Liverpool's fantastic start to the season continues! A hard-fought 1-0 away victory over Aston Villa makes it six points out of six for the Reds, only the second time in the last ten years the club has achieved that in the Premier League. There are aspects of the team's performance that clearly need to improve, but the name of the game is WINNING, and going forward, two wins in a row is a great foundation upon which to build.
The GOOD
Kolo Toure
A monster in defence. Rarely put a foot wrong. Strong in the tackle. Imperious in the air. Intelligent use of the ball, with the highlight being a superb through-ball for Daniel Sturridge in the first half. Liverpool still need to sign another central defender, but on current evidence, it's Daniel Agger who's most likely to make way, not Toure.
Simon Mignolet
Another excellent performance, exemplified by another points-rescuing save near the end of the game. He didn't have much to do but when called into action, the Belgian delivered.
Daniel Sturridge
Absolute genius signing by Rodgers, and scored another sublime goal. Sturridge has it all: pace; power; great touch/technique; great instincts/movement. Yes, he occasionally loses the ball when trying fancy tricks, but who cares about that when he scores so regularly? If Sturridge stays fit, he will easily score 20+ goals this season.
Passing and Movement
In the first 35 minutes, Liverpool played Villa off the park with quick, accurate passing and wonderful movement. Importantly, everyone looked confident and comfortable on the ball, with much of the passing direct and forward-thinking.
Winning mentality
Two games. Two wins. Six points. Unbeaten in the last TEN league games. That literally is all that matters at this stage. Liverpool ground out the victory, and winning breeds confidence, and builds positive momentum, which can only be a good thing. In previous years, the Reds would've lost/drawn the last two games, so this is a huge sign of progress.
The BAD
Post-Goal Malaise
After Sturridge's goal, the team very noticeably lost forward momentum. Midfield and defence dropped deeper and deeper, and this handed Villa the initiative. Instead of going forward proactively, Liverpool became reactive, and seemed content to simply protect the lead. There seemed to be a slight element of apprehension, with the players choosing to batten down the hatches to protect the lead. Liverpool got away with it today (and against Stoke), but that approach is not going to fly against better teams/players in the league.
Second-Half Ball retention: Lucas
The team kept the ball well in the first half, but this tailed off as the game wore on, with the main culprit being Lucas, who got caught in possession FOUR separate times (in dangerous situations) in the second half. Lucas had a good game for 50 minutes, but against better teams and better players, these mistakes may cost the team. Jose Enrique also squandered possession several times during the game, mainly with inaccurate passes in the final third (no change there, then!)
Negative Substitutions
I personally don't see the logic in taking off Aspas and replacing him with Cissokho. If it's a fitness issue then fine, but whatever way you slice it, that is a cautious substitution, and sent a message that Liverpool wanted to protect the lead, rather than progressively push for a second goal. Same applies to the Allen/Coutinho switch - why not bring on Luis Alberto, or even Raheem Sterling? Again, Rodgers displayed cautious intent.
Some may argue that this is fine, and If the Reds were up against Man United or Chelsea, I'd agree. Aston Villa, though? Settling for the 1-0 put the team under pressure, and consequently, Villa came closer and close to snatching a goal.
The UGLY
Chance creation.
Extremely poor chance creation overall. Liverpool had ONE shot on target for the entire game, and that's nowhere near good enough. Additionally, I don't recall the team creating a single goalscoring chance in the entire second half, and that is concerning. How many saves did Brad Guzan have to make? None, whereas Mignolet had to make several. Liverpool had the bulk of possession, but the stats speak for themselves:
* LFC: 5 shots/1 on target | Villa: 17 shots/3 on target
* LFC: 2 corners | Villa: 8 corners
It's fantastic to win the game, but these attacking stats are simply not good enough. When it comes to creativity, Gerrard and Henderson did not (IMO) do enough in this game. Aspas showed flashes of creativity, but neither Gerrard not Hendo created a single chance in the entire game.
