Liverpool 3, Bolton 1: A Display of Potential

By: Ed | August 27th, 2011

Liverpool 3: Henderson 15′, Skrtel 52′, Adam 53′
Bolton 1: Klasnic 90′

With only one change from the side that started at the Emirates last weekend—Luis Suarez in for Andy Carroll—Kenny Dalglish signaled his intentions for consistency after enduring a half-season fraught with injuries. The back line finally had a reliable left back in Jose Enrique and was anchored by the solid partnership of Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger in the middle, with the impressive and fully-fit Martin Kelly on the right. The rest of the front six was business as usual save for the Suarez—Carroll swap, with Lucas and Charlie Adam deeper in midfield, and a supporting three of Kuyt, Henderson, and Downing off the Uruguayan. As the match played out we saw plenty of turnover at the top, with each of the front four finding their way throughout the forward areas.

And as we saw against Sunderland two weeks ago, it was a confident opening from the hosts, who were unlucky to not have a goal within the opening ten minutes. The best chance came on a break from a Bolton corner, with Lee Probert playing the advantage after a foul at midfield on Luis Suarez. Jordan Henderson found a streaking Stewart Downing, whose final touch spoiled what could have otherwise been his first Liverpool goal.

But just like the season opener, Liverpool would take the lead shortly after a great chance went begging. Suarez started the goalscoring move in possession on the left, playing in a terrific ball with the outside of his foot to Stewart Downing. His first-time shot was saved well by Jussi Jaaskelainen, who parried as far as Dirk Kuyt on the right side of goal. The Dutchman found Henderson on the edge of the area, and after the summer signing’s first shot was blocked, he gathered, worked his way left, and curled one past Jaaskelainen into the far corner for a terrific opener.

It wasn’t all Liverpool from there, though, as Bolton started to work their way into the match after conceding the opener. Their period of pressure eventually gave way, and Liverpool resumed normal service for most of the first half. Chances went begging for nearly everyone who found their way forward, including Luis Suarez, who tried to chip Jaaskelainen in a one-on-one and could only find the roof of the net. Martin Kelly re-injuring his hamstring and the lack of chances taken were really the only frustrations during what was otherwise a very impressive first half effort.

Slightly concerning, then, that Liverpool would repeat their opening day struggles, punished by the lack of chances taken and an opportunistic away side. Anxieties were washed away nearly straightway, though, with Suarez drawing what should have been a foul on Zat Knight and then delivering a dangerous ball across goal that was cleared away by Gary Cahill. Neither move led to a goal, but the intent was a vast departure from the second half display we saw two weeks ago.

The hosts would be rewarded for their pressure in rapid succession, with Martin Skrtel, who had come on for Martin Kelly, arrowing home a Charlie Adam corner just a minute before Adam got one of his own, a right-footed effort just outside the box that left Jaaskelainen wrong-footed. The sense was that Skrtel’s header gave some breathing room, and Adam’s killed the match for good. Liverpool’s pressure continued, but they couldn’t add a fourth, foiled on a number of occasions by Lee Probert, and the guests would get their consolation through Ivan Klasnic after Jamie Carragher failed to clear twice.

It was a much more comprehensive performance from Liverpool than we’ve seen in their first three matches—today you got the sense that nearly everyone was on the same page, and there wasn’t an expiration date on their effort. Even after Kelly came off, the back line was again impressive, and the fluidity and understanding that’s developing in the forward areas is, at times, breathtaking.

Given the context, the most impressive on the day was Jordan Henderson. He interchanged effectively with the rest of the front four, provided excellent service, and was patient and confident in the face of mounting criticism that he was a bust before his Liverpool career had really started. The goal was a deserved reward for the performance, as was the reception he received after being taken off for Maxi late in the second half.

