005 miracle.

If we need miracle, we need the manager like RAFA (Magician)...this is what i think.

Sorry,but I begin to grow unhappy with our late performances and it is not because our new players are average or whatsoever,what is done is done.But I'd have a go on KD for using rotation system on the anti-merit policy. This policy can no longer be sustained. Let's describe the players I'd drop for a while if it were up to me.

Charlie Adam
He is average at best and can't be a starter week in week out.He lacks pace,he's lazy in defending,and sems to be a passenger when we start attacking coz he lies deep and his" killer through" passes ala Alonso seem to be just hollywood passes with no real impact on the game. So far his weaknesses were hidden by Lucas but today it appears he can't be a leader,moreover he's costing us.

Against Fulham his selfishness didn't bring us the penalty kick when he was fouled at the edge of the box while Suarez was waiting for the pass unmarked,the same thing happened vs Stoke when Hedenrson lost his 1 to 1 with the GK,Adam retrieved the ball but never gave it to Suarez who complained after that.we lost that day to Stoke 1-0 down.Same thing happened against QPR and vs Wigan he took the "responsibility of the penalty kick when it was obvious that Suarez needed it the most to boost his morale,that's too much for the club,selfishness has driven us to a dead end.Adam must learn he's not the boss and never will be in spite of what KD can whisper in his ear.

Against City the other day he missed the header when the ball was kicked from the corner and it was Kompany who deflected it scoring the opener.Yesterday against Rovers he did the same mistake and scored the own goal. Enough is enough,he must be rested and watch how Gerrard operates from any position of the pitch.

As for Henderson he seems to have an upper body but no legs at all. He never sticks his feet in any duel.Is he a coward or just a little girl? Someone must tell him football is about kicking the ball...first.If he can make progress on that he'll be better than M'Vila and Mascherano all combined.

As for Downing,though he hasn't impacted our games yet,it's just a matter of confidence and he'll begin to shine,the other day against Villa it was a huge test for him and he didn't fail.However I'd partner him with Selvey upfront they made goo combos together vs Villa.

As for Glenn Johnson, from now on I 'd never use him at will at home, he's better on the road when he can use spaces to run at defenders, yesterday he couldn't make a decent cross with his right foot all the game long,he is guilty of constantly cutting inside only to see himself throw the ball with his left foot! He certainly squandered some chances that can be converted into goals had he saved precious seconds when making the crosses.

we have to be better at delivering the ball to the forwards, and much much earlier too.  It will have a good effect, and will suit both Carroll and Suarez.

Right, Cheers to Ed as always for the timely and accurate appraisal of the latest frustration.

Now.... 6 draws and 3 wins from 9 Anfield games is the reason we aren't clear in third. Every one of those games yielded a performance worthy of the win and 12 more points. Twelve points to take us to 43, two behind the all-conquering manc teams. 8 clear of 'Arry's lot (who would, granted, have two games in hand). That's even allowing the mugging at Stoke and the pasting at Spurs to stand. 

Just HALF of those points would have us clear in 4th, 3 points ahead of Chelsea. 

ALL of these dropped points come down to lack of goals scored. These goals have not been scored due to poor finishing (especially 3 pens out of 5 missed), a series of inspired 'keeper-performances and pure shitty luck (17 close-encounters of the woodwork kind and counting) . If you want to be honest, you must acknowledge all three factors. Not to do so is tempting, as we're all boiling with frustration, but unfair. 

Not sure what to say about the 'Let's Just Shoot Carroll, Hendo, Adam and Downing' cohort that have become so dogmatic and certain in their convictions. I wish my 30 + years of following the Redmen had made me so sure of how to fix it all NOW. Sadly, I just gained an understanding of the game and our club over those 3 decades. 

It cannot be denied that Kenny's lads are CLOSE. The simple facts above show that but so does even a cursory glance at the football we play, the share of possession, the chance-creation, the ability to dominate even against 'big' teams, etc.... 

Blinkered loyalty and gormless 'support' is no addition to anyone, however, and I am ready for Chaz to be shown the bench when Jay returns. Andy needs to do a LOT more and although Stew-pot has tried, I find his lack of productivity frustrating. Also, I would NEVER drop Dirky or Bellers...EVER...(!) In this game of opinions, mine oftn differ from Kenny's on selection. 

I, however, despite so many years as a footy-anorak, haven't an ounce of Kenny Dalglish's footballing nous and distasteful and all as it may be to those of us who want to see LFC back on top NOW, we may have to accept that this is a development season, a work-in-progress, which may not yield the results we wish. In the interim, let's trust a man who has forgotten more about football management and Liverpool Football Club than his most vociferous detractors will EVER learn.

Well said Trev.

"In the interim, let's trust a man who has forgotten more about football management and Liverpool Football Club than his most vociferous detractors will EVER learn."

the part of trusting a man who has forgotten more about football management is a little worrisome for my pessimistic self ;-)

Huh?

Despite all the player criticism, we are still creating like it's going out of fashion and are a whisker away from winning most of our games.
KK must be doing something right, even if we have to get the finishing sorted out.

There was this Bruce Willis/Denzel Washington flick, The Siege.

In it, New York is paralyzed by terrorist attacks and the decision is made to bring in the Army (led by Willis) to control the situation via marshal law. In a moment to remind those in power that the idea of the US Army occupying Brooklyn is not a good one, Willis' character implores policy-makers not send him and his troops to the city. It will be effective...it will be ugly, it will be loud, it will be violent.

