Report by David Douglas - dedlfc
When Rodgers made the poor judgement to play Downing at left back vs the likes of Bale and Lennon it gave Spurs the confidence to start the game on the front foot. This confidence was turned into an early 6th minute lead for Spurs with Gareth Bale assisting Lennon to score from close range.
The one player in the LFC squad you do not want a chance to equalise to fall to at the moment is Jordan Henderson as he is a player who has only just returned to the side and has been devoid of any confidence and composure to make any opportunities turn into goals. This was again evident when after a mix-up between Lloris and Walker created an open goal opportunity which Henderson inexplicably chipped wide of the target. From the ensuing Spurs attack after 16 mins our former number one summer transfer target Dempsey dived and won a free kick which Bale shot straight at the wall which then swerved massively to leave Reina totally wrong footed.
From the moment we went two down when then preceded to create chance after chance but to no avail until half time couldn't take any of them.
The main chance after the Henderson shocking miss was when Gerrard went down after 33 mins under a Dembele challenge and within the same sequence of play a Suarez shot was cleared off the line.
Our stats at half time summed up our season with Spurs having 31 passes in the final third whereas we had 81 passes but again seem to over-pass and did not provide any penetrative passing which is the area we've lacked in all season.
In the second half we again showed more urgency, but again were poor to the extreme with our final ball.
Bale nearly got a third goal for Spurs from another free kick which just went wide. Within two minutes we had our first lucky break when an attempted clearance from a LFC corner by Lennon went straight into Bale's face and then dropped into the Spurs goal for a bizarre own goal and a vital lifeline which we thoroughly deserved. We desperately sought an equaliser, but sadly in vain the closest we came with 10 mins left was when Suarez struck a shot just over from 10 yards.
After the game Rodgers again stated his usual "we were magnificent!" post match interview this time it was justified but it is becoming a little irritating when we do not get wins to back up his total faith in our performances.
Man of the Match: Glen Johnson - Another excellent display by Glen who again showed why he is such a highly rated attacking right sided player who has the adaptability to also cause problems on the left.
Negatives: Rodgers gave Downing a second start in a row at left back despite his poor display against Swansea and his faith in Downing backfired with Downing constantly showing the lack of confidence and his lack of knowledge playing at left back encouraged Lennon and Bale to attack that flank.
The lack of an extra striking option like Adam Morgan or Yesil that can be thrown on just to get a sniff of a chance with minutes to go is very frustrating with us now always putting two defensive options on the bench but no attackers.
We need to get a winning run going not draws and we will shoot up the table and then Rodgers can spout how magnificent we are until his heart is content !!
Watched the game last night. No comments.
ReplyDeleteMo
last 20 minutes we really started to kick in, having played like that from the start, we may have had a different result, we gave the ball away to many times, and like David said yesterday Bale has been playing well, pretty much running the show!!
Deletelets move on....
I listened to it on the Radio and it sounded awful, then I watched the highlights on Match of the Day and it looked alright and we were very much in the game. Poor finishing continues to cost us much needed points. Henderson especially should hang his head, that was an absolute sitter.
DeleteSouthampton at Anfield on Saturday. That has absolutely got to be 3 points.
Yes, lets move on but if Allen plays on Saturday you can forget 3 points. In Eurovision term "nil point".
DeleteMo
Poor finishing is killing us. Often hear teams whinging about being unlucky, but rank bad finishing is truly killing us. With a decent finisher and midfielder capable of putting the ball in the net, we could've been hunting down a Champions League place given the distance the first two have pulled between themselves and the rest. There is not much between everyone else.
DeleteIt's early days and one is loath to be pernickety because when we are on the front foot we look as good as anything in the league a part from the lack of cutting edge, but £26 million or so worth of talent Allen and Borini (before he was injured and probably a unfair on my part) have failed to ignite so far.
Time and time again we've said a young striker on the bench at the very least may at least help the situation by providing an option rather than, as yesterday, having four midfielders on the bench... especially when Adam Morgan, who looked good scored in the NextGen tournament against Borussia Dortmund yesterday continues to impress.
This is fast becoming a missed opportunity.
I watched the highlights on tv and we seemed to give a good account for ourselves, but again, we need to find a way of ensuring that Gerrard can function in more of a free role. Some of the times you see Henderson pop up in critical positions, you wish it was Gerrrard who would be more likely to score.
DeleteI did mention yesterday that I was concerned how Downing and Allen would get on – again they both seem to struggle. The decision to play Henderson ahead of Shelvey is strange, as is the decision to play Henderson and Allen in the middle together.
I wonder if Brendan would do things differently if he was given the opportunity to turn back the clock. Would he spend £26m on Downing and Borini?
Just to add to Vic’s last email which I totally agree with – I will say “ Yet another missed opportunity again!!” for both the players on the pitch and the team as a whole to make a positive statement and make a dent into the poor position we find ourselves in.
DeleteAs I have stated to some of you already we have drawn 7 games and with a slightly more positive mentality I would prefer we won 4 of them and lost 3 of them trying to get the extra points. This would have given us an extra 5 points at least and put us right in the mix at the top end !!!
A draw in this league will continue to leave us stagnating in mid-table mediocrity – our manager needs to be more expressive with his words because to continue saying “We were magnificent despite losing or drawing!!” doesn’t cut it with me – we need to show more ambition.
A draw is not a good result unless its against the likes of Man Utd or Man City, Chelsea or Arsenal away from home - I want our manager to be angry when we draw not content to stay where we currently are.
Save the magnificent statements for wins !!!
On the positive Lucas should be back very soon and we can then see what Rodgers “golden boy” Joe Allen is really made of!!