There’s no surprises about who else deserves picking out—Luis Suarez was unplayable at times while still working his way to top form, Dirk Kuyt worked his way into dangerous positions on more than one occasion and linked well in attack, and Stewart Downing turned in another high-level performance despite not yet getting on the score sheet. Lucas and Charlie Adam were effective in central midfield again; the former had a terrific first half and was one of the day’s top performers even after picking up a knock late in the first half. As hoped for, Adam was much more consistent in between some jaw-dropping deliveries from open play and dead ball situations.

And aside from the error just before the death, the back line was again solid, with Skrtel deputizing effectively at right back and ~~Luis~~ Jose Enrique continuing his excellent form on the left. With Kelly injured, though, we’re back to the days of concern about personnel. Without Jon Flanagan in the squad, Skrtel was the only choice to fill the role, and next in line was Jack Robinson. Enrique’s presence has gone a long way towards assuaging the panic about depth, but there’s still not very much separating the kids from being pushed into first team action yet again.

But today’s not a day for worrying too much—Liverpool were rampant for most of the afternoon, and they’ve got the look of a side would could be very, very good.

Some Related Liverpool Posts:

Category: Match Recaps, Miscellaneous, Premier League, Team News

« Matchday: Liverpool v. Bolton | Home | Video: Lucas v. Bolton »

poorscouserbobby

So, if Suarez Breaks what do we do? Who would YOU sign as a Suarez backup?
Tropics Red

Someone young ish, but with a blossoming repution. Someone who we could transition in over this season but not under pressure. Perhaps someone who could operate wide as well. Perhaps someone like Eden Hazard? Mario Gotze?
Tropics Red

Anyone else on here think that Hodgson looks like Slim Dusty? Check him out singing with the Wiggles...
Tropics Red

IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE 2 POSTS IN A ROW HIT OVER 100 COMMENTS?
Ed

Antagonist.
Tropics Reds

Protagonist.

Sounds similar; I like these words.

Oooops; 100 up again!!
NotTooXabi

Introducing "worki-worka" - LFC's version of the "tiki-taka" so celebrated with one-hand across the planet. In "worki-worka" you pass-and-move-and-work your ass off. You create opportunities over-and-over. You track back, make a tackle, and try again. It's not as intricate & precise as the tiki-taka so adored by Noel, but it can be devastatingly effective as we saw on Saturday.

Henderson, Downing, Suarez, and Kuyt have incredible engines with varying degrees of genuine skill. One of the favorite geek-isms rolled out this summer in understanding FSG's transfer policy was "# of created chances." So far, that is playing out all over the pitch from Adam's set-pieces and Hollywood passes to Downing's marauding runs. How many good scoring chances have we seen? My best estimate: 284.

One challenge is to maintain the effort for 90 minutes (something that's been noted by others with our leveling off at 70 minutes or so).The other big one is converting a higher percentage of those created chances (a la Suarez missing a few blatant ones). And overcoming these challenges requires finding the right combinations. This, from my bleary perspective, is Kenny's biggest managerial task. "Worki-worka" is a simple machine but it needs the cogs to fit...the parts at our disposable are not exactly interchangeable. Like a jam session, each player brings their take of worki-worka to the performance. Some bring more guile, some bring better crossing, etc.

So moving forward, my interest is peaked when I look at all the different "Top 4 for a Top 4" permutations. Assuming the same formation we've seen from KD, assuming Lucas & Adam are the first choice central pairing, and assuming that either Carroll or Suarez will lead the line - here are some of my favorites. (I'm not really including the effective version we witnessed yesterday, because well, it's effective.)
*El Pistolero Range*Most Balanced: Suarez - Downing, Gerrard, Kuyt(Personal Favorite) Locked & Loaded: Suarez - Downing, Meireles, Gerrard--- When Suarez is the focal point, I'd be keen to see this in action: Lucas and Gerrard supporting Downing, Meireles, Kuyt. That's a whole lotta worki-worka. *The Pirate Ship* Best Source of Booty: Carroll - Downing, Suarez, GerrardEnglish Armada: Carroll - Downing, Gerrard, HendersonW/o Stuart: Carroll - Kuyt, Meireles, Gerrard (and here, Enrique really has to get forward)--- With the Big Pony up top, what about a modified "Mourinho" 4-3-3 with Adam, Lucas, Gerrard supporting Downing, Carroll, Henderson? Dr. Daglish seems set on using a number of combinations this season for tactical and restorative reasons. So for that, I'm extremely thankful as it keeps everyone on their toes and tapping away here. I'd guess we'll see 200 comments by December. Apologies for the lack of brevity. I'm not nearly as hungover as I planned. It won't happen again.
ChrisLFC