Right now, Luis Suarez is doing his best General Devereaux impression. He's hell-bent on doing the right thing, even if he has to destroy a city to make it happen. And in his quest for victory, he doesn't just break a few eggs. He napalms a chicken farm. Is he effective? Yes. And no.

I watch Suarez buzz around the pitch, demanding the ball, taking on the burden, and projecting this visceral quest to be the "Man" (apologies for gender-specificity). And I adore him for it. He's, by far, the most dangerous player in our ranks. Everyone knows that, and any suggestion that he's not vital to LFC is as ludicrous as Annette Bening being a deep-level CIA operative. But the point is the rest of the team kowtows to Suarez's appetite for destruction/glory. As our play runs through him (and it has all season), we are reliant on his capacity for (both good and bad) mayhem. But therein lies the problem.

Luis Suarez is not an alpha. He's a weapon.

The common denominator in our front-line and profligacy is the wee-man. Could it be that the rest of the team, mindful of Suarez' demand for the ball and his response to things going awry, are forcing the issue? Are we bottle-necked in front of goal because our #7 might be the clog?

His upcoming enforced rest might (just might) be a tonic to let the rest of the team breathe a bit easier and relax in front of goal. But beyond the suspension, Dalglish and company need to consider how best to use their most lethal weapon so that it doesn't turn around and get used on them. Again.

This is a brilliant post, mostly because I know what you are saying and I could never find the words to say it myself. The issue with Suarez isn't that he does not have the quality, he just seems to be ahead of himself and his teammates most of the time. Kenny needs him to cool down and not try to do everything so quickly.

I am hoping that getting el Capitano back will provide a calming influence to the whole squad. Also an extended run in the team for Carroll might prove to be crucial to his growth.

It's not Suarez' fault that his teammates can't do enough on their own to provide the ball for him in a position where he can score. As a result, he has to go wider, come back for the ball, etc. He's always trying to take on 2 men because he has to. He's not clogging up our play, just doing his best with poor teammates.

Helguson has 7 goals for QPR, Holt has 7 for Norwich, Klasnic has 7 for Bolton, Graham 6 for Swansea. These are not great strikers, just ok ones that benefit over time from their teammates playing the right way. That Suarez only has 5 for Liverpool means the team around him are doing something wrong.

I think what Xabi's trying to say is that he's not purposely clogging the play.  But like you said, doing the best with poor teammates; I think what Xabi is getting at is that teammates only look to play through Luis because he's apparently the only one who seems to be doing anything.  This hurts the confidence of those around him.  It's like playing with Maradona out of form.  The play always goes through him, but he's not hitting the net or helping too many others either.  Luis needs pressure taken off to help in attack.  He's not the alpha, he's a weapon.  

The reality is more like - we're playing with Adam out of form - he's not a weapon, he's the omega

When Stevie G came on the other day, our play immediately stopped going directly through Suarez, Maxi was much more involved.  

He just brought more people into the game.

yeah, that's what worldclass players do

And I thought 1-1 with Wigan was the worst...

 Sooner or later we have to bite the bullet and admit that we spent £80 million combined on 4 players (Downing, Carroll, Henderson and Adam) that are just not good enough for Liverpool. I'm hoping that January will be the start of the buy anywhere but British policy!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Did you just steal all the line breaks?

Yea. Slams Stewie and then steals ALL the damn line breaks. That's LSD. Why does Kenny never get credit for Suarez, Bellers, Enrique and Coates, 270 goal scoring chances all without the services of our most important player Stevie G, but he gets criticized for $6 mil soon to be sub Charlie, 5 year blossoming stars Hendo and Andy, and soon to break out of his shell Stewie? Something aint right here.

yes sir! I'd give Hendo and Carroll some more time for the sake of their age, Adam and Downing can be sold tomorrow, it would be forgotten that they ever played for L'pool after 2 hours.

                   Reina
Johnson - Skrtel - Agger - Enrique
          Spearing - Henderson
     Bellamy - Gerrard - Kuyt/Maxi
                   Suarez

please Kenny..

ok guys, as we are approaching Roy territory in terms of disappointing results, I have one question for you.
Why is Kenny constantly changing certain positions?

Look, everybody is happy about the back4, Skagger playing well, so Carra is buried on the bench, same with Johnson as Kelly doesn't get a game. One could argue that it would not make a big difference giving Kelly a game here and there, but Glen's playing well, great, Kelly's gotta wait for his turn - everybody agree with that.

But this rather obvious rule aka 'never change a winning team' doesn't apply to the advanced midfield/ winger positions, and I don't get the thinking behind that.
We get a good road win at Villa with Bellers and Shelvey playing a big part in it, next game both get dropped, same with Maxi after several good performances. You can bet your house on Maxi getting dropped for the Newcastle game. So what Kenny is doing is, he's constantly disrupting any chance for the offensive players on the team to develop any kind of understanding or 'working relationship' - and you see the sad results of that 'strategy' on the pitch.

My only explanation for that constant tinkering is Kenny trying to keep everybody involved and happy - but at the same time he doesn't care about someone like Kelly beeing involved... well, guys, I don't get it - how 'bout you??

I don't see too much wrong with the tinkering. What's wrong with replacing one player who can't score with another? :-)

In all seriousness, it's pretty acceptable to rotate attacking players over a long season and you can argue doing that well is a big key to outperforming other teams near you in the table (especially if you're in Europe, not that we'd know anything about that). I just don't see the wisdom in playing poor players over better ones, e.g. Carroll over either Kuyt or Bellamy. 

