All good things come to an end, and Chelsea's insipid 2-0 victory at Anfield yesterday finally put the stoppers on Liverpool's superb 11-game winning streak. LFC fans are understandably down about the result, but even though Jose Mourinho's stultifyingly negative team has won the this particular battle, the Reds will go on to win the war, and that's all that matters.
A lot of fans seem to be throwing in the towel, but I personally love it when titles go down to the wire, and Chelsea's victory just means that the next few weeks will be massively nail-biting, and that just makes the season all the more enjoyable.
In my view, the title is still very much on, and given the wild unpredictability of the season so far, there are probably one or two more big twists still to come. Post-match reaction:
Brendan Rodgers
"There's certainly no blame [on Gerrard] because we are in the position we are in now because of him; he's been instrumental for us this season. It's just unfortunate that he's slipped over. It could have happened to anyone. This is a guy that is so strong mentally"
Mark Lawrenson
"Credit where credit is due - Chelsea have done fantastically well. Liverpool had to gamble like that at the end and take the punishment. Liverpool just have not been able to get through Chelsea at all - they were wonderfully disciplined, very organised, very good defensively."
Dietmar Hamann
"Chelsea have been outstanding today. Hard to pick Man of the Match for them. The ball is back in City's court now. All to play for".
Pepe Reina
"Still VERY much alive! Proud of that crowd that just after Chelsea's 2nd was singing YNWA as usual..Btw credit to Chelsea..very tough to beat"
John Aldridge
"Well it feels like arsenal 1989, but the team can still do something about it by getting 6 points! We couldn't. Come on Everton!"
Jason McAteer
"Really disappointed by the performance. They parked the bus in Mourinho style. Plenty of experience in that weakened team, and Liverpool just didn't have the answers. That defeat will be really hard to take, but there's still matches to be won, and they need character and bottle"
Phil Babb
"Coutinho is a great player, but I've never seen him give the ball away so much. You could see he wasn't on his game today, and Raheem couldn't get in the game enough today".
Michael Owen
"Can't see City slipping up in their two home games. Liverpool will be relying on their neighbours to do them the ultimate favour".
Lucas
"Difficult defeat yesterday but we keep going until the end".
Mamadou Sakho
"We will do our best. Thank you to all all the fans for your support".
A few points:
* Gerrard's slip changed the game, but I dispute the idea that if Liverpool lose the title, it will because of that mistake. Gerrard's error is just the latest in a long line of individual mistakes by LFC players this season, and if the likes of Toure, Agger, Mignolet et al hadn't made costly mistakes earlier in the season, LFC would be a few points better off right now, and the Chelsea defeat wouldn't matter as much.
* Excellent performance from Sakho. I'm a regular critic of the guy, but he was solid against Chelsea, and delivered arguably his best performance since signing for the club.
* Lucas and Allen in the same team has to be a non-starter for next season. Neither player had a bad game per se, but the team cannot support two central midfielders who never score or create goals. It's that simple. When the chips are down, the midfielders have to step-up and make a difference in attack, and Lucas/Allen are never going to do that. They are good squad players to have, and it's good that Rodgers clearly sees them as such.
* Sturridge didn't appear to be fully match-fit, and he consequently had his most ineffective game in a Liverpool shirt. With LFC chasing the game, Rodgers had no choice but to bring him on, but he was off the pace.
* Iago Aspas proved again that he is a massive waste of money. He gave the ball away in crucial areas of the field, and his attempt at a short-corner in the final minutes wasted a potentially great attacking opportunity. His 10-minute cameo will hopefully be his last game in a Red shirt.
* Suarez is having a superb season, but once again, he struggled to make an impact against one of the top teams in the league. As I've illustrated in the past, Suarez has a meagre 26% strike-rate against the Premier League's elite teams, and he struggled to make an impact against Chelsea.
* Did Rodgers get his tactics wrong? Perhaps LFC should've sat back; played on the counter-attack, and let Chelsea - who needed the win - force the issue. In away games, that strategy is acceptable, but that's just not how Liverpool play at Anfield, and I doubt the crowd would accept it. Liverpool go for the throat at home, and that's the way it should be (IMO). Sometimes, it will lead to adverse results, but this season proves that the positive, all-out attack approach works at home. Some may call it tactical naiveté; I call it sticking to LFC's footballing philosophy.
* What this game really highlighted is LFC's poor squad strength, and Rodgers' abject waste of money in the transfer market. When push came to shove at crunch time in the season, Liverpool didn't have the players on the bench to make a difference. This is exactly what I mean when I go on about loss of utility in the transfer market. Rodgers wasted £35m+ on Alberto, Aspas, Ilori, Borini, and Assaidi - five players who have made zero contribution to the season (in an LFC shirt) - and if he'd spent that money *wisely*, LFC could've called on better players yesterday, and those players might've been able to make the difference. Instead, Rodgers had Aspas and Alberto on the bench, and that's just not good enough.
* It's times like this where performance in the transfer market really becomes important, and loss of utility is something that the majority of fans just don't seem to get. They go on about how X, Y and Z are 'players for the future' or how they'll 'come good', but the loss of utility - i.e. the positive impact that a different player could've brought to the club - is ignored. If Rodgers is going to buy squad players, he should bring in performers who are capable of making some kind of impact when called-upon. NONE of Rodgers' squad buys are good enough, and none have made any real impact.