Fascinating and wonderful. Save me a place on the "worki-worka" bandwagon.
NotTooXabi

Damn you formatting trolls!
Ismael Jawad

If someone's still not seeing what all the fuss is about after watching this, football's probably just not their thing..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
yowie11

where's that "kenny"?
tGryffin

Noel, I expect a lengthy and intelligent analysis in the coming hours. Ed has been doing all the heavy lifting around here. I guess I will have to wait to read it when I wake up at 8:30 for the Tottenham V. Meh Citeh game tomorrow.
Ed

Noel won't be back until Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning, so you'll have to put up with me until then.

We'll just plan on lots and lots of videos.
Ryan

Noel is like the sexy substitute teacher that gets all the credit for your hard work, Mr. professor.
Andy

Was that Barcelona out there yesterday?
Ryan

Nah mate, these lads were standing upright.
Andy

Well played sir
justin

certainly wasn't. however, it might just be in the making.
mardia

Fantastic result, and I'm glad Henderson and Adam got on the scoring sheet. Really glad, in fact, perhaps now the haters will take a vacation.

Honestly, every time I'm reminded of where the club was a year ago, it astounds me every time. When you think about the turmoil at clubs like Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers (who already look like candidates to go down, wtf, missing TWO PENALTIES and then losing 1-0?) the stability that Henry, FSG, and Kenny have brought to the club is incredibly precious. Not only that, but they've brought back a sense of dignity as well. We focus on ourselves, we don't open our mouths about players at other clubs (Redknapp, I am looking at you, jfc) we simply take care of our own business and leave others to take care of theirs. Such a welcome change.
Daniel Creer

Great to a display more like the first half v Sunderland as opposed to the second. Can't help thinking that if Bolton had scored before our second it might have been the same story (or indeed, vice versa), but either way a comforting performance with a result that really flattered Bolton in the end. If our trend of scoring more goals each time continues, I look forward to us putting 38 in the net at the end of the season ;)

A couple of other points. As for Carra, the situation is getting worse each time. Nobody is above criticism, and I love him as much as anyone, (expect maybe his family), but you can tell even he feels he is past it. Where is the old Carra screaming his head off at everyone? Now he just looks forlorn and tired. Criticising him for his present displays is not belittling his past achievements, but surely it is time to give him fewer and fewer games and slowly shift him more to the dugout staff. He is always going to be an influencial figure, but now it is more for his past than his current performances. Always thought he would make a great coach. Coates might not be the last centre-half we buy for a while....

On a brighter note, a great job in clearing out the deadwood so far. With Insua leaving today, (causing a Sporting friend of mine to inquire who the hell he was), I make it just 4 more stubborn floaters to go. Cole and Poulsen the most obvious, of course. They need no introduction. Hopefully N'Gog will get his move to Bolton (I really wanted him to make it, as well) and last, and probably least, Degen. Remember him?
Ryan

Earlier today, I was spending time with my parents and I was talking about Liverpool. My dad isn't a big football fan and hasn't paid attention to it much since I played in high school years back. He asked me if Liverpool had a mascot. I told him we didn't really have one but that the Liver bird was the symbol of the city itself and it was in our emblem. He pulled out his iphone to look it up, and he said "According to Google, Liverpool's mascot is a Degen. What's a Degen?"
Suarez from the car park...

Can you imagine the reaction of liverpool fans worldwide to that performance? Everyone will be buzzing. The media will have to start talking of top 4 as a likelihood, psyching out weaker competitors (and possibly even Citeh?).