Ultimately, the only stat that matters is the six points on the board, and it's a positive that the Reds can grind out wins against the so-called 'lesser' teams. There are lots of positives to take from the first two games, but Manchester United will be a totally different proposition, and a similar loss of momentum/initiative at Anfield next week could prove costly.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
The GOOD
Kolo Toure
A monster in defence. Rarely put a foot wrong. Strong in the tackle. Imperious in the air. Intelligent use of the ball, with the highlight being a superb through-ball for Daniel Sturridge in the first half. Liverpool still need to sign another central defender, but on current evidence, it's Daniel Agger who's most likely to make way, not Toure.
Simon Mignolet
Another excellent performance, exemplified by another points-rescuing save near the end of the game. He didn't have much to do but when called into action, the Belgian delivered.
Daniel Sturridge
Absolute genius signing by Rodgers, and scored another sublime goal. Sturridge has it all: pace; power; great touch/technique; great instincts/movement. Yes, he occasionally loses the ball when trying fancy tricks, but who cares about that when he scores so regularly? If Sturridge stays fit, he will easily score 20+ goals this season.
Passing and Movement
In the first 35 minutes, Liverpool played Villa off the park with quick, accurate passing and wonderful movement. Importantly, everyone looked confident and comfortable on the ball, with much of the passing direct and forward-thinking.
Winning mentality
Two games. Two wins. Six points. Unbeaten in the last TEN league games. That literally is all that matters at this stage. Liverpool ground out the victory, and winning breeds confidence, and builds positive momentum, which can only be a good thing. In previous years, the Reds would've lost/drawn the last two games, so this is a huge sign of progress.
The BAD
Post-Goal Malaise
After Sturridge's goal, the team very noticeably lost forward momentum. Midfield and defence dropped deeper and deeper, and this handed Villa the initiative. Instead of going forward proactively, Liverpool became reactive, and seemed content to simply protect the lead. There seemed to be a slight element of apprehension, with the players choosing to batten down the hatches to protect the lead. Liverpool got away with it today (and against Stoke), but that approach is not going to fly against better teams/players in the league.
Second-Half Ball retention: Lucas
The team kept the ball well in the first half, but this tailed off as the game wore on, with the main culprit being Lucas, who got caught in possession FOUR separate times (in dangerous situations) in the second half. Lucas had a good game for 50 minutes, but against better teams and better players, these mistakes may cost the team. Jose Enrique also squandered possession several times during the game, mainly with inaccurate passes in the final third (no change there, then!)
Negative Substitutions
I personally don't see the logic in taking off Aspas and replacing him with Cissokho. If it's a fitness issue then fine, but whatever way you slice it, that is a cautious substitution, and sent a message that Liverpool wanted to protect the lead, rather than progressively push for a second goal. Same applies to the Allen/Coutinho switch - why not bring on Luis Alberto, or even Raheem Sterling? Again, Rodgers displayed cautious intent.
Some may argue that this is fine, and If the Reds were up against Man United or Chelsea, I'd agree. Aston Villa, though? Settling for the 1-0 put the team under pressure, and consequently, Villa came closer and close to snatching a goal.
The UGLY
Chance creation.
Extremely poor chance creation overall. Liverpool had ONE shot on target for the entire game, and that's nowhere near good enough. Additionally, I don't recall the team creating a single goalscoring chance in the entire second half, and that is concerning. How many saves did Brad Guzan have to make? None, whereas Mignolet had to make several. Liverpool had the bulk of possession, but the stats speak for themselves:
* LFC: 5 shots/1 on target | Villa: 17 shots/3 on target
* LFC: 2 corners | Villa: 8 corners
It's fantastic to win the game, but these attacking stats are simply not good enough. When it comes to creativity, Gerrard and Henderson did not (IMO) do enough in this game. Aspas showed flashes of creativity, but neither Gerrard not Hendo created a single chance in the entire game.