Having said all that, I'm still confident that Liverpool will win the league. I can't explain why, it's just something I feel. The club's poor defending is on the verge of sabotaging the dream, but the Reds deserve to win the title, and I have a feeling that - just like two years ago - it will go down to the last kick of the season, but this time, City will be on the receiving end of last-gasp heartbreak.
And if LFC fail at the last hurdle, then so be it. This season will still go down as the club's greatest in the Premier League era, and it will be an amazing platform upon which to build for the future.
Author: Jaimie K
A lot of fans seem to be throwing in the towel, but I personally love it when titles go down to the wire, and Chelsea's victory just means that the next few weeks will be massively nail-biting, and that just makes the season all the more enjoyable.
In my view, the title is still very much on, and given the wild unpredictability of the season so far, there are probably one or two more big twists still to come. Post-match reaction:
Brendan Rodgers
"There's certainly no blame [on Gerrard] because we are in the position we are in now because of him; he's been instrumental for us this season. It's just unfortunate that he's slipped over. It could have happened to anyone. This is a guy that is so strong mentally"
Mark Lawrenson
"Credit where credit is due - Chelsea have done fantastically well. Liverpool had to gamble like that at the end and take the punishment. Liverpool just have not been able to get through Chelsea at all - they were wonderfully disciplined, very organised, very good defensively."
Dietmar Hamann
"Chelsea have been outstanding today. Hard to pick Man of the Match for them. The ball is back in City's court now. All to play for".
Pepe Reina
"Still VERY much alive! Proud of that crowd that just after Chelsea's 2nd was singing YNWA as usual..Btw credit to Chelsea..very tough to beat"
John Aldridge
"Well it feels like arsenal 1989, but the team can still do something about it by getting 6 points! We couldn't. Come on Everton!"
Jason McAteer
"Really disappointed by the performance. They parked the bus in Mourinho style. Plenty of experience in that weakened team, and Liverpool just didn't have the answers. That defeat will be really hard to take, but there's still matches to be won, and they need character and bottle"
Phil Babb
"Coutinho is a great player, but I've never seen him give the ball away so much. You could see he wasn't on his game today, and Raheem couldn't get in the game enough today".
Michael Owen
"Can't see City slipping up in their two home games. Liverpool will be relying on their neighbours to do them the ultimate favour".
Lucas
"Difficult defeat yesterday but we keep going until the end".
Mamadou Sakho
"We will do our best. Thank you to all all the fans for your support".
A few points:
* Gerrard's slip changed the game, but I dispute the idea that if Liverpool lose the title, it will because of that mistake. Gerrard's error is just the latest in a long line of individual mistakes by LFC players this season, and if the likes of Toure, Agger, Mignolet et al hadn't made costly mistakes earlier in the season, LFC would be a few points better off right now, and the Chelsea defeat wouldn't matter as much.
* Excellent performance from Sakho. I'm a regular critic of the guy, but he was solid against Chelsea, and delivered arguably his best performance since signing for the club.
* Lucas and Allen in the same team has to be a non-starter for next season. Neither player had a bad game per se, but the team cannot support two central midfielders who never score or create goals. It's that simple. When the chips are down, the midfielders have to step-up and make a difference in attack, and Lucas/Allen are never going to do that. They are good squad players to have, and it's good that Rodgers clearly sees them as such.
* Sturridge didn't appear to be fully match-fit, and he consequently had his most ineffective game in a Liverpool shirt. With LFC chasing the game, Rodgers had no choice but to bring him on, but he was off the pace.
* Iago Aspas proved again that he is a massive waste of money. He gave the ball away in crucial areas of the field, and his attempt at a short-corner in the final minutes wasted a potentially great attacking opportunity. His 10-minute cameo will hopefully be his last game in a Red shirt.
* Suarez is having a superb season, but once again, he struggled to make an impact against one of the top teams in the league. As I've illustrated in the past, Suarez has a meagre 26% strike-rate against the Premier League's elite teams, and he struggled to make an impact against Chelsea.
* Did Rodgers get his tactics wrong? Perhaps LFC should've sat back; played on the counter-attack, and let Chelsea - who needed the win - force the issue. In away games, that strategy is acceptable, but that's just not how Liverpool play at Anfield, and I doubt the crowd would accept it. Liverpool go for the throat at home, and that's the way it should be (IMO). Sometimes, it will lead to adverse results, but this season proves that the positive, all-out attack approach works at home. Some may call it tactical naiveté; I call it sticking to LFC's footballing philosophy.
* What this game really highlighted is LFC's poor squad strength, and Rodgers' abject waste of money in the transfer market. When push came to shove at crunch time in the season, Liverpool didn't have the players on the bench to make a difference. This is exactly what I mean when I go on about loss of utility in the transfer market. Rodgers wasted £35m+ on Alberto, Aspas, Ilori, Borini, and Assaidi - five players who have made zero contribution to the season (in an LFC shirt) - and if he'd spent that money *wisely*, LFC could've called on better players yesterday, and those players might've been able to make the difference. Instead, Rodgers had Aspas and Alberto on the bench, and that's just not good enough.