It's tough when things aren't clicking...do you stick with the same players so they can develop the chemistry and form you need? or switch the pieces around until something good happens? Risky either way, and meanwhile the poor results continue to mount up. And if the players aren't that good, maybe there's no winning combination at all?

sure, keeping key players fresh and adapting to other teams setup is a big part of managing a squad over a long season...

but the logic-part of my brain just can't come to terms with Kenny's brain

- f..k we struggle all season with scoring - I try switch around my pieces a litttle - let's try Bellers vs Villa - hmm, not bad at all, one goal one assist - ok now it's Wigan on the road again - aah I'm gonna drop Bellers, he's probably tired anyway -  

In my personal opinion I think, as a general consensus, that we all realize our problem is goals; as Ed has addressed.  Goals to win games, goals for goal difference, goals to rub in any other top 4 teams face that think that they're better than us because they blow a lot more money on their team.  

To be honest, if LFC was scoring the goals they should our team would look promising.  Great youth, a little more depth then last season and even a well-balanced team that all seem to love playing for this club.  AND I think its quite obvious that we should be scoring more goals.  Yea, yea, we need a striker, but I feel, as I saw last season, that everything that we truly need is here.  I mean, what really changed from last season in terms of squad personel? Our goal-scorers have not changed (I'm talking from the success of the second half of the season) maybe our mid got a little more "depth" and maybe we got Super Jose Enrique the Enforcing Red Bull (I consider Coates to be like Sterling.)   If anything, it just seems our team look awkward at times in the final third.  I know it's getting late to say they need time to gel, but they just seemed as though they truly haven't gelled yet.  I mentioned in an earlier post that the real thing that has changed is the way we go about scoring goals.  We got chances galore and can't seem to put it in the net.  Aaaahhhh, too much rambling.  

All I'm trying to say is... even if we don't get these "much needed reinforcements", this squad could easily win the league in the next 3 seasons.  AND THATS what (I'm guessing) FSG is banking on.  It's what they did with just about every team they've had that they've used this "moneyball" method on.

For all the people speaking doom and gloom again, we are nowhere near the finish line to warrant all this speak. While its nice to win more often than we do, the fact remains that while we haven't won many games, we are still 6th, just behind the top 4, because defensively we are excellent. All we need is some goals which I think is easier to achieve than patching up a leaky defense. Plus we're close to January and I have faith that Kenny will know what to do.

I'm starting to dislike Charlie Adam again after he put in a good stretch a few weeks ago. This isn't going to be the thing that stops me from respecting Kenny's decisions because one of the things that makes him such a good manager is because he has faith in his players. However, now that Stevie G is back and he is definitely part of the starting 11 and Henderson is improving leaps and bounds each game, Adam is the only player that I would take out.

Carroll is a good player and unlucky he didn't get a goal. But I'm a bigger fan of watching Liverpool play along the ground with trickery and slick passing rather than watching them spray cross after cross. In my ideal front team with the players we have, it's Suarez, Maxi, Bellamy and Kuyt. I would take away Downing and take away Carroll only because we are so predictable when they play and whilst we could become really good at this type of play, watching Suarez link up with Maxi, Bellamy and Kuyt and buzz and work there way through is so much more exciting. Unlucky for me/us, Downing and Carroll will probably have the chance to develop their partnership since Suarez is probably going to be banned which I have come to accept and hopefully Downing/Carroll will come good.

I know this wasn't a result to be encouraged about but it annoys me when people say we're a mid-table team. These people disappear when we beat last seasons Top 4. These people disappear whenever we do a good shift. I'm not saying they aren't loyal Liverpool fans but criticizing like that never helped our situation. If by the end of the season we don't do well then that's that and then should we be moaning and groaning about our fortunes and implementing big changes but at this moment in time, I think Liverpool need support from all of us, and we need to yell our support louder than everyone else.

I can see why you're starting to dislike Adam. In the last 2 games his missed penalty and own goal have cost us 4 points. Yes, we would be in 4th place right now if not for Adam. Stupid fat bastard!!~

While we should've won that with the clear cut chances that were not taken, it still amazes me how a referee can still be a referee after a mistake such as giving a goal for one that was deflected off a beach ball.

After seeing Howard Webb give a penalty for a player fluffing his kick on the ball and the thought of him possibly still being in his job just confuses me.

Why are referees immune to the responsibility of their mistakes? They never have to explain their decisions, almost like the FA at the moment if you ask me.

Assuming that, God forbid, Gerrard somehow manages to stay healthy for an extended period of time, does he replace Charlie Adam in the starting XI? If so, what does Charlie Adam really offer as a substitute late in the game? His lack of pace makes players like Bellamy or Kuyt more likely choices when we find ourselves in need of the late goal (which seems to be the case more and more often this season). 

I'd rather see Gerrard partner Henderson or Spearing rather than Charlie Adam. And his eventual inclusion from the get-go makes me more optimistic about Suarez somehow managing to find the back of the net one of those 1000 times he turns defenders around in circles and gets a shot off. Not sure why, it just does. 

But, really, I'm becoming less and less optimistic about Adam's value as Gerrard inches closer to a proper run of games for our Reds. 

he's far less effective in a deep role.

