The pre match discussion revolved around our manager now thinking after our recent upturn in positive results that we should realistically aim for higher than fourth spot.
With the run of games lined up it was thought that we could get maybe 10 out of a possible 12 points but as a LFC fan knows we should always take things one game of a time.
With Villa playing an inexperienced side and the return of our best player Suarez it was felt by many that this would be a comfortable day which would continue building the momentum towards the target top 4.
As has been the pattern for most of our games this season we started brightly with the intent to score an early goal with Jonjo Shelvey and Raheem Sterling both denied by good pieces of late Villa defending.
Before the game speculation was also rife that Stewart Downing would be allowed to leave in January and he received a cool reception from the travelling fans against his former club. He took a speculative long shot from outside the area that went just wide.
The whole problem with us this season, even coming off the back of knocking 3 passed West Ham, has been the fact that we do not score enough goals when we are on top of teams and this game was another case in point. Aston Villa sucker punched us into conceding the first goal with both Johnson and Allen not closing the striker Benteke down and allowing him to take a shot from almost 25 yards, the low shot hitting the post low to Reina's right and surprisingly ending up in the net for the undeserved lead to Villa.
The returning Luis Suarez powered a shot into the side netting as we sought an instant reply, while Villa striker Weimann almost capitalising on a poor back pass from Glen Johnson only to find the roof of the net with his subsequent lob.
We didn't heed the warning with Villa taking a shocking 0-2 lead from an intricate passing move with Benteke and Weimann slicing our defence open like a tin of sardines with both Agger and Allen again at fault for not tracking the runs and Weimann putting the ball easily past Reina.
Even at 0-2 down at half time one still felt that it was possible to turn the game around with a second half onslaught as Man Utd had done earlier in the season, the next goal would dictate how the rest of the game would go.
Joe Cole surprisingly replaced Jonjo Shelvey at half time and for the first five minutes of the second half we threatened to get a goal back through a couple of efforts from Suarez and Downing and an incident where Agger was wrestled to the ground by Villa defender Ciaran Clark but ref Swarbrick waved away the vociferous protests and our wait for a penalty continues this season.
The game was effectively ended as a spectacle with Aston Villa counter-attacking after sloppy play by Allen again gave Benteke the chance to intercept, but the big Belgian should never have been allowed to stroll past Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger, before passing the ball into the net, without any sort of a challenge. With us now 0-3 down we were in danger of having our worst home defeat since the Premiership started but got a late consolation goal from our captain Gerrard after some decent work by Johnson.
Man of the match: Steven Gerrard- kept going despite the fact he was let down by his fellow midfielders especially today.
Negatives: Brendan Rodgers and his lineup choices.
Yes, Jonjo Shelvey was good on the left of the front three against Southampton and played well in the False 9 role at West Ham. But that doesn't mean it's going to consistently work. We all know he's better in midfield.
Why was Henderson sat behind Joe Allen when he came on? He's been part of every pertinent thing Liverpool have done recently. But we know why, and it's because Allen is Rodgers's pet poodle. Even though Allen has been clearly flagging and it's clear that he doesn’t give you anything more in an advanced position than Henderson or Shelvey, Allen had a major hand in all three goals against us vs Villa. How much clearer does it have to be he needs a rest? If the fear is that Lucas can't make 90 minutes yet, you're still making a sub anyway. So why can't Allen be that sub?
Lucas had a poor game but has a viable excuse for now as he has been out for a long time. Joe Cole was the first sub on -- and why it was for Shelvey and not Allen or someone else -- this totally infuriates me. I might not have predicted that Cole would give away the third goal that would end things, but I wasn't wholly shocked either.
Is Suso injured or has upset Rodgers as since being hauled off early once, his whole season is null and void now?
Speaking of others who need a break, last weeks' through ball for Cole earned him a temporary reprieve, but Raheem Sterling can duck no more. Clearly buckling under the weight of all that's being asked of him plus the contract speculation. His final ball still has a long way to go despite him being unlucky with several shots hitting the woodwork.
Reina again showed why I feel he has stagnated at Liverpool - he does not have a player challenging him to push up his standard of keeping, that is to the detriment of his game and the team.
This is a summary of what Mr Rodgers had to say:-
ReplyDelete"We are very disappointed and to be honest I didn't see that coming as our momentum and confidence coming into the game was probably as high as it's been," Rodgers said.
"We probably got punished for our decision-making in that first 20 minutes. We were a bit careless.
"We conceded some poor goals. We weren't quite at it with our intensity and pressure in the game and they were a threat on the counter-attack and got the goals."
Rodgers admitted Liverpool were lacking intensity and energy right from the start and that allowed Villa, who started the day just above the relegation zone, to gain belief they could take all three points.
"I thought we were flat. Once that happens, combined with sloppy play and giving the ball away in poor areas, we contrived to concede bad goals," Rodgers added.
"Benteke was outstanding but he got his shot in too easy for the first.
"The second goal, we never tracked the runners into the box, and then the third goal we've given it away in our half and he's broken through and nearly runs to the edge of the six-yard box before finishing.
"It was so unlike us because we're usually strong defensively. It was very much self-inflicted."
While Rodgers was frustrated with his own players, he also felt Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty for Ciaran Clark's pull on Daniel Agger's shirt early in the second half.
"I thought when it was 2-0 we should have had a penalty so I'm not sure what we are going to have to do to get one," he said.
"The referees are asked to look at the shirt pulling. He gets pulled to the floor, it goes to 2-1 and you have most of the second half to apply the pressure.
"But as soon as the third goal went in we looked deflated and then Villa have no need to come out and go after the game and they just sat. For us it was a bad day at the office."
Self inflicted maybe. But once again we could've, should've, would've doesn't cut it. We had chances in the first twenty minutes to have buried the game. Look at Man Utd, not playing well defensively, but quality strikers have continuely pulled them out of the mire.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the forward line either, with Steven Gerrard now deployed in a more creative role than powerhouse we don't have midfield play capable of physically destroying the opposition. Yesterday, Joe Cole came on for Shelvey, but Cole is not going to give you legs or power and he's now lost the ability to go past players. Last week we struggled to live with the power of Diame and we need to be able to adapt to differnt challenges.
Yesterday, defensively we were taken a part on the break. But, you can't have it both ways as in the days leading up to the game we were all feeling upbeat, only four points behind 4th place, so let's not get totally downbeat.
Yes, Joe Allen has been poorer still given more freedom. He seems to lack composure and the finese in the final quarter. He has the technical ability, but it seems at the moment there seems to be no incisiveness in his play to add our attacking intent and with Lucas now back as I've said he has more freedom. With Borini's performances before he got injured, critics are now coming out of the woodwork saying will the manager sign the right players in the January. When we see the quality of players bought for similar costs around the league like Dembele there is always the propensity to criticise, but now is now the time to be on a downer.
We'll have to wait and see as the jury is out, but a proven goal scorer is what we need and greedily two if possible and a different type of midfield player to those already at the club.
In terms of Raheem Sterling as I said in a recent blog http://kop-post.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/happy-18th-birthday-raheem-sterling.html that we can't just run the youngster into the ground even though there is a temptation and as regards Suso, Rodgers maybe managing his games. But, now maybe the time to give Assaidi and others their heads and use the very limited squad.
I tried not to feel too downcast heading home from that game. I feel the manager is too complacent.He lacks spark and enthusiasm. I want Anfield to return to the fortress it used to be.
ReplyDeleteI can see the team playing nice football, and slowly building a good team, but to talk about second place is rubbish in the highest order. We got well done art this game from Villa....
ReplyDeleteReally simple: one game at a time Brendan.