Ultimately, the only stat that matters is the six points on the board, and it's a positive that the Reds can grind out wins against the so-called 'lesser' teams. There are lots of positives to take from the first two games, but Manchester United will be a totally different proposition, and a similar loss of momentum/initiative at Anfield next week could prove costly.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
In order to become Champions you have to know how to win ugly.
ReplyDeleteJust look at how many time Man UTD have won games where they only played well in one half of the match or did not play well at all but sneaked a winning goal in the dying seconds of the match.
3 points sometimes is all that matters.
With villa, bringing on Alberto,sterling they would of easily been pushed off the ball. With cissokho, strength also cover for LB. we had to play that way, I'm happy winning ugly. And coutinho looked tired so putting Allen on was okay.
ReplyDeleteNot pretty but job done. We will improve...
ReplyDeleteNot sure why my post went up for moderation?
ReplyDeleteIn order to become Champions you have to know how to without actually play well.
Just look at how many time Man UTD have won games where they only played well in one half of the match or did not play well at all but sneaked a winning goal in the dying seconds of the match.
3 points sometimes is all that matters.
Still worries though about the shaky panic that seems to grip the team in the final 15 minutes though. As you rightly say this will need tightening up for more aggressive opponents. Great though the 3 points !
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've argued otherwise. I repeated the positives several times in the article, but that doesn't mean the performance is exempt from criticism.
ReplyDeleteIf Sterling and Alberto are as lightweight as you suggest, what is the point of having them in squad? Every Prem team has strong, physical players, so I don't buy that argument.
ReplyDeleteive posted what you said verbatim jamie on the prior thread in several posts and was deemed negative?
ReplyDeleteVilla were bound to give us a hard time in the second half.
ReplyDeleteThey throttled Arsenal and almost made Chelsea lick their wounds too.
We did what we had to in the second half and that was stop them from scoring. It worked and got us the three points.
As you saw with cissokho he got the ball and ran and was hard to push off the ball which gave us breathing space. Backs to the wall games you need stronger players not light :)
ReplyDeleteOverall good result, not sold on Aspas yet, but its early days for him. Still be nice to get a top winger in the window and play a 4-2-1-3 Formation. Gerrard and Lucas behind Coutinho in midfield.
ReplyDeleteits not so much about what villa did more what we didnt in the second half....one shot one goal i mean how often does that wash
ReplyDeleteSterling and Alberto could've done just as a good a job.
ReplyDeleteim not sure we can hack tino in midfield just yet
ReplyDeletePerhaps it's the tone of your posts...?
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. That doesn't change the fact that as an attacking force, the team was virtually non-existent, and the stats show that. Irrespective of protecting the lead, that is a concern.
ReplyDeletemaybe i should emark on a litery career if i can evoke emotion in words
ReplyDeleteWe had 25 shots at goal against Stoke.
ReplyDeleteWe also had the most shots at goal out of any other team in the EPL last season too.
So what if we did not have that many shots at goals in this game.
come on max its a balance as you well know...you need a modicom of creativity
ReplyDeleteI meant the in the space between midfield and attack. He naturally drifts in there anyway.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe you are just trying to find fault now that we have 6 points from our opening 2 matches?
ReplyDeleteworth noting jamie that lucas made the most tackles and had the highest pass complesion at 91% ...if you put yourself up your errors will show if you duck out you will look like you have made no errors
ReplyDeletethats correct its a forum i thought that was the point ...to analyse the game and give an opinion correct or not on aspects of the game...posistives kolo was superb..mingo was great sturridge scored....negatives we had one shot on goal
ReplyDeleteAnybody know what has happened to Jason Carr???
ReplyDeletei think hes closed his account
ReplyDeleteVilla only had 3. We scored, they didn't.
ReplyDeleteThere will be days like this.
Yes, and no one is arguing otherwise, yet you seem intent on making the discussion adversarial.
ReplyDeleteI personally have clearly stated the positives in the article, but that doesn't mean that the negatives can't be discussed. Two wins in a row is great, and the points are the most important thing, but there are issues with the performance that can - and should - be discussed. This does not take anything away from the win.