Gerrard wl be far more effective than Adam for sure. People play Adam's left foot and we see another sideway short pass. I think it's an idea worthy of a try. Stevie is head & shoulder class above Adam, faster, quicker, better vision, lower dispossession, and shoots much much deadlier. A deeper role probably prolongs Capatin Fantastic's career. 

I have lost so much hair on Kenny's stubborness. Lucas' absence has shown us what we know - Adam does not belong in a top club.

we need to buy and we need to look abroad

No! Lets spend another 20 mil on overhyped English players, who don't do shit

How did we do with Chamakh? A free transfer but that $16 mil pound signing on fee really hurt. Kroenke still reams the Arse about it every time he talks to him. He's using that as the reason he will only let the Arse offer RVP $100K/week. What do we do now? RVP at City with Nasri will be vewy, vewy sad. Ah, we still have Arshey Arshavin.

1 "LFC remain a mediocre mid-table team on this showing" @861d5fb922fa280e65fd648ff1c6c2d6:disqus 
2 "Liverpool - a good mid-league side. Sadly." @facebook-644953967:disqus 

You two sound like Arsenal fans. Hang ya heads in shame.
Ask yourself what our lowest finish this past decade is, (7th, keep up) is that not a wee bit better than mid table? Actually I won't leave that open to debate, it is better. 
Twice runners-up, twice third place, twice fourth, twice fifth, then a seventh, followed by sixth place finish. Out of twenty teams. Sorry, but you've got the wrong lot, Everton are the good/mediocre mid-league side. 
Ask yourself where would we be had "certain clubs" not been pimped out with megamoney™. (although i should point out our new owners are minted and january is coming, might make that argument a tad more difficult.) ((oh aye, and andy carroll, yeahyeah.))

other news from this festive weekend, Manchester City 0-0 West Brom, Chelsea 1-1 Fulham
Big teams get draws, against shit teams that they should beat. Such is The League. Deal with it.

Yet they are all infront of us. U have totally missed the point.

yes, they are all in front of us. yes, this season aint pretty. that however does not make us MID-LEAGUE. that is the/my point. read mine before ya make yours. 

Come on back over to the Arsenal Offside. Me and Homey will desperately need you when everything goes to shit in March or April and we need to dump that French Arse. Fergie is going to throw us another beating on Jan 22nd and Harry on Feb 26th, unless he goes to prison first. Come on back. We need you!

I'm with the dentist on this one, friends. No Goals. No Assists. FML.

-Come on not again.It's getting embarassing,really!
-I dont know how Downing starts almost every match.He is poor,a flop.Sorry guys m not hating,he cant score to save his life.
-Andy Andy Andy...come on give us something goals,assists,nice first touches anything to signal us you are gonna be a decent player in the future.
-After the first match of the season someone here suggested that Gerrard should let Adam take all set pieces...really???Speaking of adam,how poor he was,
-When Steve came as a sub he had such a quick positive effect,his passing was so quick and incisive,his delivery was spot on.How stupid those people are who write him off.Our remainig hopes for that  4th spot depends on Gerrard's fitness and offcourse january transfer window.
-I dont understand why it takes kenny so long to make substitutions.
-It was blackburn's second string team,they have so many injuries.BLACKBURN'S SECOND STRING TEAM...we are unbelivable.
-Atleast we did'nt hit the bar....actually we did after the match(to get drunk)

Like always, skip to the bottom to save yourself some time. 

Alrighty. Let's start from the back:
Goalkeeper? Definitely top 4 starting XI material. He's had his bumbles and such, but the Reina/Doni combo is totally doable, even more so when Almunia and Gomes could get top 4 last season. 
Defense? best record in the league. Kenny said it well, We've got England's rightback and the best non-capped leftback in the world. Skrtel/Agger, with Carragher/Kelly/Aurelio for injuries and suspensions, Robinson/Flanagan/Coates/Wilson for youth. Perfect defense, wouldn't change a thing. Also, we've managed to maintain huge amounts of possession even without a holding midfielder to break up play and keep it in their own half. So the Lucas/Spearing role at the club is filled. We don't need a Lucas replacement, because defense is obviously not the problem. 

--------------Reina-------------
-Glen----Skrtel--Agger--Enrique

Top 4 starting XI material for sure on our half of the field's formation. 

Midfield? Gerrard, duh. Lucas, duh. Those two are definitively top 4. I myself have been more than impressed by Henderson since his inclusion after Lucas' injury. tidy passing, nothing stupid on the ball. Takes risks sometimes as well. They haven't pulled off quite so nicely, but nonetheless he's worth having around. A good buy, even for the price tag. Wenger bought a 16 year old at around the same price. So it's not all bad if others are just as stupid. But putting him on the right was stupid after his first game at Sunderland. Now, because of the time he's wasted on the side, we have an even smaller idea of what Kuyt, Bells, or Maxi can do on that side giving a good number of games. Waste of time, is what I mean. And now his name is becoming a synonym for mediocre. Just like Liverpool. 

Charlie Adam is another story. Not the greatest defensively, has had some shining setpieces, crossing, and longballs, resulting in Suarez' goal at Sunderland, QPR, and Aston Villa. Helped with the Chelsea win as well. I say he would be worth having around if we were working with a three man midfield, taking the defensive load off and making him more of an cog in a machine. But having him in a two-man has barely gotten us by for this half of the year, I must say. His main highlights were against Manchester and Chelsea, but only at Chelsea was it enough to win the game, and a huge amount of luck in his shot helped us not loose a deserved win against Manchester City. It's becoming more and more apparent that most if not all of our goals have had to come through either Suarez creating something brilliant, or they have to come through Charlie Adam. So with the season half over and 2011 coming to a close, this is the best we've seen of him. No, the whole settling-in thing is over, and might be all crap with someone who's 26 and British. Even if he does somehow come out to be amazing the next half of the season, it still doesn't mean he shouldn't be taking criticism now. We're looking for a top 4 spot, and his midfield assistance gets us 40 goals a season. the top 4 at the moment requires 30-60. Not good enough. 