* It's times like this where performance in the transfer market really becomes important, and loss of utility is something that the majority of fans just don't seem to get. They go on about how X, Y and Z are 'players for the future' or how they'll 'come good', but the loss of utility - i.e. the positive impact that a different player could've brought to the club - is ignored. If Rodgers is going to buy squad players, he should bring in performers who are capable of making some kind of impact when called-upon. NONE of Rodgers' squad buys are good enough, and none have made any real impact.
Having said all that, I'm still confident that Liverpool will win the league. I can't explain why, it's just something I feel. The club's poor defending is on the verge of sabotaging the dream, but the Reds deserve to win the title, and I have a feeling that - just like two years ago - it will go down to the last kick of the season, but this time, City will be on the receiving end of last-gasp heartbreak.
And if LFC fail at the last hurdle, then so be it. This season will still go down as the club's greatest in the Premier League era, and it will be an amazing platform upon which to build for the future.
Author: Jaimie K
We Really Disappointed What Happen Yesterday i am still have headache
ReplyDeleteI think its over. Said all they way we must win all the games to win it and wont stop hoping until we lose one. I just dont understand why people refuse to blame gerrard, yes hes a legend and everything but he made that costly mistake and he probably costed us the title just admit it. The other point is that some hope everton will do us a favour, that is too funny really! Even if they would like, city wont stop now, they ve been waiting for this for months. Whats going to happen with the were gonna win the league song, just mocking from other fans now! A real cruel finish of the season, but it happened, 24 years and still counting, who knows how many more we will have to wait. I just dont know whats with gerrard and those slips and stupid back passes come end of the season, he did that several times, its just astonishing, wont ever find out!
ReplyDeleteIf you walk inside my head at the moment, you will hear that 'American Beauty' theme.
ReplyDeleteCity's recent form at Goodison is DWLLLL. People say they're due for a win. I say they're due for a draw. Pundits kept saying they can't see Chelsea and City dropping points and bla bla bla, yet points were dropped to Sunderland. This race is way too tense to have no more twists.
After regathering myself mentally from last night, I'm still confident we can do it. Liverpool just need to be like Utd in 2011-12: Just play to the end, and keep the pressure on. If not for a miracle, it would have worked for Utd.
You've got a great point about the transfer market Jaimie. My only point to defend Rodgers is that I don't think he planned for a title assault this year. The target was top 4, and he did enough in the transfer market to comfortably get us there.
I don't feel optimistic about the title but am very proud of the boys and what they accomplished this season. My lack of optimism only comes from the fact that I don't see City dropping points against the teams they have left. I hope I'm wrong but my guy tells me now they know what they're playing for they won't screw it up. Based on where we were at this time last season, I think it's actually great to be disappointed right now. We are in the hunt and earned Champions League again, We are the most enjoyable team to watch in the Premier League. I'd rather watch us lose and play the way we did than watch us win playing the way Chelsea plays. Sorry for saying that to anyone who only wanted the title.
ReplyDeleteI think Jamie has said a few times Aspas and Alberto's fees should have been used elsewhere. All I'll say is I'm pretty sure Christian Eriksen knows how to make the most of a corner kick at that point in the game. Oh well. Let's finish this season strong! YNWA.
The other mistakes this season have cost us just as much as Gerrard's slip. This is not a cup competition where what happened in the past becomes completely redundant the next match.
ReplyDeletecan we score 12+ goals with out conceding and city conceding as they have +8 goal df
ReplyDeleteHi Jamie. I'm a Liverpool fan thick and through. I would love to ask how COULD you be so CONFIDENT we'll win the league given the fact that Man City's to lose now? Please provide us with your instinct reasoning :) Im curious to know.
ReplyDeleteWell I felt like jumping off a bridge last night but managed to get through. The only disappointment if we don't win the league from my point of view is that this season has been a very unique opportunity for us where the top teams have dropped points and United and Spurs have been garbage. You can't imagine a similar situation like this in the future and with the CL next season, the Premier League becomes that much harder.
ReplyDeleteNice name!
ReplyDeleteits hard to make that kind of goal difference assuming the fact of two games left in hand. All we can is to pray the other 3 teams playing with ManC do us the favour. Just one slip up we will have the upper hand again.
ReplyDeleteagreed, you could quite easily say that toure cost us the win against brom thus two points which would have kept us ahead...he made an error yesterday move on and make sure we win our last couple.
ReplyDeleteOkay....Major Disqus trip out! I swear this person's name was 'Pete' but maybe I have totally lost it after the defeat to Chelsea. I probably look like a real loony.
ReplyDeleteDamn Mourinho.
This is football pal. Nobody is a perfect footballer without mistakes. We are only human, prone to the occasional mistake.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, happened to me earlier and the other day. If you refresh it changes to correct name. Some comments yesterday looked like the person was replying to their own comments, thought there was some crackpot on here...there probably are few mind!!