King Kenny already looks like he's going to surpass last season's revolution - and that was some turnaround in itself.

Playing football like that is going to be a virtuous circle. Confidence will grow, players will be happy and relax (improving vision and finishing) and new targets will see it as a no brainer signing for the club without getting £200K/week.

Now just need to get behind some of the other signings like Carroll and give them time to bed in. They'll come good of that there's no doubt. Can't wait to see who the prospective forward is that they intend to bring in. I don't believe the Bellamy story.
tGryffin

I would like to see the Uruguay theme continue with mabye Hernandez of Palermo? That kid has lighting for boots.
CheekyFellow

Feel bad for Reina, he looked livid after the ball went in.
PDubz18

Coates was at the game, good news for LFC. My vision is to have Agger be our SuperDestroyer for when Lucas is injured or we need 2 destroyers.
Ismael Jawad

Kenny on Coates: "When there's something to be said everybody will be told
exactly the same time - I just hope he's paid for his ticket."
PDubz18

People don't sit in the director's box at Anfield just by buying a plane ticket and playing for some alright team somewhere.

They're waiting on a work permit. You have realized that when the club announces "LFC have agreed a fee for xxx and will now negotiate personal terms." that actually means the player just arrived for the medical and to sign his contract?
Ismael Jawad

Your point being?
PDubz18

I guess I missed the point of your comment.
Nick

The boot room is back!!!
Ryan

The future is beautiful. The boot room is back.
ChrisLFC

Completely off-topic...but watching the Sounders/Crew MLS (no, nothing else is on) and at least once a match Kasey Keller makes me think he and Carra must have gone to the same "yell at your fellow defenders" training camp.
I laugh at them, but then realize that's exactly the type of teammate I am at any sport I play.
wak

please guys.... no more mentioning on carrahoof... he passes the ball well in the game... he is our Mr Liverpool...
Ryan

I am very curious about how the liverpool offside ranks amongst the
offside pages in popularity. Many of the offside pages seem to be moving
to their other independent websites or joining other communities. ED or
NOEL, do you have any info on how popular we are compared to the
others, or do you have any info on how much we've grown since last
season? I started reading a few weeks before we were in the relegation
zone last year (very easy time to remember, sadly). Seems a bit more
lively since then, and strangely, doesn't look like we lost a lot of
activity during the off season.
Ed

Can't say for certain, but since October 2010 we've been either the top or one of the top ones. That's typically in the range of 100-120K per month, and that's a huge amount of growth from the year prior. Adding Noel certainly boosted the popularity, and you're right in that we seem to have retained much of the community since things were pretty dire. That's mostly down to everyone coming back and participating, so we're obviously very fortunate in that regard.

And FYI, there'll be a day soon that everything around here will look significantly different, as we're transitioning the blog over to SBNation. Same content, just new look.
Jake_LFC

I actually think that is excellent news. I follow some other sb nation blogs and the format for comments/replies etc is second to none. I think we will greatly enjoy it. All I'm gonna say is..let's never use subject lines. I follow 2 blogs here, one that uses subject lines and one that doesn't and the difference is immense. Ed, I highly recommend instituting a no subject line policy.
RedDownUnda

Jeezus Ed. You just stomped on my Sunday morning big red glow.

Woke up, checked the iPhone feed, Yes 3-1, grab the lappie, hit the blog, girlie giggle at Lortillablanca, shake head at Sue, get down to Ryan's innocent query re Offside and BLAM!

Ed. You're what? SBNation? Is it just me (having just visited said site) or are we off to become submerged in some type-heavy-black-and-white-ad-ridden-juggernaut? Mate - I have such a soft spot for this VERY RED blog. I'm getting the same nasty itchy sensation as that when I first saw the freakin third baby blue strip - it doesn't feel RED.