6 points out of 6 is the only stat that matters. The shot ratio is only an issue if your losing.
ReplyDeleterogers has stated that borini is a winner with a tough mental attititud and athletism ..how would this situation not suit him
ReplyDeleteOk but it is not like every game is going to be played like we did in the second half vs Villa.
ReplyDeleteClearly Rodgers shut up shop. Even he admitted it after the game. If that is the case then how can that be described as a negative when the team had accomplished what Rodgers had asked which was to sit back and keep a clean sheet in the second half?
Same old Liverpool always winning, since January who has been better than Liverpool???.........................not easy is it!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLast year we did that and they beat us 3-1, these guys are in form. You can't take that from Villa. Chelsea and Arsenal also had the same issues. Sleeping after scoring a goal needs to be addressed . The team needs help. SG was not creating cause he had to stay back and help the defense. Overall what I take out of this is the winning mentality. Win UGLY!! Remember '08
ReplyDeleteRodgers asked Liverpool to defend deep in the second half knowing this would stop villa from getting in behind them therefore stopping villas biggest threat, he would of liked more counter attacking play but it didnt happen all in all a very good result and great tactical management by Rodgers
ReplyDeleteJust because Rodgers says something doesn't mean we all have to just accept it. You seem to be suggesting that constructive criticism should be outlawed just because the manager instructed the team to 'shut up shop'. Sorry, but that's nonsense. As I and others have said repeatedly, there are lots of positives, but there are also negatives, and these should be discussed.
ReplyDeleteRodgers said it was a tactical decision to play deep and stop Villa from scoring in his interview after the match.
ReplyDeleteThat is what we did in the second half. Why would his comments be nonsense?
I get the picking the bones out of the game, but last season Rodgers was critised, by some for not being able to tactically adjust the team when defending a lead, especially against the bigger teams. So to see this development, being added to the tactics is good progress. Like you say a bit more productive counter attacking would of been good, but 3 points was earned in the end.
ReplyDeleteThat's not what I said. I'm saying it's nonsense to suggest that we should've critique the game just because Rodgers instructed the team to play deep.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting tired of these seemingly constant attempts to make things adversarial in the comments section. This is a football discussion: everything is up for debate, and if you or anyone else doesn't like the fact that certain aspects of the game are being (constructively) criticised, then that's tough luck.
Don't think we,d have 6 points if Pepe was still in goal, well done Simon Mignolet! :)
ReplyDeleteOther than goal difference, three points from an ugly win is the same in the standings as three points from a crushing victory. On the other hand, I wasn't left feeling very confident after the final whistle.
ReplyDeleteAfter his performance in the under 21's, I think he would have had that little bit of confidence as well. Shame he didn't get a run out.......
ReplyDeleteJK, spot on about lucas, he's been giving away balls in key areas since last season and alot of people having been making excuses about him being out for a while and not match fit. Well he's had more than enough time now and we should be looking to bring in someone more physical and comfortable on the ball. Lucas is a squad player, otherwise he will start to drain our resources....for instance gerrard having to play deeper to help him out. Agger had a dodgy game today and looked out of sorts. Anyway against better teams we will be punished as villa forgot their shooting boots apart from their main man. Enrique was strong today and Toure, sturridge and our keeper kept us in the game.
ReplyDeleteA decent left winger, CB, experienced striker and Defensive Mid will get us hopefully in the top 4. Lets learn from our mistakes early so we can really push on for this season.
2wins out 2, clean sheets with some lucky and the way we played first again showed our class going forward.
Confidence should be high against the mancs next weekend!!