I was at the game and whilst I share frustration about our lowly league position and lack of wins I was pretty encouraged by the performance last night. We were one nil down before I'd even got to my seat and when they scored their second i thought we were set up to get completely hammered so i was pretty pleased that we recovered so well and really should of got at least a point from the game. Thought we were desperately unlucky to go in two down at the break after dominating after bale's goal and then the second half was more of the same with us dominating and playing some really decent stuff but just being let down by the final ball. I suppose the fact we controlled the match may have been because spurs were already two goals up but I was still impressed with how almost the entire second half was played in their half and think we really deserved a point which after being two down is reflective of decent character within the side.
DeleteI share reservations with the selection of downing at left back and also agree that it would be worth having another attacking option on the bench but I thought our midfield functioned pretty well last night and thought all three had decent games (despite some of the ridiculous ratings I've seen henderson getting in various rags) but agree that we could do with more of a spark in there and think in different circumstances, such as southampton on saturday Suso would be a good option in the most advanced position. Having said that gerrard played some delightful balls down the flanks and I thought he had one of his better games this season...
All in all, i think with a run of favourable fixtures between now and the new year we have a chance to try and put a few results together and climb the table before hopefully bringing in some reinforcements in January.
Luke
Maybe it’s time we take a good look into BR capabilities to manage the club.
DeleteValerie
Football can be like a disease and it spread very quickly and this was apparent in the game last night. Both Osaidi and Johnson were affected when they had simple ball to control but lost it. It is also a game played with your foot (also head) but with your brain. In most games that I have watched I can only think of Gerald and Enrique creating chances for Suarez and Raheem but creating the killer pass and the rest seems to be playing simple square or back pass especially Allen. Could this be an instruction from BR?
DeleteAlso, there have been time when Raheem or Suarez is down on the wing and cross the ball in the penalty area and guess what, we only have 1 player in the box to put the ball away.
Mo
Finally, I just wish that BR takes his eyes from his backxxxx and put them in their sockets on his face where they belong - so he can see where/who we/is/are going wrong.
DeleteMo
We were slow out the blocks yesterday which allowed them a 2 goal lead. Sitting back was never going to work - when does it in the British game, its not our strength is it? - we needed to match Spurs intensity. Yet again we got going all too late. I don't think we show a lack of desire to win games as we always press to get a winner or as against YBs, extend our lead which backfired. But there is no denying there aren't enough players in and around the box.
DeleteWould liked to have seen Suso start and Yesil or Adam Morgan make an appearance. Its baffling when we are struggling to score goals. Yes, the posession is there, almost dominant but what do/ did we create? As in so many games this season and last, not enough to win a game. Of course a couple of penalties would have helped and referees have been appalling against us this season, but, you win a game on your own merit not on the decisions of someone else.
Connor Coady looks great and hope he makes the step up. We are crying out for Stevie or Joe Allen to grab these games by the neck and take control. Until that happens, defensively we will continue to let teams have a free run at our back 4 and on the ball, there will be a huge chasm between a controlled, passing midfield and an attacking quartet/ quintet that creates clear goal scoring chances. Without this we continue to rely on Luis to work his magic or play a one-two with Raheem.
We did play well I think we are better than results suggest. But we're a very long way from challenging for the top.
Boydy
Dembele and Allen both transferred this Summer for £15 million. I think Spurs got the better deal. Also Swansea used that £15 million for Allen to bring in Michu, Hernandes and Chico. We need to start being clever with our spending. The players are out there if you look hard enough but we spent £26 mil on Allen and Borini based purely on the fact that B-Rod had worked with them both previously.
DeleteI'll stick my neck and say both will come good. Which is more than I can say for Downing and Hendo. I do also think Henderson will come good too.
DeleteAm surrounded by Spurs fans/ season ticket holders! Is it the weekend yet?
Boydy
I hope they've at least got the decency, like alan sugar (now there's a sentance I never thought I'd write), to admit they were extremely lucky. After predictable ten minutes of gloating after bale's goal there wasn't a peep out of them until about the 90th minute when Lennon won a free-kick in the corner and they realised they'd scraped a lucky win!
DeleteVery good points on combined cost of the swansea trio Barry although obviously difficult to know if they'd fit in to our system it does reflect fact that there is quality at good prices out there...hernandes in particular looks a class act. On that note find the sturridge links a little concerning, although I think he's a decent player and would be happy to have him on loan surely there is better value out there...
On allen and borini, i was massively underwhelmed by borini but think allen will prove to be a good buy
Luke
I agree that Allen has the ability to be a very important player for us, I don’t think that Brendan is doing him any favours by picking him for every single game and I think he’d benefit from a rest. I’d love Borini to prove me wrong but I just can’t see him being a hit in the Premier league and I’m worried that when we signed him Rodgers was hailing him as “a player that will get the fans excited”, makes me wonder if our manager can spot legitimate talent.
DeleteIt's good to hear Old Rafa still talking about 'high tempo' and 'ball retention'.....they're as clueless as us in front of goal and they have better players!!
ReplyDeletehe talking about winning the league LOL
DeleteLooking at the NextGen result against Borrusia Dortmond Conor Coady stood out. When you watch Jordan Henderson fluffing chances and see this boy tearing up the pitch to head in a cross in you begin to wonder whether the wrong player is in the reserves! He also tucked in a penalty. Also seems we have yet another full-back off the production line - Ryan McCloughlin (Belfast boy) - don't know what they feed him on but he seems like he can run forever and is good on the ball. Wouldn't surprise me if he usurps the Flanagan's of this world going forward.
ReplyDeleteThe words that sums up Conor Coady for me is “local desire” he is desperate to make it at the club he loves and that extra 20% hunger will get him a long way for me.
Delete