The Offside is soccer. It's fans. It's dodgy Disqus. It's the vibe, man. (Educate yourself to the Constitution the Australian way - The Castle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

SBN. It's just not Red, Man!
Baadier

Seconding the dodgy discus! I cant comment from my blackberry any more!
Ed

Oof, sorry to drop it on you this way? They bought out the entirety of the Offside and are transitioning all of us over there--address stays the same, but the layout will be different. Like I mentioned earlier, we'll have more control over how things look, so hopefully you'll develop a soft spot for it as well.

I can at least guarantee it'll be red.
Tropics Red

yeah come on ed - we don'ts likes change....
Ryan

Apologies if I opened a can of worms. Figures, Liverpool FC is at the top of the table, and yet Liverpool Offside is worrying about the blog layout.
Ryan

I took a quick look around the site and found the Liverpool blog, "Anfield Asylum". Would we all just have to move over to that site? I guess I really don't understand what moving over to SBnation means.

But like tGryffin said, I like the lack of clutter on this site, and SBnation has a lot of clutter. I also don't like change, so if we really are moving, then, blehhh.. But, I'll suck it up and will go with the flow. Much easier than trying to find another blog of this quality (in other words, I don't want to spend the time getting comfortable enough to post drunk on another blog)
JPR

I'm with you guys. Really enjoy this site after finding it 2 weeks ago. Just starting to become familiar with some of the guys. And Ed doesn't even seem to mind too much if I down a few beers and troll out a comment under a pseudonym just to spice things up a bit.

SBNation? Submerged on some Ad ridden Juggernaut. Hell! Sue, are you listening? Redtrev, you there? Mr Ryan? Johnnysingapore? AustinRed, ChrisLFC?

I guess it's a good move for Ed and Noel. So we'll just follow and try to keep it Red. But I have really started to enjoy the minimalist aspect of this blog. Not too much extraneous stuff. Just comments .

But, thanks for makin us aware of the issues reddownunda. Ed kinda just tried yo sneak it by us unnoticed.

Time to bang down a few more beers.
Ryan

Don't forget LucasLeiva!! The real Liverpool player that is kind enough to contribute to the Offside's comments! Steven Gerrard posted a comment yesterday but his scouse english comes out over the internet too.

just wait, "Sue" might just be a stolen identity by Joe Cole, and his evil plan to get into the starting 11 is to make negative comments about Lucas until we turn against him!
JPR

Yes. I would have included 20 more guys, but I was in the middle of a hurricane, with 60 foot trees coming down on my house, no power, a few beers in , and typing on a stupid little IPhone, like I am now. So, I was triple handicapped. Lit up, no power, and hurricane hell!
Ed

And we don't want you around if you're not drunk. So there.

Not sure what happens with Anfield Asylum--I'm guessing they'll still be around, and we're separate from that. As for the clutter, we're more in control over there, so as much as we can we're going to keep things crisp and simple. Probably some growing pains, but by all accounts a move that should make for a more interactive community.
Shanks

Shout out to Ed and Noel. Great site.
Baadier

Hear Hear! Couldnt agree more. This has been my first stop post match for a long time.
Ed

Appreciated.
AustinRed

I really appreciate this site. I strongly prefer [slightly] less frequent, but admirable and insightful commentary rather than 6 to 8 news links per day with youtube-style idiocy happening in the comments section, which is what most blogs tend to be. I also think the move to SBNation will improve the commenting format, so here's to an even better community in the future.
tGryffin

I like the lack of clutter on this site.
Ryan

I've never done a fantasy league for any sport before, ever. But this season, I have a premier league fantasy team. Can anyone explain how the hell Suarez only gets 2 points for his performance today, while Lampard gets 10?

Anyways, Lucas was the man of the match. For the Frat Pack of the match, it's Lucas, Suarez, Adam, and Downing.