ReplyDeleteIf you calculate like that then we could say the defeat vs southampton early days or hull costed us the title, but we were not in the hunt that time. Blame totally has to be on stevie, because that was a crucial game and a pro like him cant be doing that, and he does that almost every season at least once, this is the weird part I dont get!
ReplyDeleteIt's not in our hands anymore but It ain't over yet. We will have to win our next 2 but City need to win 3. One slip up from them and we are in the driving seat again. Keep the faith! Martinez and Co, make us proud :-)
ReplyDeleteSh1t happens! We still had 45 to turn it around, it also happened in the injury time due to chelsea's delaying tactics...i reckon he'll make amends in next two games. Shame we have to rely on everton to do us a favour...could do with Arsenal not winning tonight to keep them in with a sniff of fourth. Think they have to much professionalism and pride to let city walk over them in their last home game.
ReplyDeleteLucas was the weak link yesterday just like Suarez. Allen and Sakho played really well in THIS game. Within 15-25 min of knowing Chelsea's plans, LFC should have been passing more and break through & not trying to blast through. Needed some patience. Like JK said, Daniel was not match fit. Also, Aspas should have come in for Lucas in the begining for a change and then replaced with Alberto who is skillful. Aerial balls went to waste, should have sent Agger and Skrtel front for those type of deliveries just to put Chelsea off. Still in shock over this match. Life was just sucked out. A draw would have been better but to loose it this way beyond heartbreaking. Honest mistake by Stevie and the 2nd goal well, that came when LFC were trying hard, so it did not matter by then. Full marks to Mourinho who just outdid everyone with his 'STYLE' if play. Just my 2 cents.
ReplyDeleteThe way this season has gone I can see a scenario of an on loan chelsea striker (lukaku) scoring for our mersey rivals thus damaging city and handing us back the chance to win title...there's also lfc loving Nolan to do damage on last day...although that might be pushing it!! We have to win our games and make them win theirs...and hope for one more twist.
ReplyDeletelukaku wont play against chelsea u idiot. Show's over!
ReplyDeleteJust goes to show how important Henderson has become for us. Lucas is not suited to playing further forward. Would preferred Alberto for Lucas. Aspas made me cringe...
ReplyDeleteHow far hendo has improved in a short time is amazing...still think he'll improve a lot more in terms of goals/assists...remember when we signed him, the kid lives for football. Might just be crucial come the last game.
ReplyDeleteI don't see Gerrards 'mistake' as a mistake, it was unfortunate thing to happen, but he didn't make the mistake so to speak, he lost his footing. Had he passed it to Ba, then it would be a mistake.
ReplyDeleteFor most of the game Sakho was all over Ba, and really kept him at bay. I was impressed with him.
In hindsight, might it have been better to play for a draw? Maybe... Even though I hate to say it.
We pushed so hard going forward, and we know Chelsea are very hard to score against when they defend so deep. We could have just sat back and got the point.
Sat back with our shaky defence? Nah.
ReplyDeleteChelsea weren't really attacking though, and they didn't really want to. And if they did it would have left them vulnerable to the counter.
ReplyDeleteLike I said hindsight.... its a wonderful thing.
You can blame any player throughout the season that has make a mistake though. They all add up to costing the same amount of points.
ReplyDeleteYes but what if we did draw the match yesterday and lost one of remaining two matches then we would all be asking why we never went for the win at Anfield yesterday...
ReplyDeleteWould've been there only for the stupid pass from the ass Moses.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. That's why I was saying in hindsight. I completely understand going for the win. Its just looking back now, playing for a draw would have worked, and I think we could have done it.
ReplyDeleteAgree with just about everything. I thought a title win was a possibility at the beginning of the season IF we got the right players in. Even without any big additions we've made this far, and hope that things go in our favour. The offensive additons this year have been poor, and it would be nice to have some talent off the bench.
ReplyDeleteAs for the players, ideally everyone on the pitch should be able to make some sort of offensive contribution. Lucas doesn't do that, I think you're a little harsh on Allen, he's tried the past few games to score, and they've been decent efforts, at least on target, but ultimately hasn't scored or assisted yet.
That being said, the weakest link, when referring to startersm has to be Johnson. He always flies on under the radar, and seems to get away with it, because he's a fullback. Despite his position on paper being "fullback" he's more of a winger, look at the 4 most advanced players yesterday, there was Suarez, Sterling, Coutinho, and Johnson. For a player who plays so advanced, and has so much play channeled through him - his offensive contribution is terrible, he doesn't get many key passes, his shooting is terrible, his crosses aren't great - but most of all he has no vision, slows things down, makes the wrong decisions, loses the ball when 2 seconds ago there was a perfect pass - just poor.
No matter how you slice it with him, wether you rate him as though he were a winger (which he basically is) or a defender, his impact is at most neutral, if not negative.
WE are where we are it's all ifs and buts ..... If Suarez hadn't had the ban , Sturridge hadn't been out , Hendo getting the Red other teams helping out with unexpected wins e.g Sunderland beating Chelski at the bridge or we would be 3 points down anyway . Look at the positives - 96 goals so far this season ( 27 more than Moanrinho's lot ) CL next season and playing the most exciting and sexiest football in the country if not Europe ...... We have brilliant youngsters who have come on leaps and bounds and with this season's experience will stand us in good stead for the future. It was a learning curve yesterday and although boring to watch there will be times when we will have to play that similar defensive way to protect a lead or get the points in CL home and away games . Unfortunately at the moment our defence is not skilled or disciplined enough to play that way . Rebuilding and extending our squad must be our main priority in the Summer.