The thinking of not bring on Sterling and Alberto when the game is on a knife edge, is that they have relatively few games on top level football( not as many battle scars). Joe Allen came on, as weak as he is, the guy can press the ball well. There midfield at around 70 minute mark just took over, Aly probably was used, as he has height to help with set-pieces and the guy has pace, so he could run the ball up the channel to relief pressure. If we were 3 nil up, think Alberto wud have had his debut. Its been years since we put a resolute performance like this, it's not good for the heart, but shows character. Hope it's in the mindset of the players now, when the chips are down, they can dig deep if necessary.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I agree with your point on the Cissokho substitution. Of course it was a more defensive substitution, but prior to this Andreas Weimann was proving more than Enrique alone could handle. When Cissokho came on, Aston Villa were not able to get another attack coming down the their right side. So, Cissokho effectively shut down our left side and cancelled out one of Aston Villa's most dangerous attackers.
ReplyDeleteJoe Allen didn't do much though.
Joe Allen was probably brought on to press the ball higher up the field, that one of his good attributes (weak as he is). The ball was wasn't sticking high up the field near the end with Aspas (because we weren't dictating the play at that stage, so Aspas became a mere passenger). Aly's got good pace and can dribble reasonably well, he also give us a better presence aerially.
ReplyDeleteYou make Good points.
ReplyDeleteIt's Marathon not a sprint as the old qliche goes.
We were away and up against a front 3 to be reckoned with. JOB WELL DONE.
Next up in the league........the scum. YUM YUM! Let's see what were made off.
toure was very good - i thought we never got out of 3rd gear - we were content to pass the ball around in the first half without offering much in the final third. The reason for this was BR paid respect to benteke and villa;s counter attack - probably after being ripped apart at anfield by benteke at anfield.
ReplyDeleteAll in all good tactics by BR - it shows he learnt from that first experience and even in glimpses benteke showed he only needs one chance to take the game away from us.
Sturridge took his goal superbly - i cant really think of a british forward who had such control and skill. Also had a quite clear penalty turned down in the last few moments as well. We have a good run in these next 7 games with 6 of them eminently winnable.
Good post which highlights the good & the bad side of our transfers:
ReplyDeleteKolo Toure was disrespected by a lot of people inc John Aldridge- "Stop gap" etc etc IMO he's more than adequate to replace Carragher. He's a certainly far more athletic.
Sturridge, I hope by now has earned the respect of the fans & finally put to rest the Andy Carroll appreciation club.
Coutinho boy genius!
BR deserves credit in his pursuit of Mkhitaryan/Willain/ even if it was unsuccessful because HE KNOWS WE lack creativity. Will we take a chance on Eriksen?
Great keeper in Mignolet.
As for Lucas, for me he's got squad player written all over, I hoped we'd deal with this position. Capoue/Diame dare I say Scott Parker better operators in that DM role both physically & technically. This along with a creative midfielder is key to top 4 aspirations being fulfilled!
Glad we didn't have a midweek match, may have made the difference, also as much as this club has a fantastic history in European football maybe a lack of those bloody Thursday nights followed by Sunday matches will be a blessing just for this season :)
ReplyDeleteAgain with the Enrique hate. You want to talk bad passes, when we had 72% of the possession in the 20 minutes. LFC gave the ball away 4 times. Once was Gerrard losing his mind for a second and kicking it out of bounds, the next three were all Glenn Johnson. That pass to Sturridge for the score, before Coutinho fed it to him, Enrique had to get it there. Johnson got a yellow card, Enrique did not. Johnson on the right hand side was getting beaten like a rented mule. Enrique was mostly solid on defense. Yes, Enrique squandered some passes in the final third late in the game. But was anyone in red having a stellar 2nd half? No. And again, it was the right side, not the left where most of the problems were coming from.
ReplyDeleteI don't get the Enrique hate, the clear problem is Johnson. But since he's the starting right back for England, people seem to overlook his mistakes more. I'm not saying we couldn't and shouldn't look to upgrade over Enrique, but the bigger concern right now is Johnson, and the lack of depth behind him.
I think it's a style choice too though, the first half when we were passing the ball and keeping possession, you didn't need a really physical team on the pitch, you needed skill and agility. For that, they were perfect as they were. You are right, the whole team looked tired in the 2nd half though, and Cissokho coming on with his strength and stamina was needed.