Also, about Hendersen. I've had a bit of an idea through the match that he will be replaced by Gerrard when he is fit again. What I mean is, maybe Kenny's ideal starting lineup is what we saw today, but with Gerrard in for Hendersen, and Hendersen's "surprise" starts have been because he is 2nd choice to Gerrard.
Tropics Red

I think thats right, but then Kenny also said he thinks SG's best position i central midfield...
Whatever the case it will be interesting to see.
Baadier

Lampard scored while Suarez didnt. You'll also get points for an assitst
Ryan

Right Right. Lampard gets a penalty goal after running around exhausted for 80 minutes, unable to break down the top-World Class Norwich midfield, and Suarez makes pancakes while wandering behind Bolton's Defense. I see how it is. I guess the game is a ton more simple and mainly for people who don't read Football blogs more than the Bible.
Baadier

I think you've summed it up there. My mates want me to join but i just cant get my head around the motivation. You don't gain money so you're alway stuck with the same budget. I know tons of people enjoy it, i just struggle.
CheekyFellow

This is why I hate betting and fantasy sports, just gets me frustrated over stuff that has nothing to do with the match, per se. Not a dig at you, just my 2 cents.
Ryan

I hear ya. I thought it would be fun doing it with friends, mainly cause I thought I had a shot of doing well....I mean, I know that Suarez is better than Frank Lampard. I thought that was obvious. Guess not.
Latortillablanca

Eloquent and efficient writing here from Ed. in other words, its called journalism.

I only have two points: 1.) Its week 3, 2.) Bolton sucked. 3.) If i ever read a term like 'carrahoof' again, i will feel extremely disappointed with my counterparts on this blog. we are better than that. This is the only time I will say this... CARRA IS LIVERPOOL. As much as stevie is liverpool, CARRA IS MUCH MORE. I know this, and i've never been to liverpool. So, please, a little respect. He's our future Kenny and he will bow out when he damn well pleases (and trust me, it will be at the right time).

Otherwise, as you were.
Latortillablanca

an if u gimme ish about that '3rd' point, jus imagine a Carra Mean Mug if u were to blow an assignment on a set-piece...
Ryan

Hey, that's three-....oh, uh, I didn't say anything...
Jake_LFC

Lucas MoTM for me, though there were several candidates. My, has Lucas come good.
Suarez from the car park...

absolutely superb today - his best performance in a red shirt?
Ismael Jawad

Lucas Leiva set to leave Liverpool ~ Aug. 2010
Lucas Leiva 'to be offered around for Liverpool transfer by Roy Hodgson' ~ Sep. 2010

Lucas Leiva voted player of the season ~ May 2011
Jmp999

Wenger bids for Lucas 8/27/11. $40 million bid was rejected, called ridiculous.
Ismael Jawad

If it ever were to happen, I'm quiet sure he and Frimpong would immediately hit it off in the dressing room..
Coolavit

Its Jose Enrique, not Luis!! What a great performance, im stoked..
Ed

Bah, schoolboy error. Thanks for pointing it out, changed.

Cheers.
Ismael Jawad

Liverpool go top of the Premier League, with style. Lucas was clearly struggling because of some sort of injury in the second half but still ended up absolutely dominating the midfield. If it wasn't for Henderson's magic, he would probably be my pick for MOTM. The boys are clearly starting to get along. Defensively, the team was solid. Long gone are the preseason worries, although I thought our full backs were left slightly exposed in the first half, especially after Henderson hit the opener.

After reading Henry's interview in the Telegraph today, I think he might want to change his stance a tad concerning referees. Opposing defenders barely can keep up with Suarez but why do the refs almost always give them the "benefit of doubt" when they come up against the Uruguayan?? On a positive note, El Pistolero lifts the whole stadium whenever he touches the ball. Lovely stuff.
Suarez from the car park...

when you see the penalties that Man Ure get, that was the one big downside today. Suarez' head is still shaking even now I bet.
JPR

Wow. Everything..... just felt....... so right!

Pass & move football, anyone?

Bolton would have been very happy to go home on 60 minutes!

Maybe time to start learning some Anfield songs.
On the first day of Christmas my true love said toe:
Top of the table
Quality on display
Henderson opens his account
Pass & move football
A manager we love

And a partridge in a pear tree.

Would not be a ref for aillion bucks.