ReplyDeleteI am loving the way we are playing at present and we are a joy to watch - it's what the beautiful game is all about.
They won't admit it but deep down those trolls are jealous of the way we play and the goals scored which have won us PL Team of The Year plus player of the year awards.
I still believe we are going to win it but if we don't hope it goes to MC who , similar to us , play attacking football !
chasing the game with lucas and allen is like wiping your arse with wet bog roll
ReplyDeletehendo has been outstanding for some time you only realize how good he is when he doesn't play
ReplyDeleteblind faith he also thinks hell win lottery Every Saturday
ReplyDeleteToo right. I reckon the fat lady might just have a couple more tunes in her yet. Yesterday was disappointing, sure, but we need to retain some perspective. Who thought we would be challenging for the title right at the death? Not me. Whatever happens now, it's been a brilliant season.
ReplyDeleteim not sure how you cant see Gerrards mistake as a mistake at the business end of the season
ReplyDeletetrying to go for a win with lucas and allen is like skydiving without a parachute
ReplyDeletemaybe but elvis would have to be our striker
ReplyDeleteIt may not be "The Liverpool way" but with three games to go, allowing yourself to be drawn into putting ten players on the oppositions half so you can be hit on a counter attack that could be setup by 11-year-olds is a horrible waste of your position. I'm not saying we should have parked the bus but we should have kept three at the back and let the other seven worry about breaking down Chelsea. Another silly mistake were all the high crosses into the box. So you have two very limited center halves who can do little more than head a ball and you keep pumping crosses into the box. Nothing wrong with keeping the pitch wide and attacking over the flanks but the crosses should have been hard and on the surface. That's how you get deflected goals and that's where guys like Suarez, Coutinho and Sturridge beat guys like Ivanovic. On the floor, not through the air. A draw would have been enough. Now we need to rely on Everton getting at least that against a City in full swing. I just hope they have a Man U or Arsenal day and not a Southampton one when they play Citeh.
ReplyDeleteEasy - we get four points from last two games - knocks out Chelsea.
ReplyDeleteThen if Everton beats City, we can't be caught. Simples!!!
JK you are surpassing yourself. I've not been able to gripe or disagree with any of the last few articles I've read.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree will all of the above. We only need four points and with Everton doing us a favour - we'll win the league.
We would have got at least a draw without Stevie's unfortunate slip
ReplyDeleteGood points. Hopefully we remember this next time the pathetic one rocks up.
ReplyDeleteI actually believe ultimately that we were desperately unlucky with Gerrard's slip and we could have played the way we were playing and only about 1/10 times Chelsea would get a lucky break like that and win.
Question: If we don't win it and I share Jaimie's optimism ....... who here would have taken 2nd or 3rd place at start of season ?
ReplyDeleteThe toffees will be playing their socks off to be in Europe next season
ReplyDeleteI don't think it needs saying. For me I feel immensely proud of the football we have played - something that even transcends league position. I think our whole philosophy now is to dominate the opposition and enjoy ourselves. I believe we have opened peoples' eyes that simply clawing on for dear life to secure fourth place will always leave you set up for disappointment. Take Spurs: they have been grappling with trying to squeeze over the line for the last few seasons by constantly plugging a hole with older players ans an inconsistent approach. I think we have moved beyond that trap now and have the correct philosophy running through the club.
ReplyDeleteI'd be curious to know how all the big strikers do against the other big teams, because I remember Cristiano Ronaldo was notably ineffective against the big boys during his time at Man U. I don't think it's that these types of players aren't up to the challenge, just that the big teams are able to shut them down in a way smaller teams aren't, IF they really try. Norwich can focus all their attention on stopping Suarez and can't do it, but if Chelsea really tries to shut down Suarez, they have the personnel to pull it off. With the exception of this game, what that usually means is our other players are able to score because they get less attention from the defense, and we don't suffer...against Chelsea this time we just didn't have the answers overall.
ReplyDeleteJoe Allen and Lucas, I definitely agree I hate seeing them in the same team...man what I would give to have Suso available to us right now. But against Chelsea I thought Allen was better going forward - in general this season he's been excellent in possession and tackling, but you're right he hasn't offered much offensively, but in this game he was better. He drove forward, he penetrated more and got some shots on goal, in particular that one towards the bottom corner. Lucas, on the other hand, just looked slow and clumsy. Last game I watched him commit clumsy foul after clumsy foul, often with the opponents back to goal and not in dangerous areas, and though he was less guilty of that against Chelsea he was just bad out there, he didn't really seem to offer anything on either side of the ball. But Allen definitely was better going forward, in both effort and results, v. Chelsea than he has been all season, I think that's fair to say.