ReplyDeleteNot without some quality signings, otherwise, this is about as good as its going to get. Not sure the Scum game is going to be a good one for us, it might call us out for where we truly are. Because right now, I'm not so sure we should have 6 points the way we've been playing.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy we have six points, but its against Stoke and Villa. If you can't beat a Scum, City, or the Rent Boys, and beat them convincingly, you're not going to finish top 4.
Good analysis, I agree with most of your thoughts. I think that winning ugly, is giving the space to work and start winning in style in the future... I worry because we seem too tired after one hour of game. I know it is early in the season, but it's early for Aston Villa as well and don't forget that they had a midweek game with Chelsea...
ReplyDeleteWe still have big problem with set pieces and we have to work a lot on that. Our bench is very thin and we need to buy at least two or three players before the end of the transfers period (winger, centre back and maybe a defensive midfielder).
But I have to say that Rodgers made realistic changes (Sissoko for Aspas and Allen for Coutinho), in my opinion always, he could not do any better, with the options that he has.
Anyway, we have a good start, expecially without Suarez, our best player (he is unacceptable for many reasons, but he remains our No1). But we have many miles to walk and it's time for hard work and not dreams... Take it step by step, so: Lets do something big against Man United!!! YNWA
We can safely say we have 3 good signings this season in SM, KT and IA, maybe AC too while the other, LA, we have yet to see him in the league. We still have work to do in the squad. The depth of the squad, especially the defensive department, looks thin. We need to get in CB and defensive CM, be it for the 1st team or backup, though it's a little late now to pluck someone straight into the first team. If LS is coming back to the team after his suspension, we are going to have some 'happy' problem in the attacking department. I now have total trust in BR for unearthing gems, be it big money or not. Hopefully FSG is supportive in that aspect of things.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, a solid win for us, despite not being totally convincing. Now bring on the real test, Man Utd. I think we fans will be extremely happy to churn out another unconvincing 1-0 win.
I bought bring in Cissoko was very smart to add some fresh legs and strength to chip in on Benteke. Apart from that I am also very concerned that we drop anchor after one goal which killed us millions of times for the last 5 years. You never see Man U, Man C, Chelsea or even Tottenham do that. What I'd don't know is it a tactic or lack of conditioning or perhaps both. Glad to have two wins but I hope we see a more complete game and greater scoring chance conversion......it's early so maybe they will shake that bad habit...
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, It's a blessing in disguise that we played bad. It was only going to transform into a blessing however if we won. These are the games which make champion teams. Just recall all of the frustrating times you've seen Man Utd be played off the park, and yet still somehow snatch a goal and grind out a win! It's impossible to play well every week, so getting these wins are crucial. I have no doubt that this is really going to raise the confidence of the players even higher before the big match next week. It's so good to see them get a win like this.
ReplyDeleteIn the end that is true. i'd be very happy if the season ended with us only scoring 38 goals with a +38 goal difference and 38 1-0 wins!! :P
ReplyDeleteI am very happily suprised at the effect Toure has had on the team.
ReplyDeleteI like most thought he'd just be depth and just an experienced head in the squad.
But i'm happy to be wrong in these types of cases :P!!
Even i notice that we loose track after taking the lead with possession playing, then the midfield starts to sit back and look to break on counter and if that works we score a couple of goals, or else we keep on putting pressure on ourselves, then either make mistakes and concede or escape narrowly
ReplyDeleteLast night's game did remind me of the way united grinder out games when they played poorly, which does reflect a winning mentality. However Jamie is right about a lot of things. It was really uncomfortable watching the second half as we were pinned back and didn't create chances. Gerrard was playing really deep so he's not really involved in attack. Sturridge is probably tired in second half and coutinho had an off day. Aspas didn't seem to contribute much so maybe some of the comments about his weight might be true if he plays stronger players. We still lack some creativity in attack, maybe gerrard should play more advanced or we need one more signing on the left. Cissokho seemed decent and willing to run at defenders and he seems strong which is good. Mignolet brilliant and saved us again. All in all like Jamie said, as long as we win who cares?