Was a rough day for Sue. No negativity boys! Right. Lost my head.
Ryan

Poor Sue. I'm sure there will be many times to be negative later on. Don't worry/
Jmp999

Ryan? Fanboi ideals?

I may have dodged a bullet.

But you.......you're toast!!
Sue

All the while we have Lucas and CarrahoOOOOof playing, we'll be also rans (good ones), not top dogs. Put your overzealous fanboy ideals aside and consider what top clubs would use either player. KK will drop both soon enough. Lose Suarez, then where are we?
KC

Isn't that what people said about Gerrard? And we seem to be doing fine. (This doesn't mean I don't want Gerrard back in the team because he's one of my favourite players and if he's recovered I'm a supporter of him being on the team rather than not but I'm just making a point) That's life, great players come and go but I have the confidence in the managing team behind Liverpool that any great player can be replaced if needed because its not the individual that make the team.
Red2death

Haha. Seriously though, we need to find an alternative to Suarez.

We should just enjoy having him around while it lasts. Fact is, if he ever gets good enough that Barca takes notice, he's gone. He's made that much clear throughout his career. And no amount of negotiations or shirt-burning will stop him. (Unless if by that time, Liverpool is the new Barca, then maybe that'll give him pause for thought..).

Not to say he's not committed or a 'true red'. He'll still give everything he's got every game, just like he did as Ajax captain. In the end I'm sure he'll be a big name in LFC's history and we'll just have to respectfully thank him and wish him the best of luck. But it does mean Kenny can't build an attack around him long-term, even though he's clearly the best forward we have.

Anyway, for now we have Luis Suarez. He'll be big this season, next season, and hopefully for a couple more. It's up to Kenny and Comolli to find what the long-term solution is.
RedDownUnda

The long-term solution may be to simply pay our bills and keep ourselves sorted FFP wise. With a few more strikes, another gazillion dollars debt, more clubs in receivership than not, and fans and players finally becoming bored to death with a farcical two horse race, I wouldn't be surprised if La Liga eventually implodes. If you thought the EPL were financially delinquent, these jokers are making us look positively angelic.

Stay where you are Louis, the reign in Spain isn't worth the pain.
Ryan

This is a reality that I hate very much. I really noticed it when there were rumours about Rossi going to Barcelona. Barcelona: who (at the time) had Ibra coming back on loan, Messi, Villa, Pedro, and Bojan, decided they would make a bid for the best striker outside the top 2. It's like they wanted another world class striker, while eliminating the competition as well by leaving Villareal without their best player.

I don't hate transfers, and I wouldn't mind Suarez leaving in the future for Madrid of Barcelona, but I hope he finishes out his contract. The fact that contracts mean nothing in football really irritating.
Mike

If we can keep him for 2-3 seasons, at least we'll have had him for the peak of his career, and the club can only be better off because of it. Get into the CL and use the high profile to sign bigger more quality names...
Ryan

And at least we shouldn't have to worry too much about Carroll leaving. He's an English boy, and I don't see him going anywhere. He's Liverpool's number 9 at twenty-two. I don't think a young English striker would want to be anything else, besides maybe a Manchester united number 9. Or if they've only been in the game for the money since they were 5, they'd rather be at Chelsea. But by the time Suarez is gone, Carroll should finally be our star man. A 25-26 year old Carroll with 4 years to learn how to pass and move will be more than enough to send Rio Ferdinand into fucking retirement.
Ed

Yeah, fanboi!
Jmp999

Yes! My bad! Great writeup Ed. You are our very own journalistic wee Luis!
Fast and very good.
FredJacob

Liverpool vs Bolton Reactions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
legendarywalton

Excellent improvement from round 2, and a slight
improvement from the Exeter match mid week. I was amazed at the fluidity
and dynamism of everyone on the pitch as they transitioned from their
designated position to more open attacking positions. Agger is the
obvious example of this with his romp down the center of the field, but I also saw
him covering for Enriqueas the left back pushed up the field. Lucas and
Adam interchanged with Henderson and Downing on multiple occasions as well.