Agreed, definitely. I still think we will win the title this year, but we've played so well that it's easy to forget how massive an achievement that would be. For the most part our entire starting 11 minus Mignolet was on the team last season when we finished 7th. We've set a ton of offensive records this season (games with 4+ goals, first half goals, consecutive games with a first half goal, soon to be 2nd team ever with 100+, etc etc.) and just been brilliant. Some announcers and media outlets talk about how this is Gerrard's last chance at the title, but I disagree...I think whatever happens this season we'll win at least 1 title over the next 2 seasons, and have other successes as well and Gerrard has at least 2 more seasons in him, especially in his new role..don't even rule out him getting another CL trophy in his hands if things go our way in the transfer market. Rodgers has shown himself to be fantastic when it comes to getting every ounce out of players (players with the right attitude at least) and with the return of CL football and the way we've performed this year we'll have a shot at a different class of transfer target...no one will turn away because we can't match their ambitions, like Mkhitaryan did last summer. We've got fantastic youth prospects coming up, like Suso and Ibe, we'll strengthen and our existing core will continue to improve, improve, and improve.
ReplyDeleteBut, all that being said, I still believe our neighbors in blue will get a result next weekend and we'll win our last two and take the title.
Definitely. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I never felt uncomfortable that Chelsea were going to trouble us in any significant way until Gerrard went down.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, encouraging them onto us could have resulted in a lot more dangerous set pieces coming in to our area - which it could be argued might have been worse strategy.
I think it's just one of those games where they knew what they were going to do and they knew that this approach gets lucky about 1/10 and that was it for them. So it worked; that's football; I think we'd all much rather take our approach.
Also, while I agree with you about our squad strength I don't think it's really too severe. For the amount of games we've played this season I think all we lack is ONE attacking player who can come on and make the difference - someone like Salah or Konoplyanka. We know Rodgers wanted Salah and we know in the end the owners wouldn't pay the asking price, and then who knows what happened with the Konoplyanka deal. That's not Rodgers fault, he wanted someone and didn't get them, and I think for this season 1 is all we've needed.
ReplyDeleteMore than a lack of squad strength, this game highlighted a little bit of mental weakness and lack of composure. Don't get me wrong, it's nigh on impossible to not get frustrated and angry with Chelsea's time wasting tactics and defensive blockade, but what we really needed to do was stay very calm and execute, and we didn't do that well enough. The players allowed themselves to get frustrated and that played right into Chelsea's hands. Granted, the game still turned on that slip from Gerrard...it's not like we became so frustrated that we gave up any REAL goals, but we never got into our rhythm and that's because we let Chelsea get into our heads. If Gerrard didn't slip, we walk away with at least a point regardless of squad strength or mental factors IMO, but in the second half I believe the mental aspect made far more of a difference than any lack of squad depth. And I would've much rather seen Alberto or Teixeira come on than that fool Aspas.
Yep. Such a great positivity all round.
ReplyDeleteLet's see what Everton can do.
I agree that Gerrard can now go on for some time. I guess that is the only really distressing thing now, that we get to see Gerrard with his hands on that cup; that does have a different urgency.
Agree
ReplyDeleteHere's me hoping for two 6-0 wins to secure the title! ;-)
ReplyDeleteGreat article, insightful and honest
ReplyDeleteI'm with you here :-)
ReplyDeleteI believe we were wrong with the tactics. I believe as well in free flowing football but league is different thing where every game has a different objective. In this game to win the league draw should have been the main priority. If we had played for a draw we might have won. It is these little decisions that we must get right to lift the title. I have seen other teams do it and win the title. (Do what is necessary to win the game and just like that plan what is necessary to win the league and our planning was not good enough on the particular game.) And as for Gerrard he showed the world why he hasn't won the league up till now in front of the whole world in a crucial game like yesterdays. Remember the mistakes he has made in big games. I recall him making a back pass in a game with Arsenal where Herny scored one on one. That to he has done it twice with the same team if I am not mistaken. I really like Gerrard,but I am calling it like I see it. He should not have let the ball roll with Ba lurking around.
ReplyDeleteThe question of squad depth is an important one and despiet disagreeing with Jamie on some fundamentals I agree Aspas is not the player we need and we have to strngthen going forward. I have no problem with buying players like Ilori and Alberto as players for the future for me that is fine but what did let us down was not getting any of those primary targets which woudl be useful now. Willian, Makhitarian, Costa, Konolyanka and even Salah were needed and this endless discussion about whether money was wasted or not would probably not be going on. The failure to get these primary targets (meaning first team ready players who would have been more expensive because of that) means that when we now look to our bench we are very limited. Deals have to be done quickly and professionally in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI had the tactics discussion many times with my mate and I was always on the side that Jaimie says there but perhaps it was naive and Rodgers should have known a draw was much better for us than them and we maybe would not have been so high up when Gerard slipped. We were not outplayed but out thought on Sunday.
agree....we were out thought....
ReplyDeleteThe reality of football at this level is that if a team like Chelsea chooses to play that way then there isn't much you can do. They did the same to Atletico. What team would have fared any better? Would City have scored goals against a formation like that? Chelsea pulled a very similar game plan on them in February and came away with a 1-0 win. The reality is that Chelsea are a very good team with a very good manager. The executed a simple game plan and it worked. Liverpool could have gone into the game with Sturridge fully fit and Henderson playing and still not have won.