ReplyDeleteFirst half we were totally dominant. Villa hardly saw the ball. Second half we played bad attacking wise BUT defended really well so we still put in a good defensive performance. Not many teams are going to keep a clean sheet against Villa this season. Both Arsenal and Chelsea are proof of that.
ReplyDeleteOur big test starts next Sunday.
Brendan Rodgers seems to be an astute manager. Very aware tactically.
ReplyDeleteHere is a good tactical analysis of the game. The substitutions he made were very smart and shows his awareness.
http://www.teamtalk.com/blog/16129/8888018/Aston-Villa-0-Liverpool-1-Tactical-analysis
Good analysis. Dropping back isn't going to do it for us against United. We will have to outscore them. Agger was horrible today. No presence what-so-ever. The battle against United needs to be won in midfield. We arguably still have a better midfield than they do yet they may try and overrun us with 4 against 3. If we can hold them in midfield our forward line is bound to create chances and Sturridge has already show that he'll finish them off. We can definitely beat them but not if we play like this.
ReplyDeleteIt would probably be 2 points in 2 game, fans would be raging and talking about relegation! Thanks Simon and Kolo!
ReplyDeleteWell what Rodgers did, worked and he got the 3 points. So you argument really is pointless.
ReplyDeleteAs Gilstrap as pointed out, Lucas made the most tackles and had the highest pass completion at 91%.
ReplyDeleteYes a few passes went astray, more towards the end of the game when legs are tired, however a player has a choice, he can either constantly put himself about like Lucas or hide.
I can forgive Lucas very easily for a couple of misplaced passes when you take into account the fantastic job he does of breaking up the opposition play
Scott Parker better then Lucas... what have you been smoking?
ReplyDeleteI will repeat what Gilstrap said about Lucas
"He made the most tackles and had the highest pass complesion at 91% ...if you put yourself up your errors will show if you duck out you will look like you have made no errors"
the difference this time was Simon instead of Pepe, with Simon you need around 4-5 classic chances to score a goal, but against Pepe a half chance was enough during the last seasons.....
ReplyDeletefinally after so long time, we have a top class keeper, huge difference :)
Good points on here Jaimie, at the moment though the main stat I'm concerned with is the scoreline and the fact that we've played and won both home and away. On top of that we basically nullified one of the most potent strikers in the league (Benteke), something both Chelsea and Arsenal were unable to do. Also, for all our impressive stats last season with passing possession etc, we were still unable to see a lot of games out. Good start
ReplyDeleteGreat article Jamie. Not sure what all the fuss is about as you have deconstructed the game like most of us fans do. I felt in the first half we played Villa off the park which inevitably lead to us breaking the deadlock. Granted we were away from home so we did not open up as much as we could do but I felt from early in the second half we sat back too much which is a slight concen for me. It seemed as though once we went ahead we lost momentum and decided to defend instead of push for a second goal. Yes at times we need to win "ugly" but the top teams seem to press on once they have scored to kill the game and I have seen us lose our attacking threat like yesterday at times last season once we were put under a bit of pressure. I think we need that extra bit of quality, of course if Suarez comes back that will add to it but another problem for the opposition to worry about would help us to push forward in my opinion. Ultimately great win as we bagged the three points where we may not of in the past.
ReplyDeleteUtd will be firing regardless of the result against Chelsea, which I think will be a Chelsea victory
ReplyDeleteIf lucas was doing such a great job, why is Gerrard having to help out, play deeper and make timely tackles. Gerrard is getting old and its asking alot for him to do play deep and make great run forward. Lucas is also making poor tackles in key areas and gets side stepped too easily. If this area is not resolved soon it will effect us in a bad way against better quality teams like chelsea, mancs etc. We need better players in that position and i agree scott parker is not good enough now either. A physical and technically better player is needed.