Adam---Henderson

Not good enough. 

Wingers. Kuyt has been working his ass off to get some time, so I have difficulty even criticizing anything he's done. He wasn't the best against Chelsea, but who cares 3 points ya. Against Wigan, I thought he was giving more striker-like movement than Suarez. Bottom line is he's been top 4 material the past few seasons, and he hasn't changed much. Kuyt is good to go. Same with Maxi. If not from actual gameplay, his stats are enough to keep him around. If the crowd wants him to get more minutes, with the goals he's scored, he's good to go as well. Bellamy is another case for lack of minutes. But those few minutes he's had he's made impacts. Not necessarily enough to make him top 4 as a starter, but if his role could be slightly bigger, he's good to go. Downing has had plenty of minutes and had even smaller of an impact that the rest. Does this speak for his ability to shoot Liverpool for a top 4 slot? Yes, I'm afraid it does. With the amount of experience he has, being played in his preferred position, getting as many minutes as he's had, with the number of attacking lineups we've had, with the season half over....I don't know what else there is to say, really. This is what we have to work with. Downing is in an exposed position that Charlie Adam is also stuck in: they can't hide behind a lack of minutes, lack of experience, or lack of teamwork/contribution. Lucas has been covering Adam's ass all season. Downing can put a little blame on no one converting his crosses, but that defense lacks little substance when Adam has clearly shown how simple it can be to put it on Suarez' head and have it go in. Downing wasn't even the best player on a midtable team, and Adam was only as good as the defensive midfielder was protecting him. That does not mean this guys can make the starting XI for a top four team. 

I can't even post a formation picture because there has been no concrete winger selection other than: 

----Downing----

Not good enough for the XI. 

The forwards. Suarez hasn't been the goalscoring maestro he was at Ajax. I know I know, he's scored more than anyone else this season for Liverpool. I'm not putting him up against his teammates, but rather his top 6 counterparts, Rooney, Aguero, Van Persie, Adebayor, and Torres. He might truly be more talented and skilled than a few of those, but his goals ranks him 6th on the list, only above Torres. in 2011 he's given us 9 goals, but we'll be nice and call it 10 a season for him. Not good enough as a striker. BUT. He's skill is obvious, his trickery in the box has been the best, he's been oozing with class even when he doesn't score. There's a reason other teams are jealous of us for having him, and seeing how Kuyt scored so many goals last season alongside him, I think it's safe to say that Suarez is a goal threat, but not our goalscorer. We all saw how dangerous he was alongside Forlan at the World Cup. So he makes the starting XI for a top four finish. 

Carroll hasn't been knocking in the goals either. He's been given his chances, and unlike some others, I think he's been working really hard when he plays. There is no Berbatov laziness that has been associated with him. I mean, take a step back and give him some credit. He has now been one brillant lifechanging goalkeeping phenomenon away from stealing 3 points against Manchester City, Wigan, and Blackburn Rovers, just to name a few. It says loads about how those games played out that a goalkeeper has been Man of the Match in all 3 (not Pepe Reina). But there is still work to be done. I just consider him to be the main cause in the "luck" factor, the "if the post was 2 inches smaller" factor. Him and Suarez carry this burden, but that's not enough to draw at Liverpool 1000 times. I think Carroll has a future here because of his age and topflight experience. Unlike Downing and Adam, he's in Henderson's boat. They are young enough to help shape Liverpool down the line, with chances here and there until we really see what they become. 
------------

My conclusion is that we sadly need reinforcements in January. I wouldn't be saying this if it weren't for the fact that our 4 best players aren't going to be able to be relied upon this half of the season. If Gerrard was fit, Lucas was fit, Agger wasn't a ticking timebomb and Suarez wasn't going to Alcatraz, I would say all we really need is a better formation and different lineups, which have failed to see much change from game to game (Dalglish needs to take some blame for this). But our midfield and attack at the moment are not Top 4 material starting XI. I'm putting emphasis on the "starting XI" thing, because Adam is completely worth having around as a sub, replacement, or a tactical inclusion, and it's even sweeter that he was so cheap. Against Chelsea, we needed an Adam to take advantage of overlapping wing movement. We did not need Adam to try to play bulldozer against a very tight and efficient Tottenham midfield. That game needed Henderson, Lucas, and Spearing. I can't think of a reason to keep Downing around, other than "we have no one else" (Which isn't true). But that's why Dalglish is getting paid to find a good use for him. He has a use, I just can't see it. But them being rock solid in the formation is NOT BY ANY MEANS OF THE IMAGINATION going to get us in the top 4. You can tease me all you want come May if things change for them. Suarez alone WILL NOT GET US INTO THE TOP FOUR. A Torres-like player is needed. We relied on his finishing season after season. I dare to say, his goalscoring made up for our lack of skilled players other than Gerrard and Alonso. A new goalscorer could do the exact same thing for Liverpool now. There would be no complaining about Downing if our new-Torres was winning us games. 
Who are we fooling?! I didn't need to spend all this time typing this up to tell you we need a clinical finisher. Every single game is DYING for someone to tap it in. We are getting the cleansheets, and we keeping the goals out. We sit around for 90 minutes waiting for someone that isn't here anymore. It makes me so sad that he left us. This doesn't mean Fernando Torres needs to come back, but only someone younger, more in-form, and above all else, willing to play for Liverpool. I don't think we all understand how bad Torres fucked us over. Suarez, Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Lucas, Meireles, Suarez, Kuyt, Maxi, Torres. THAT is a top 4 team right there, guarenteed. Even without Gerrard. Torres left, and that could have even played into Aquilani leaving and Meireles leaving. 