ReplyDeleteRead this:
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25908324
And then this:
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27106937
Why should Liverpool have fared better than Atletico or City? This is what Chelsea have been very good at and credit to them, they did it again. Sometimes you just have to accept that your team didn't do enough. No one is to blame, there is no tactical lesson to be learned. On another day Gerrard would not have slipped and one of Liverpool's shots would have taken a deflection for a 1-0 win. The team has had their share of luck on other days during the season and on this occasion it went the other way. That's just football.
I agree with you on the transfer issues. We need to get our big targets. What I disagree with (and I don't suppose that you think this way) is any assumption that the combined purchase of players x, y and z means we missed out on someone else. There is just nothing to suggest that's true. We didn't have the attacking players we needed this season because we didn't sign them, not because we signed someone else. That's all there is to it. The ideal situation is that you sign all your targets, fringe players and first team players just the same. There is no point saving money by not getting in the fringe players if you can't ultimately sign the first team players anyway, you should always get what targets you can. The club put a focus on getting first team quality, it just didn't work out. Of course they need to address that, but there is nothing wrong with the general intention and transfer strategy that is being employed.
ReplyDeleteNo question, it's a yes from me. People say there are no prizes for second place but any fan who would write off this season because we don't win the title is a fool. It's been great to watch, the football has been brilliant and it's always nice to exceed expectations. For me this season is already an unqualified success. If we did this for the next 10 years and never won a title it would certainly be frustrating but damn, it would be fun. You can't really ask for much more than that.
ReplyDeleteI don't really agree. Chelsea were very well contained in the first half. They had a couple of chances but none were all that serious. Their goal came from a mistake, not from the tactics employed. I think a more conservative approach would have fared no better. You can have as many defenders at you want, but when the player at the back misses a simple pass and then falls over it doesn't matter. There are no tactics that account for that. And the second goal doesn't count at all, we were in desperation mode and if they hadn't already scored we certainly wouldn't have pushed up like that. 2-0 or 1-0 hardly makes a difference, the game was already lost by the time Willian scored.
ReplyDeleteTake out that one first half mistake and Chelsea were totally non-threatening, we were on our way to a comfortable 0-0 draw. We controlled the game, controlled the possession and had enough chances that we could have gotten a win. The difference was that Chelsea executed perfectly and we suffered a moment of pure bad luck.
But how would a different set of tactics have changed the result? The goal came from a missed pass and a slip, not from bad tactics. Up until that point we had Chelsea mostly under control. Even if we played for a draw, wouldn't that same slip from Gerrard still led to the same goal being scored?
ReplyDeleteIt's somehow written in the stars that Everton will win us the league, I feel it in my bones. Who'd have thought we'd have been lamenting the loss of hendo a couple if seasons ago. Thought we really missed him on sun.
ReplyDeleteI feel if we'd sat back and played for a point we'd have still lost. At no point this season have we looked comfortable holding onto a lead. We've been very successful playing fast, attacking football and I still think we made the best decision in playing our usual game. These games are decided on fractions. If Stevie doesn't slip that game finishes 0-0 I reckon however the title isn't won or lost in one incident in one game and he's been fantastic for us this season. I feel no anger towards Stevie at all just heartache for him.
Some moronic fans were calling talksport yesterday calling for Rodgers head!! Unbelievable. Idiots. Rodgers is the best thing to happen to Liverpool for decades
All I care about is that we BLEW it big time
ReplyDeleteIt is a dream right? I hope your dream becomes reality
ReplyDeleteI hope your dream comes to pass
ReplyDeleteyou are right man dont give up we need bit of a luck to win the league
ReplyDeleteIf you ignore the emphasis on sticking to their philosophy, Liverpool could have tried parking the bus too. I'm not saying it'd definitely work, but it seems big teams haven't tried it against Mourinho sides who do it.
ReplyDeleteWhy could it possibly work? Because Chelsea needed a win more than Liverpool, therefore playing deep behind the ball would have coaxed THEM to come forward at us and try and get a goal, thus leaving their weakened defence exposed against SAS.
There is the con that Liverpool's defence has been scratchy, but if executed as well, it seriously could have worked!
In the end, this game will only do good for Liverpool as a team in the future. It's taught them a lesson about staying composed and being clinical when coming up against extremely stubborn teams.
ReplyDeleteDare i say it...this was a game for an 'andy carroll' type of player.
ReplyDeleteI think we tried to be deeper at times and they were just so disciplined it didn't matter. We suppose they wanted the win but in fact I think they played entirely for the draw with the hope of us making a mistake. Jose was counting on his front 3 being able to come up with something. I think he would have been happy with a draw, a win was a bonus. We can say they needed the win but they are still only 3rd in line to take the title and I don't think Jose was totally BS when he said it was not a big priority. I think he was fine with a potential draw.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing is, Chelsea didn't come close to threatening us in normal run of play. Apart from the first goal, what chances did they really have? We dominated possession so much that even if we couldn't break them down they certainly didn't pose a big threat on the other side. For me that's a fair indication that our tactics were spot on. Take out the mistake from Stevie and they had virtually nothing. The second goal was 90+ minute desperation stuff when we sent the whole team forward so it doesn't really count. Up until that point Chelsea were a non-issue and it was pure luck that gave them the goal.