ReplyDeleteSurely he is just involving himself in that debate; he just doesn't agree with your argument :-)
ReplyDeleteThere are two different debates happening here; Jaimie is arguing that Rogers approach was incorrect. i.e We should not have sat back and welcomed the pressure. Personally I don't see a problem with the approach we took but I may have seen it differently had Villa scored one or two!
Max is arguing that the team followed Rogers instructions and the plan worked so why criticise the outcome. Again, I can agree up to a point; the players did fall back and defend the lead just as Rogers requested and in this instance Mignolet was able to keep them out on the two occasions they got through the defence. However, against more creative team we may have struggled to do so.
Overall, a good result and 3 points, however you achieve them, has to be seen as a positive. These were the games we've been losing or drawing over teh last few seasons so hopefully a sign of things to come but still very early days!!!! YNWA
Good Point Jamie , intentional withdrawal is a dangerous game and its a good thing we won. Saying that i'm happy that Rodgers is developing a side to his management we haven't seen yet implementing tactics to stifle the opposition as well as doing his passing game.
ReplyDeleteHey Jamie my comment has been put under moderation why is that?
ReplyDeleteyou are on point !
ReplyDeleteI'll admit I got carried away with Scott Parker but it doesn't negate the fact we need a more physical & technical midfielder. I've named Diame & Capoue who we had a real chance to get but ignored. Wanyama could have been a viable alternative! Fact is we have no drive in the middle of the park when we go 1-0 up we play deep because Lucas cannot impose himself. I'm an advocate for an athletic box to box player who can break up play & drive us forward, therefore giving us an alternative to playing/creating out wide!
ReplyDeleteHi there - sorry about that. It's the word filter. Sometimes it catches innocent posts. Happens to me too (!) It's should be live now. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteYou might need to improve your spelling first :P
ReplyDeletespell checker doesnt work for some reason
ReplyDeleteThere's involving yourself in a debate, and then taking an overly combative approach to people who disagree. Posters shouldn't go around trying to tell people not to criticise just because they feel the manager got it spot on. Rodgers may have instructed the players to play deep, and it may have worked (in as much as LFC won the game and didn't concede), but that doesn't mean the decision is beyond reproach. It isn't. LFC got lucky. If Villa had scored, people would be blaming Rodgers for allowing the players to sit so deep. It's a great victory, but it's not unfair to suggest that a similar approach could come unstuck against better teams.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to take a glass half full approach:
ReplyDeleteBad teams play well and find a way to lose.
Good teams play poorly and find a way to win.
After the first two weeks of the season, we've gone through both scenarios... but managed to secure the points in both games. That's a good sign to me... but it definitely needs to get better.
Thanks nice one.
ReplyDeleteWell we must be watching a different player then
ReplyDeleteAgree...GJ did not have a good game. He squandered a golden opportunity in the 63rd minute when he had the ball and 2 on 2 in the box. For some crazy reason he thought a 25 yard shot from an acute angle was the best shot...wasted it high and right with only the crowd as a target.
ReplyDeleteBy the by, how was that foul against Sturridge at the end not a penalty?
ReplyDeleteCant disagree about Lucas he got caught several times along with Johnson. However, your negative assessment makes no sense. Italian teams defend 1-0 leads all the time. Rodgers learnt his trade outside the division and I in my humble opinion think this benefits us. We dont need to chase leads when we are in front. Its early days and im surprised at how well we have started but like Moyes and Utd we will see how good we are when our mentality is really tested. Special praise to FSG for all the shit the get for buying Sturridge and Coutinho. Its been a few years coming that I anticipate watching games with enjoyment instead of loathing. Providing entertainment and winnings tough. YNWA
ReplyDeleteId just like to add were early in the season and the way weve played in the opening 45 minutes would suggest otherwise. Its a game of chance spending time defending but id rather we did that instead if playing the same way for 90 minutes at this stage of the season.
ReplyDeleteYou do know Mascherano left years ago!!
ReplyDelete