We need a Torres-like replacement. A Meireles replacement would be nice, too. But a good goalscorer is required. Refuckingquired. And Downing and Adam need to rotate more with others in the squad. i'm not rereading this, so don't mind typos and/or stupid outlandish statements.

okbai

I'm going to do some research on strikers, instead of just naming out whoever has complete forward perk in FIFA12. Then I'll post some suggestions sometime. 

Carroll was productive today and I think had more chances than Suarez.  You can't criticise Carroll without criticising Suarez for finishing.  

Adam needs to not be the man on the front post at corners, though he's a better midfielder playing further up the pitch than these deep positions.

Regardless of the personnel, we're happily creating enough to put games to bed, it's the finishing that sucks, so we must be doing something to make it easier for teams to defend - namely giving them more time to set up.

Go back to Benitez' day and he was no fan of running to the touchline and getting the cross in.  He wanted the [wide] ball in early, even before drawing level with the penalty box.  

And think of Gerrard's deliveries, even when playing wide they were never from the touch line.

The benefit of this is that defenders are still backtracking while having to watch the ball and the attacker they are supposed to be covering.  Very tough and often something must give particularly if the defender doesn't clear the incoming threat.

On the left, we have a bit more versatility in what happens but on the right, it's pretty much only Downing and then it's almost always down to the touch line - even with Johnson.  

The defence has time to set itself and today's backline is stronger and more organised than it used to be.

I think the deliveries have to come in earlier in the play with the forwards attacking them, increasing the pressure on the defence.  It's quite a change in our attacking style but it worked well before, and it forces the midfield to play a different more attacking role.

We have to do things a little differently to what we are doing now, as that's not getting us goals.  I'm not sure just replacing personnel is the answer.

I for one would agree on buying a striker and another defensive midfielder to add steal in our midfield.However our problem with the current team is elsewhere,so far we've been producing a good or let's say a decent flowing and straight football with a high possession rate,and many clear cut chances down the process that have been rarely converted into goals unfortunately. So where does lie the problem?

Well, actually my point is when we attack from offset there's only one wave of attackers packed inside the box in a single flat line waiting for the cross while we need to have at least two waves of attaat the same time to allow the crosser to choose the one unmarked . This is the only way to take the oppsition's backline by surprise. Besides,there's another positive from this kind of operating system, you can always manage to benefit from the rebound or the second ball to create a second clear cut chance while your strikers are still in the box.

Unfortunately someone like ADAM is always lying deep alongside Lucas and Henderson is played down our right flank most of the time bar the recent games.So who's gonna close the gap with the strikers in the last third of the pitch?
Last year Meireles was doing well that stuff and before him Gerrard when he was sharp and before him Mc Allister and before him Beardsley and McMahon.
Go on youtube and check the game Liv 4-0 Man U in 1990 and watch carefully what Beardsley was doing.

There is no wrong doing in having classic wingers but you must have alongside them quick midfielders who rush into the box right away after they sent the ball to the wide areas.Let's hope Gerrard will handle the issue as usual.Against Rovers he took a rebound then he unleashed a strong shot and did his best to give us more cutting edge when we were close to the box with accurate and quick passes.

Nonetheless we need another off striker/attacking midfielder who can put the ball in the back of the net ala Meireles . The latter was a perfect foil for Suarez last term with their quick one two passes setting  Maxi free from marking all the time.This term with Adam playing around the half line with no quick one-two passes with Suarez we lost the dynamic and our game has become more predictable for any opposition of the day.

Please read this and help me out.
It looks like Adam and Henderson were tired.  And I already hated Adam so my patience with him and Dalglish's love for him has gone.  He is my new Riise.  I thought Henderson played really well at the start of the second half and faded completely out of the game shortly after Gerrard came on.  And Gerrard looked like Usain Bolt compared to Charlie Adam.  Perhaps Spearing should have come on for Adam and then Gerrard for Henderson.  We really need to score goals so we probably need another forward that can finish.  But I don't think the squad will really take off until we get someone behind the strikers that can do something with the ball.  A number 10.  Whether he plays centrally or wide I don't know but we need someone with more technical skill than Suarez so he can spend more time being in position to poach a goal.  I also think we need a defensively strong box to box midfielder that can play alongside Lucas or cover for him.  And that player needs to have pace and energy.  I can't say this enough.  Our season is going to come down to Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll.  If Dalglish sticks by them I think we will finish sixth.  If he lets Comolli try to work some magic with non-british players I think we can sneak into fourth.  Chelsea and Arsenal are not that impressive and until proven otherwise Spurs are idiot.  Players: Gaston Ramirez, Georginio Wijnaldum, Chirstian Eriksen, Lars Bender, Moussa Sissoko, Etienne Capoue, Iker Muniain, Podolski?  There are players out there, but they're not British.
P.S.  Our problem with scoring has become systemic and it doesn't look like anyone knows what anyone else is going to do and that means there is something they aren't practicing, at least enough...?

don't forget we are below these unimpressive idiots. Your P.S. is a good point. Practice should help but talent is the key. Obviously Suarez sees openings that his teammates don't......he feels lonely out there.