The difference is - we don't have the right sort of players who have the ability and self discipline to play like this. It doesn't just happen ... JM is an expert in anti football this is why he has done so well . It's not rocket science he gets suitable players in and they train and drill till they get it right . That is why any player is able to come in and do a job in the formation as was proved on Sunday . He then hopes to get lucky sneaking a goal or two on the break or by a mistake ...... why do you think Demba Ba was in the right position and so quick to pounce on Stevie's mistake ?
ReplyDeleteI also agree that we would have gone all afternoon and evening without scoring ...... we would have just become more frustrated and tired !
Brendan knows Mourinho well and knew this is what he would be up against but chose to stick with what we do best and has achieved success thus far . It 's what the supporters want to see at Anfield.! We were just unlucky - That's Football ! . Bottom line is we will have to learn to have more in our locker with more flexible and dynamic tactics to compete in Europe . Onwards and upwards you Reds .
Did we realise a draw would have been okay too?
ReplyDeleteI think so. Didn't we have the game totally under control in the first half before they scored? The best way for us as a team to control a game like that is to be up the pitch and if Chelsea were happy to sit back then I'd be much happier playing in their half than hours. I honestly think the best way for us to have drawn that game was to play the way we did. Until Ba got lucky that's where it was headed.
ReplyDeleteIn my eyes a mistake is when you try to do something and mess it up.
ReplyDeleteHe just slipped, it was unfortunate. but I don't see it as a mistake.
Who knows....
ReplyDeleteThe manager got this wrong. If Sturridge was fit to play at all, then he should have been on at the start to add pace when Liverpool want to catch teams cold. Lucas should not have been playing further forward, He is out of his depth. He should have gone back to the deep role and Gerrard moved forward, giving a bit more goal threat and more creativity up front. To expect Coutinho to be able to make chances from midfield alone, against massed ranks was unrealistic
ReplyDeleteI guess. That Willian goal would never have happened if it were 0-0...
ReplyDeleteI loved your positivity in the opening and closing paragraphs, Jaimie. The title is still very much a possibility.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about Gerrard's slip being the turning point. Up until then I think we were playing tactful, attacking football, and were in control of a hard fought draw or close win. With that slip, Chelsea could do their thing with 4CBs, 2WBs and 3DMs. Sad really considering the offensive football they could play.
Just one thing. You really are beating the drum about BR's transfers. Come on, most managers have a less than 30% success rate (can't remember the exact figure, but it's low). Even if BR is batting below that figure, his successes have been HUGE successes over the last 18 months. Without Sturridge and Couthino we wouldn't be title contenders. (And BTW, I think Allen is a great buy even though I agree he and Lucas don't currently work in the same team.)
we can dissect this defeat all we like - and yes BR could have played a waiting game and got the draw but thats not the make up of the man and if we took his tactics against City we have to take them now that we lost.
ReplyDeleteThere are still games left - we must absolutely hammer palace and newcastle and hope city slip up in one of their games. I doubt everton will win or draw simply because they look out of the top 4 race. but maybe with villa getting close to the drop zone they will do us a favour and sneak a point!
We also have to remember that all top 3 teams have lost the same amount of games and drawn the same amount of games - it will boil down to goal difference at the end - that should gee us up to really shread the likes of palace and the geordies in our last 2 games.
i dont mind chelski parking the bus or even 2 - but the time wasting was beyond a joke. The reason mourinho hates rafa is because he was the only man who had his number! i just wish rafa had given rodgers a phone call!
Let's not get rid of Alberto and Ilori just yet. Ilori has been in superb form on his loan and Alberto has had a few off the field issues (DUI)
ReplyDeleteBorini has shown enough at Sunderland to warrant another season. He would of been useful as a pure number 9 vs Chelsea.
Assaidi has found his level at Stoke and is doing well. Not a Rodgers signing as well.
Aspas came with a good reputation and he was a gamble, so times you play the game and lose. But we'll get most of our money back from a laliga side.
Agree this window is the most important one for a very long time. Adding depth and elevating the quality of our targets is vital
* What this game really highlighted is LFC's poor squad strength, and Rodgers' abject waste of money in the transfer market. When push came to shove at crunch time in the season, Liverpool didn't have the players on the bench to make a difference. This is exactly what I mean when I go on about loss of utility in the transfer market. Rodgers wasted £35m+ on Alberto, Aspas, Ilori, Borini, and Assaidi - five players who have made zero contribution to the season (in an LFC shirt) - and if he'd spent that money *wisely*, LFC could've called on better players yesterday, and those players might've been able to make the difference. Instead, Rodgers had Aspas and Alberto on the bench, and that's just not good enough.
ReplyDeleteI AGREE WITH EACH AND EVERY WORD JAMIE....HOW CAN A MANAGER CANNOT THINKABOUT TITLE AND ONLY LUK FOR SQUAD PLAYERS IN TRANSFER MARKET TO REACH TOP 4 IS BEYOND MY REACH
Actually mate I agree entirely with that.
ReplyDelete