I thought
it was interesting that we didn't hear Carra's name until that final blunder.
Do you remember how frequently he was involved in defensive play last
year? Death to the Carrahoof...

Finally,
I wanted to see if anyone has access to statistics over at EPL Index, because
the only criticism I can level at this point is that we are subpar in
converting chances (with absolutely no factual basis for that claim…).
There was a lot of virtual ink spilled during the off season over
the acquisition of chance creators, and while we may have bumped up one half of
the scoring equation (the chance itself) I'm not sure where this poor finishing
is coming from. Kuyt in particular has made a living off of “right place,
right time”, and even he looks slightly out of sorts in front of goal.

This should
correct itself over time, with Carroll being the obvious lynchpin of this
strategy (although Agger and in times Coates could benefit as well), but I was
just wondering if this side is showing as a subpar, average, or quality team in
terms of finishing.

Great write up as always Ed!
Suarez from the car park...

the defense were really well protected today, Lucas was an absolute monster, and the wings were protected well too, though their midfield were pretty happless.

But that's why you didn't see the defence doing what they had done in the past - a lot of ball was cut out and pushed forward.

Astonishing display from the entire team. The great thing is we can reasonably expect fine performances going forwards. I still think they need a dozen games to really start to click!!!
The confidence they will get if they keep these performances up will bring the finishing on as they start to relax.

Fully expect Stoke to park the bus as per the old days, it will be interesting to see how we deal with that.
Jmp999

Creating chances is the key for me.

The finishing will always soon follow.
legendarywalton

Pardon the botched formatting... WTF is that?
Ed

It's Disqus, being its usual awful self.
justin

Was the game so fluid today that I hardly remember any 'carrahoofs' from the man himself or skrtel? Even when the ball was played at the back and pressed into situations that in the past would most certainly result in a hoof upwards, the ball was passed around and made its way forward eventually.

Very pleased for J.Hendo, that goal should get a few doubters off his back for awhile.

The way the season's started, its an absolute delight especially thinking back the entire situation we were in this period last year...
Red2death

Against Exeter and Arsenal we were unimpressive but got the job done. Today was different.

Some chances wasted as usual, couple ref's errors going against us as usual, but today the display was dominant. Should have been 6-1.
Suarez from the car park...

hear hear
paul

Wow, someone actually saw the same game as me. Unlike the twitter rabble above.
Ed

Did you see a dominant display with a few wasted chances, or did you think his/her comment was more negative?

More importantly, I'm wondering if:

a) You and Sue are a married couple who have identical views about Liverpool
b) You and Sue are roommates who comment about Liverpool at the same time
c) You and Sue are part of the same dissociative identity disorder
d) You and Sue are good friends who trek to the same library to make comments
e) You and Sue are the same person who's rotating between names for no good reason

Inquiring minds want to know!
JPR

Obviously, the answer is f) all the above.

Today's match reminded me of a boxing bout. One guy is getting his ass kicked badly and just wants it to end. The other guy is having so much fun throwing down an ass whipping, he wants it to last another 10 rounds.

Bolton had the "will to compete" sucked out of their psyches by the 60th minute. They just wanted the match to be over.

Oh....I forgot, it's only Bolton!
Jake_LFC

I was very surprised that Carragher wasn't pushed right after Kelly's injury, but I must say I was extremely impressed with Skrtl out there.
Suarez from the car park...

It may be, like when Johnson played left back, that the extra concentration required to play out of your normal position leads to a very sound performance, particularly if you have positional sense which is so important in defence
Insua's problem was his positional sense, otherwise he was quite exciting.
Nick

Skrtel was great on the right. It was so weird seeing him in the box on multiple occasions, but well done.

Quite sad about Kelly though. Such promise but these injuries he keeps picking up are worrying.
myeternalrival

Perhaps if Kelly is eventually moved to CB he
will struggle less with hamstring issues
AustinRed

Even weirder seeing him streaking down the right side.
ChrisLFC

I thought that was odd as well.