Supply into the strikers needs to be earlier while advancing on goal with defenders backtracking.

Ha! Christian Eriksen? Think again. He is going nowhere till he heads to Barca.

We have the leagues best stats in defence and surely also in chances produced. Conversion of said chances? Heck, we'd be #1 if we were a tad better on conversion. I have been wondering, how come Suarez puts them into the bag of the net for fun for Uruguay, but with the Reds he is struggling so much to be truly productive?

he was playing with a high level football team then.........

In second half Adam looked unbelievably impotent. That own goal must have dented his confidence immensely. He basically disappeared from the game after that point. Kenny should have taken him off immediately, but then again Kenny doesn't do public humiliations, but it would have saved a good bit of time, which could have been used productively by another player. But perhaps Gerrard didn't have a full 45 minutes in his legs yet?

I don't understand how Adam has much confidence at all considering he is usually the slowest player on the pitch and he is so easily dispossessed or just bypassed.

Adam rarely puts in a 90 minute shift.

Unbelievable. Unacceptable. Unforgiveable.

Six draws in nine home games now. It is getting to the point where I don't expect us to score...no oohs and aahs when we are close but miss, no big disappointment because it's what I expect now. I didn't even get upset with the own goal; disappointed, of course, but watching Liverpool has become an exercise in detachment, frustration mitigation, coping. 

I am not a fan of Adam, Downing, or Carroll and watching them is not fun. They're not very good at football!

That summarizes my reaction pretty well.  I watch the games, but I'm no longer emotionally invested.  I've become particularly irritated/amused at the match commentators who every week seem to act completely befuddled by what they're seeing.  "What an unlikely scoreline?"  "Liverpool held at Anfield?"  "What a gutsy performance by the opposition."  I would think one would have to, you know, actually follow the Premier League to have that job, but these guys always sound like they've just stepped off a train from 2008. 

As per your last remark, I totally agree, those guys do nothing but prove their critics correct ever more each week, and at some point we have to ask the painful question of what that says about our beloved manager.

We all know what the problem are: A-N-D-Y, for starters. Crouch didn't take this long to get started and even so when he was being ridiculed he did show his brilliance. The other obvious thing is our selection. Let's be frank, none of the summer purchases have really justified their price tags to be made automatic starters. I am all for Kuyt/Maxi/Bellamy and Suarez starting and later on the subs coming on when the heavy lifting is done. With time, they could then be given automatic starts to slowly build up their confidence. Kenny should be thinking of going with the best at his disposal and perhaps consider playing a 3-4-3:

Maxi - Suarez- Kuyt

Enrique - Gerrard- Henderson
         Skrtel
Agger-Coates-Johnson

This would be my line up: Coates?? I watched every game of the Copa America and this kid is fast on track to becoming a world class player. If you can face the likes of Messi, Higuain and Di Maria and come out unscathed, surely playing center back at liverpool should be a mere formality.  Why Skrtel at DM? Agger will be expected to join the attack, so when he motors forward, Skrtel will be expected to slide into Coates' position(Coates-to-Agger's). When Johnson goes upfield, Coates moves to the right of the defence with Skrtel  dropping backing. A fluid defence is necessary. At any point in time only one of them should be attacking. Henderson, will be expected to stay on the flank to watch track anything that comes when Johnson is way up the field .   

Can't say I really agree with going 3-4-3 when we already function well and both Enrique and Johnson get forward plenty. You are basically substituting Skrtel into central midfield, which is a downgrade (yes, a downgrade even from Adam).

I didn't watch the second half. Found one particular stretch amusing though. In a 5 minute span around the 28th minute, Carroll's involvement went: shot saved (should've scored), beaten on a free header at the other end, misfired a cross field pass out of bounds, called offside, and finally put the ball in the net on a disallowed goal -- all in a row, consecutively. That pretty much sums up the combination of poor play and horrible luck that has been a hallmark of this campaign so far.

Liverpool got experienced players in the team this summer. I am wondering why they need so much time to make them play as a team. Except Stevie G, all guys are so limited in terms of a clear vision of the game.

On the speed of the posting (not to take anything away from the poster, though) I am sure lots of words could be reused from all the many, many times we have seen this show before.

Liverpool - a good mid-league side. Sadly.

I personally very highly rate Henderson and think he deserves a long run in CM. While he won't score OMGSTEEEVIIEEEEGERRRARRRRD screamers every week, he uses the ball sensibly, keeps possession and always makes the simple pass - he regularly gets extremely high pass completion stats. Add to that the fact that he has great stamina, a work rate that would make you think he's the lovechild of Dirk Kuyt and a marathon champion, and is pretty fast and you have a very useful player.
Contrast that to Charlie Adam, who frequently gives the ball away with needless attempts at stupidly ambitious through balls, has all the stamina of a rotten banana, is frequently lazy in defense (Chelsea and Man City games aside) and generally doesn't contribute much to the pass-and-move game. The difference in drive and threat when Gerrard came on was unreal. Adam needs to either sort himself out or be prepared for a long spell on the sidelines.

I agree that Downing certainly had a good game. He put in a lot of good crosses, and finally seems to be getting back the confidence to take fullbacks on and do them for pace, even if he lacks skill. He seems to have been taking a few off-the-ball movement lessons from Maxi, as he is starting to abandon the obsolete "I'll just stand on the touchline and wait for someone to give me the ball" stuff and come inside and get involved in passing moves occasionally. I'd say he's done enough to earn a start against Newcastle.

Jose Enrique was great as always, though wasted one promising move right at the end when going for a right footed shot from outside the box when there were better options. I was a bit disappointed that Gerrard didn't shoot more actually, though kudos to him for being more of a team player than he has been at times in the past. Carroll, surprisingly, was actually quite impressive - missed one or two good headers, but also was unlucky as you said that Mark Bunn's been having some of whatever Vorm, Cerny, and Ruddy were drinking.
To be honest it seems there's not a lot more we can do to win matches. But all bad runs have to come to an end sometime. I'm staying positive and predicting 3 goals at least per game from now until the end of the season :)

its very easy to have high pass completion stats when you are only passing sideways. for all his flaws i admire adam for looking for the killer pass. we dont seem to be able to break smaller teams down and players like henderson only serve to exacerbate the problem. im not saying hes a bad player though, just average - a typical english footballer, great engine, pace and strength and no vision, technique or skill. adam whilst lazy at times and constantly slow has vision and can open a team up with 1 pass, unfortunately he lacks consistency. downing put in a decent performance in a game where he shouldve decimated the opposition full back, given the circumstances i think he had a poor game. carroll started off poorly for me, but i think its more to with the wingers not putting in enough crosses. in the latter stages of the game when the delivery was better he looked more dangerous. motm for me was johnson. solid at the back, composed in possession, genuinely happy using either foot and superb delivery. 

yeah, but to be honest henderson has good technique, and that comment about vision is exactly what many english people don't understand about it. Having good vision doesn't mean every pass has to be a through ball. If you watch Xavi and Iniesta, 90% of their passes are sideways passes. they stay patient, keep possession and only make a through ball when it's easy, and an obvious option. That is having vision. That is what makes the Spanish so good - they aren't constantly trying to get forward in the mindless British fashion. Adam does not have vision. He is good at putting through balls into wide areas. As someone who has played under English coaches for more than 10 years I can tell you that is the first thing a CM gets taught to try and do when they have the ball - "Get it wide". While this looks productive and creative, in truth very few goals are scored from wingers crossing from the touchline because by the time they get there the defence is organised and ready. At our prime under Rafa he always taught to cross early when the defence is still backtracking and not facing the ball. Adam is good at playing the easy through ball between fullback and centre back going out wide away from the goal for a winger. This is not vision. Henderson keeps possession well and always plays it simple, but never has the ball long enough to look for a through ball because Adam will take it off him. Gerrard has real vision - he can see moves building before they've even started and instigate them. He can play difficult through balls either between CBs or CB and FB but going towards goal for a striker to run on and score. But he doesn't brainlessly attempt these like Adam does. He plays little passes to keep possession and releases a through ball when the time is right. Henderson's passing is similar to Lucas's and there is nothing wrong with that whatsoever, whereas Adam could and should learn from watching Gerrard or Aquilani.

Excellent dissection. Also notcie the way Jordan looks to pass first, with his first touch. It's a quick tactic that keeps the ball moving perfectly in a pass-n-move system. This intuition of his, along with his aforementioned engine, seems to make him a perfect fit in our 'desired' system.

I believe a Lucas-Henderson tandem is the wave of the future.

As for the tandem for the wave of the present?...um, Henderson-Spearing, I guess?

Shelvey?

Booze?

Booze sounds right

Downing is the least dangerous player I think I've ever seen. About 25 chances today and never looked like scoring or putting in a deadly cross. A for effort, but he stinks.

When the lower table teams pack all 11 into their half in the last 20 minutes of the game and we still have no game winner, we sadly see so often that we dominate possession but none of our players seem to know what to do with that possession; None of them seem to have the nerve or imagination to attempt something aggressive instead of passing sideways, backwards or looking like they'd rather not be the one in the spotlight having the ball.

Kinda like the guy who has been on the successful date with the hot girl, but doesn't have the knowledge/experience or guts to get a kiss for his troubles as he says goodbye at her door.

i agree

LFC remain a mediocre mid-table team on this showing. There is absolutely no chance of getting into the top six this season. Downing, Adam, Henderson, Carroll are total talentless waste of last years money! I get tired of saying this week after week and being told I am "disloyal" yet soon there will be not enough games left with draw after draw to get anywhere! That's a fact... 

Henderson is pretty good.

Hi cops supporter,did you all think King Kenny is the right manager for liverpool? Of coz, i'm not criticizing anyone here,is just that they way he manage the team really lack off focus, team strategies and lines up. for me, we really need the manager like RAFA, Team strategies manager...

We can"t beat the bottom club at home.

But we can do the triple against Chelsea and go undefeated against the top 4 all year. 

Exactly, that's why we are 6th.

Yet another post about a game that was just simply depressing after the final whistle. It must get boring to tell the same story over and over.  Good luck with those seven hours of driving.

Btw, that was really fast.  Guess you already knew what needed to be said.

You can always tell Ed has a long drive when he starts making typos. My realization of this fact is proof that either I need to stop reading this blog so often, or Ed needs to move away from Kaffeklubben, Greenland. Or both.